Messages In This Digest (16 Messages)

6.: Afghan War Open-Ended: NATO From: Rick Rozoff

7.: Afghanistan: NATO To Increase, Consolidate Bulgarian Troops From: Rick Rozoff

8.: Kosovo: Update On KLA Murder For Organ Harvesting Case From: Rick Rozoff

9.: North Africa, South Pacific: 150,000 Potential Victims Of French Nuc From: Rick Rozoff

10.: Lockheed Martin: U.S., Allies Advance Global Layered Missile Shield From: Rick Rozoff

11.: 570 Saudi Troops Killed, Wounded, Missing In Yemen Fighting From: Rick Rozoff

12.: Escalation Desired: Germany Intensifies Mission in Afghanistan From: Rick Rozoff

13.: Swedish Stop NATO Website: In English From: Rick Rozoff

14.: Jemen: Das Pentagon führt auch auf der arabischen Halbinsel Krie From: Rick Rozoff

15.: More Polish Troops In Afghanistan, Afghan Troops In Poland From: Rick Rozoff

16.: U.S., Georgia Develop Post-War Strategic Partnership From: Rick Rozoff

View All Topics | Create New Topic

Messages

1.: Afghanistan: NATO Chief Applauds Christmas War Surge

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Tue Dec 22, 2009 9:17 am (PST)

http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-385BFC77-97BB1024/natolive/news_60496.htm?

NATO
December 22, 2009

NATO Secretary General wraps up two-day visit to Afghanistan

NATO's Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, wrapped up a two-day visit to Afghanistan, having re-assured President Karzai and Afghans of NATO's long-term commitment....

The NATO Secretary General added that "In 2010 there will be new momentum. The ISAF mission will be much larger and the new forces are already flowing in...."

He congratulated president Karzai for nominating a new Cabinet and highlighted his commitments to fight corruption and improve governance.

Mr Rasmussen, also thanked the ISAF troops for their dedication and sacrifice, which is especially appreciated during this holiday period. "We owe a great deal of debt to the men and women of ISAF, who are sacrificing so much at this time of year", said the Secretary General.
===========================
Stop NATO
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopnato

Blog site:
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/

To subscribe, send an e-mail to:
rwrozoff@yahoo.com
or
stopnato-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Daily digest option available.
==============================

Back to top
Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post
Messages in this topic (1)

2.: Top U.S. Senator Pushes NATO Rearming Of Georgia

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Tue Dec 22, 2009 9:41 am (PST)

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/12/22/us/politics/AP-US-US-Georgia-Russia.html

Associated Press
December 22, 2009

Lawmaker Urges NATO to Consider Arms for Georgia

WASHINGTON: A senior Republican senator is urging the Obama administration and European allies to consider rearming Georgia, an action that would inevitably upset Russia.

The recommendation comes from Indiana Sen. Richard Lugar, a lawmaker who has long cultivated cooperation with Russia. Lugar has been a key ally for President Barack Obama on his pursuit of an arms control deal with Russia that has been the centerpiece of the administration's efforts to improve relations with the Kremlin. He also is leading efforts to win essential Republican votes to ratify the treaty once it has been completed.
....
A report by Lugar's staff, to be released Tuesday, warns that Georgia's military vulnerability could lead to further instability in the Caucasus amid continuing tensions between Georgia and Russia. It urges the administration to coordinate a strategy within NATO that strikes a balance between Georgia's security needs and NATO's relationship with Russia.

''The Alliance must come to grips with the reality that Georgia will require coordinated security support from America and European nations for some years to come,'' Lugar writes in a letter accompanying the report.

Lugar's report noted that the destruction of Georgian radar capability and air defenses have left the country vulnerable to further attack and also unable to verify air incursions over its territory.

Following the war, the United States allocated $1 billion in aid to Georgia for rebuilding....

''A continuation of the status quo appears to ensure that Georgia will not only have difficulty providing for its own territorial defense needs but remain susceptible to the internal strife and external manipulation that often accompanies such national insecurity,'' the report says.
===========================
Stop NATO
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopnato

Blog site:
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/

To subscribe, send an e-mail to:
rwrozoff@yahoo.com
or
stopnato-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Daily digest option available.
==============================

Back to top
Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post
Messages in this topic (1)

3.: Bosnia: Chile, NATO's Second South American Partner

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Tue Dec 22, 2009 9:42 am (PST)

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-12/22/content_12686455.htm

Xinhua News Agency
December 22, 2009

Chile extends troop deployment in Bosnia-Herzegovina for one year

-"We have been able to see Chile together with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in a European country, and the interaction of our armed forces with first-level armies of the world."

SANTIAGO: The Chilean Senate on Monday approved to extend the deployment of its troops in Bosnia and Herzegovina for one year from Jan. 1, 2010.

Senators unanimously approved the petition submitted by the Chilean presidency. The petition allows the troops to stay one more year for the European Union military operation ALTHEA in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Senator Baldo Prokurica said the request made by the presidency was aimed at continuing the peace mission due to the benefits it had reported for Chile and its armed forces.

"We have been able to see Chile together with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in a European country, and the interaction of our armed forces with first-level armies of the world," Prokurica said.

The deployment of Chilean troops in Bosnia and Herzegovina was to expire at the end of December.
===========================
Stop NATO
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopnato

Blog site:
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/

To subscribe, send an e-mail to:
rwrozoff@yahoo.com
or
stopnato-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Daily digest option available.
==============================

Back to top
Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post
Messages in this topic (1)

4.: British Army Used "Waterboarding" On Irish Prisoners

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Tue Dec 22, 2009 9:43 am (PST)

http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=114347§ionid=351020601

Press TV
December 22, 2009

UK army 'waterboarded' prisoners in 1970s

Evidence has emerged that the British army used waterboarding to interrogate Northern Ireland prisoners during troubled times back in the 1970s.

The torture technique was allegedly used in at least one interrogation of a prisoner who was accused of killing a British soldier in 1973, a Tuesday report published in the Guardian said.

The prisoner named Liam Holden was later convicted of murder, largely based on an unsigned confession.

At the time the jury ignored his claim that the confession was forced under severe duress by British soldiers who had held him down, placed a towel over his face and poured water over his nose and mouth.

After 17 years in jail, the Criminal Cases Review Commission is now reviewing Holden's case because of doubts about the "admissibility and reliability" of his confession.

Waterboarding, which simulates drowning, is considered torture by agencies worldwide.

CIA agents are known to have used it in interrogating the so-called 'war on terror' suspects.
===========================
Stop NATO
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopnato

Blog site:
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/

To subscribe, send an e-mail to:
rwrozoff@yahoo.com
or
stopnato-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Daily digest option available.
==============================

Back to top
Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post
Messages in this topic (1)

5.: Dutch MP: Curacao Is U.S. Spy Base Against Venezuela, Guerrillas

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Tue Dec 22, 2009 10:33 am (PST)

http://www.rnw.nl/english/article/dutch-mp-cura%C3%A7ao-us-spy-base

Radio Netherlands
December 22, 2009

Dutch MP: Curaçao is US spy base

-The opposition MP said it is up to the Netherlands to help de-escalate these tensions. He is asking for a ban on American military flights over Colombia from the Antilles. Ostensibly such flights are part of the US "war on drugs" but Mr Van Bommel claims they are also used in a "war on guerrillas". The MP wants to scrap the US-Netherlands Forwards Operations Location treaty enabling the Americans to use airfields in Curaçao and the Antilles for anti-drugs flights.

Dutch Socialist MP Harry van Bommel has claimed that US spy planes are using an airbase on the Netherlands Antilles island of Curaçao.

Mr Van Bommel has asked Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen whether he is aware that a Boeing RC-135 aircraft has been making regular reconnaissance flights from the Caribbean island's Hato airport over the past few weeks.

War on drugs

The flights were the cause of angry reactions by Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez, who accused the Netherlands of colluding with the United States. The Hague government is contributing to rising tensions between Venezuela and Colombia, according to the Venezuelan authorities.

The opposition MP said it is up to the Netherlands to help de-escalate these tensions. He is asking for a ban on American military flights over Colombia from the Antilles. Ostensibly such flights are part of the US "war on drugs" but Mr Van Bommel claims they are also used in a "war on guerrillas". The MP wants to scrap the US-Netherlands Forwards Operations Location treaty enabling the Americans to use airfields in Curaçao and the Antilles for anti-drugs flights.

Shoot them down

Meanwhile President Chávez has ordered his airforce to shoot down any US plane entering Venezuelan airspace. He said on state television that a US drone, an unmanned plane, had attempted to enter from Colombia on Sunday. Since an agreement with the Colombian government was signed in October, the US military have access to seven military bases in Colombia.
===========================
Stop NATO
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopnato

Blog site:
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/

To subscribe, send an e-mail to:
rwrozoff@yahoo.com
or
stopnato-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Daily digest option available.
==============================

Back to top
Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post
Messages in this topic (1)

6.: Afghan War Open-Ended: NATO

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Tue Dec 22, 2009 12:47 pm (PST)

http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=114407&sectionid=351020403

Press TV
December 22, 2009

Afghan war open-ended, NATO suggests

The NATO chief suggests there is no time limit for the US-led military presence in Afghanistan, amid fears that the massive foreign involvement will spark stronger militant reactions.

"Let there be no doubt, the international community will stand with you, will protect you, and help rebuild your country until you are ready to stand on your own," said NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, addressing the Afghan nation in the capital Kabul on Tuesday, the AFP news agency reported.

The comments came as Afghanistan's civilian population is suffering the brunt of violence despite the presence of some 113,000 soldiers there under the American command.

The populace has, since the 2001 US-led invasion of the country, lost many thousands to the exchange of fire between the foreign forces and the militants.

Some analysts interpret the increasing instability as the Taliban's reaction to the ubiquitous foreign presence.

Rasmussen, however, promised a "new momentum" for the alliance's operation in 2010.

The US-dominated world body has pledged to commit 7,000 more troops to the operations, acknowledging a plea by Washington which itself would scale up its contingent by 30,000 extra forces.
===========================
Stop NATO
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopnato

Blog site:
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/

To subscribe, send an e-mail to:
rwrozoff@yahoo.com
or
stopnato-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Daily digest option available.
==============================

Back to top
Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post
Messages in this topic (1)

7.: Afghanistan: NATO To Increase, Consolidate Bulgarian Troops

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Tue Dec 22, 2009 12:47 pm (PST)

http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=111337

Sofia News Agency
December 22, 2009

Bulgaria Afghanistan Mission to Be Consolidated in Kandahar

Bulgaria's Defense Minister, Nikolay Mladenov, Tuesday informed commanding officers in Kabul and Kandahar that the country's contingent will be consolidated in Kandahar.

Mladenov also said that the number of rangers in Afghanistan will be increased by 20 to 30 people in the beginning of 2010 and another 70 will be sent there by the end of the year.

Mladenov made the announcement during the annual video-conference report of the Bulgarian commanding officers abroad.
....
In addition to the reports from Kabul and Kandahar, Mladenov received reports of commanding officers in Kosovo, Georgia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, all praising the actions of the Bulgarian foreign military missions.
===========================
Stop NATO
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopnato

Blog site:
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/

To subscribe, send an e-mail to:
rwrozoff@yahoo.com
or
stopnato-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Daily digest option available.
==============================

Back to top
Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post
Messages in this topic (1)

8.: Kosovo: Update On KLA Murder For Organ Harvesting Case

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Tue Dec 22, 2009 12:47 pm (PST)

http://www.b92.net/eng/news/crimes-article.php?yyyy=2009&mm=12&dd=22&nav_id=63951

Beta News Agency
December 22, 2009

Vukcevic, Marty on Kosovo organ trade case

BELGRADE:- Serbian War Crimes Prosecutor Vladimir Vukcevic has meet with CoE Parliamentary Assembly Rapporteur Dick Marty in Zurich, Switzerland.

Vukcevic informed Marty about the latest findings of his office in the Kosovo organ trade case, the prosecution said in a statement in Belgrade on Tuesday.

On Friday, Vukcevic will meet with the families of the kidnapped and missing persons from Kosovo and Metohija, to inform them about his meeting with the CoE official, the statement added.

The prosecution last year started an investigation into allegations that ethnic Albanians, members of the so-called Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), in 1999 kidnapped hundreds of Kosovo Serb and other non-Albanian civilians in the province.

The victims were then taken to northern Albania where their vital organs were removed to be sold in the black market.

The case is known informally as the Yellow House, after a building in northern Albania where the organ extraction is believed to have taken place.
===========================
Stop NATO
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopnato

Blog site:
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/

To subscribe, send an e-mail to:
rwrozoff@yahoo.com
or
stopnato-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Daily digest option available.
==============================

Back to top
Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post
Messages in this topic (1)

9.: North Africa, South Pacific: 150,000 Potential Victims Of French Nuc

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Tue Dec 22, 2009 2:54 pm (PST)

http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5i-gSYD-ihXHKqp3fKNOOU5-OC59w

Associated Press
December 22, 2009

France to compensate people who suffered health problems from nuclear tests

PARIS: France's parliament on Tuesday passed a law to compensate victims of nuclear tests in Algeria and the South Pacific, a response to decades of complaints by people sickened by radiation.

The law cleared France's Senate on Tuesday, its final legislative hurdle following approval in the National Assembly in June.

France "can at last close a chapter of its history," Defence Minister Herve Morin said in a statement. He called the law "just, rigorous and balanced."

The text, hammered out with help from victims' associations, recognizes the right for victims of France's more than 200 nuclear tests to receive compensation. Victims' associations did not immediately return calls seeking comment late Tuesday.

Some 150,000 people, including civilian and military personnel, were on site for the 210 tests France carried out, both in the atmosphere and underground, in the Sahara Desert and the South Pacific from 1960-1996.

Compensation will be decided on a case-by-case basis. Victims are to submit a claim to a committee made up of seven representatives of the state and two members from outside the government, which will make a recommendation to the Defence Ministry. The ministry will then notify victims of its decision.

Morin has said that anyone with health problems who resided near the test sites would be eligible to seek payouts under the bill - including Algerians, whose country won independence from France in 1962, after the nuclear test program had started.

Presenting the draft law in March, Morin said it was time for France "to be at peace with itself."
===========================
Stop NATO
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopnato

Blog site:
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/

To subscribe, send an e-mail to:
rwrozoff@yahoo.com
or
stopnato-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Daily digest option available.
==============================

Back to top
Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post
Messages in this topic (1)

10.: Lockheed Martin: U.S., Allies Advance Global Layered Missile Shield

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Tue Dec 22, 2009 3:13 pm (PST)

http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Critical_Global_BMD_Milestones_In_2009_999.html

SPX
Decmber 22, 2009

Critical Global BMD Milestones In 2009

-Lockheed Martin operational systems and next-generation capabilities address each phase of missile defense - boost, ascent, midcourse and terminal - in support of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency's (MDA) layered Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) and international allies' requirements.
-MEADS is designed to permit full interoperability between the U.S. and allied armies, and it is the only medium-range air defense system to provide full 360-degree coverage.

Bethesda MD: Lockheed Martin missile defense systems achieved several key milestones in 2009, including five successful intercepts and numerous other major accomplishments, further solidifying Lockheed Martin as a world leader in air and missile defense.

With 20 successful Aegis BMD intercepts, six successful Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) intercepts and 26 successful Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) Missile intercepts since the inception of those programs, Lockheed Martin continues to build on its unmatched legacy as the pioneer of hit-to-kill technologies.

"Lockheed Martin is proud to continue to lead ballistic missile defense efforts for the United States and allied nations," said John Holly, vice president of Lockheed Martin's newly established Missile Defense Systems operating unit, based in Huntsville, AL.
....
Lockheed Martin operational systems and next-generation capabilities address each phase of missile defense - boost, ascent, midcourse and terminal - in support of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency's (MDA) layered Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) and international allies' requirements.

2009 Missile Defense Milestones - Weapons Systems

Aegis: In July, the Aegis BMD system destroyed a ballistic missile target in an at-sea firing under operationally realistic conditions - marking the continued successful engineering development of the next generational upgrade in Aegis BMD capability.

The USS Bunker Hill completed its operational trial of its full combat system, which includes Aegis Open Architecture, in August. This milestone is part of the development path to merge Aegis Open Architecture and Aegis BMD in 2012, when the Aegis Modernization program begins for the Navy's 62 Aegis-equipped destroyers.

JS Myoko, Japan's third destroyer equipped with the Aegis BMD system, successfully intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile target above the atmosphere during an October test event. Also that month, the MDA awarded a $1 billon follow-on contract providing for the integration of Aegis BMD into the Aegis Modernization program and a contract vehicle for the next five years to continue evolving BMD capability.

Additionally, the guided missile cruiser USS Lake Erie - using the latest Aegis BMD baseline version 4.0.1 and new Aegis BSP signal processor - proved successful during a series of long-range tracking, surveillance and engagement exercises against a variety of ballistic missile targets in October.

MEADS: In July, the Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS) successfully completed Critical Design Reviews (CDRs) for all major components, clearing the way for production of radars, launchers, tactical operation centers, and reloaders needed for system tests.

The program is on track to complete its final system-level CDR event in August 2010, with initial flight tests planned for 2012.

The program announced that it had received approval to use a European cryptographic device to implement Identification Friend or Foe in October. The selected subsystem makes both of the MEADS radars more robust than other current U.S. systems and provides the highest level of fratricide prevention available to protect coalition pilots.

MEADS is designed to permit full interoperability between the U.S. and allied armies, and it is the only medium-range air defense system to provide full 360-degree coverage.

PAC-3 Missile: Lockheed Martin broke ground on an expansion of its state-of-the-art PAC-3 Missile production complex in Camden, AR, in May. This new facility will allow for continued production expansion and modest hiring of new employees over the next several years.

In September, Airmen of the Japanese Self Defense Force and Lockheed Martin successfully conducted the second Japanese PAC-3 Missile flight test at White Sands Missile Range, NM.

The flight test demonstrated the Patriot Configuration-3 upgrades to Japanese Patriot ground system, and the addition of the PAC-3 Missile Segment to detect, track, engage and destroy a tactical ballistic missile target in a realistic battlefield environment.

On December 11, Lockheed Martin successfully conducted the PAC-3 Missile PC-08 Flight Test at White Sands Missile Range, NM.

Preliminary test data indicates mission objectives were successfully achieved. The test demonstrated system capability using Post Deployment Build -6.5 (PDB-6.5) software to search, detect, track, engage, and kill an aerodynamic Tactical Ballistic Missile (TBM) using a ripple method of fire engagement.

THAAD: In March, Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency conducted their sixth successful intercept in six attempts of the THAAD weapon system at the Pacific Missile Range Facility in Kauai, HI. This flight test demonstrated the system's ability to detect, track and intercept a separating target inside the Earth's atmosphere.

This was the first salvo mission, with two THAAD interceptors launched against a single separating target, which is a tactical option for the system. Data indicates the first interceptor successfully destroyed the target while the second interceptor destroyed a large piece of debris from the initial intercept.

This year, Lockheed Martin employees celebrated the 10th anniversary of the first THAAD successful intercept and the 25th anniversary of the first hit-to-kill intercept of a ballistic missile target outside of the Earth's atmosphere.

In October, the U.S. Army and the MDA activated the second THAAD Battery at Fort Bliss, TX, signifying the continued integration of THAAD into the U.S. Army's Air and Missile Defense force structure. Unit training on the second THAAD Battery is underway with equipment hardware deliveries slated to occur within a year. 2009 Missile Defense Milestones - Next-Generation Capabilities and Supporting Systems.

C2BMC: Command, Control, Battle Management and Communications (C2BMC) continues to support real-world operations 24/7 around the world in 17 time zones, supporting the Missile Defense Agency's strategic and regional objectives.

Logistics and Sustainment: In November, Global Aerospace Logistics, LLC (GAL), Lockheed Martin and Raytheon announced the signing of a Joint Collaborative Agreement that will establish world-class logistics and sustainment services for the United Arab Emirates' air and missile defense systems.

Under the agreement, GAL will work with Raytheon and Lockheed Martin to develop a logistics and sustainment capability to meet the immediate and future needs of the UAE's air and missile defense strategy.

Targets and Countermeasures: Through 2009, Lockheed Martin's Targets and Countermeasures Program has achieved 33 successful target missions out of 34 since 1996. Lockheed Martin's unmatched 97 percent reliability rate has included unitary and separating targets, spanning land, sea and air launches.

In 2009, Lockheed Martin shipped the next-generation Launch Vehicle-2 target to a test range in preparation for an upcoming test.

Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS): In November, the Lockheed Martin-led team developing the Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) program for the U.S. Air Force successfully completed thermal vacuum testing of the first geosynchronous (GEO-1) satellite, one of the most significant program milestones that validates spacecraft performance in a simulated space environment.

The first SBIRS GEO spacecraft is planned for delivery to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in late 2010, where it will then undergo final processing and preparation for launch aboard an Atlas V launch vehicle.
===========================
Stop NATO
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopnato

Blog site:
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/

To subscribe, send an e-mail to:
rwrozoff@yahoo.com
or
stopnato-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Daily digest option available.
==============================

Back to top
Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post
Messages in this topic (1)

11.: 570 Saudi Troops Killed, Wounded, Missing In Yemen Fighting

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Tue Dec 22, 2009 3:41 pm (PST)

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5h7by4V1Kj-nErwy6zz7s4mwYaEog

Agence France-Presse
December 22, 2009

73 Saudi soldiers killed fighting Yemen rebels

AL-KHOBA, Saudi Arabia: Seventy-three Saudi soldiers have been killed, 470 wounded and 26 are missing since fighting broke out in November between Saudi forces and Yemeni rebels, a Saudi minister said Tuesday.

"The confrontation on the southern border" has resulted in "73 martyrs and 26 missing" soldiers, said Saudi Deputy Defence Minister Prince Khaled bin Sultan in comments broadcast on television from a media conference in Al-Khoba in the southern Jizan province.

"We believe that 12 of (the missing soldiers) were killed, while we do not know about the fate of the other 14," Prince Khaled said.

"The number of wounded has reached 470, the majority of whom have been treated and released, while 60 remain in hospitals," he added.

This is the first time Saudi Arabia has given a death toll for the fighting between Saudi forces and Yemeni Shiite rebels, also known as Huthis, which began more than a month and a half ago. On November 3, rebels killed a Saudi border guard and occupied two villages inside the kingdom's territory.

Saudi jets began bombing Huthi positions the following day.

Prince Khaled said that the bulk of operations were now over, but noted that a small border village called Al-Jabiriyah was still under Huthi control.

"They have 24 hours to surrender, or we will destroy them," he said, referring to the rebels occupying the village.

While the conflict between Saudi Arabia and the Huthis began recently, fighting between the rebels and the Yemeni government has occurred sporadically since 2004.

The latest round broke out after government troops launched "Operation Scorched Earth," an all-out assault against the rebels, on August 11.

According to international aid organisations, more than 150,000 people have been displaced since the fighting began in 2004.
===========================
Stop NATO
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopnato

Blog site:
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/

To subscribe, send an e-mail to:
rwrozoff@yahoo.com
or
stopnato-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Daily digest option available.
==============================

Back to top
Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post
Messages in this topic (1)

12.: Escalation Desired: Germany Intensifies Mission in Afghanistan

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Tue Dec 22, 2009 7:22 pm (PST)

http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,668404,00.html

Der Spiegel
December 22, 2009

Escalation Desired
Germany Intensifies Mission in Afghanistan

-The events leading up to Sept. 4, 2009 show that the Bundeswehr in Kunduz, responding to political pressure, had gradually transformed itself from a reconstruction team to a combat force....Two hundred well-trained and well-equipped soldiers, members of the Bundeswehr's Quick Reaction Force, or QRF, left Germany for Afghanistan in June 2008. They were being sent to replace a group of Norwegian troops, and their mission was to wage offensive war against insurgents. "We are not talking about patrols and evacuations, but about offensive operations," said Birgit Homburger, the defense policy spokesperson of the Free Democratic Party (FDP) parliamentary group at the time....Despite the QRF's obvious combat orientation, the German government and representatives of all parliamentary groups, with the exception of the Left Party, approved the mission.

The German-ordered air strike that led to civilian casualties in Afghanistan in early September was more than an aberration by a Bundeswehr officer. The German government and the military leadership have long supported taking a tougher approach against the Taliban.

He said nothing about the crux of the matter. German Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg was standing in the German parliament, the Bundestag, giving a speech that was filled, as usual, with well-made sentences, and yet it resolved nothing.

His appearance in the Bundestag last Wednesday had been preceeded by reports that morning that Wolfgang Schneiderhan, the former inspector general of the German armed forces, the Bundeswehr, had accused the defense minister of "not telling the truth."

It was a declaration of war, an outrageous move for a senior military commander to be making against his defense minister. In his speech to the Bundestag, Guttenberg could have dismissed the accusation, but he didn't. Instead, he attacked the opposition while saying nothing about Schneiderhan's central charge.

Officials with the Defense Ministry are now claiming that Schneiderhan and Peter Wichert, a state secretary in the defense ministry, concealed the fact that there were other reports on the Kunduz bombing (in addition to the NATO report Guttenberg already had) when the defense minister specifically asked the two men about the existence of such reports in a meeting on Nov. 25. In an interview with the German weekly newspaper Die Zeit, Schneiderhan rejected this claim, saying: "With regard to the afternoon of the 25th, he is not telling the truth."

Both Schneiderhan and Wichert have since been dismissed. But Guttenberg will not be able to remain in office for long if it turns out that he lied about his conversation with the highest-ranking soldier in the Bundeswehr. For the time being, however, it remains a matter of one man's word against another's.

It is now up to the Bundestag Defense Committee, which announced last Wednesday that it would also serve as investigative committee in the Kunduz scandal, to determine who is telling the truth. The committee plans to hear testimony from Guttenberg and Chancellor Angela Merkel soon, and a civil trial could ensue. Meanwhile, Schneiderhan has stated that he had not authorized the publication of the remarks he was quoted as saying.

The committee will also have to determine what really happened in the early morning hours of Sept. 4, when German Colonel Georg Klein ordered an air strike against Taliban fighters gathered around two kidnapped tanker trucks that resulted in numerous civilian casualties.

A Whitewashing Campaign

The incident also marked the beginning of a massive campaign to cover up and whitewash what actually happened in Kunduz. Not a single politician or senior military official told the public the full truth. The subject was to be kept off the radar during Germany's fall parliamentary election campaign, so as not to ruffle the feathers of an already skeptical electorate. Now the incident has been magnified to a far greater extent than would have been the case if those involved had decided to come clean with the public in the first place.

This was precisely what the chancellor had promised voters: that nothing would be withheld or sugarcoated. Precisely the opposite occurred, resulting in a disaster for German democracy.

There are three phases to the Klein case, and new details are emerging almost daily. Each phase is explosive in its own right, and each illustrates the extent of Germany's misgivings over going to war, any war.

The main phase consists of the hours between the kidnapping of the tanker trucks and the air strike. New information suggests that there was even disagreement between the assessments of Colonel Klein and his forward air controller during this phase.

Retooling from a Reconstruction Team to a Combat Force

The preliminary phase began roughly in the fall of 2008. The events leading up to Sept. 4, 2009 show that the Bundeswehr in Kunduz, responding to political pressure, had gradually transformed itself from a reconstruction team to a combat force. For this reason, Klein's fatal order cannot be treated as an isolated aberration.

The follow-up phase began immediately after the air strike. According to the latest information, the Bundeswehr immediately began its efforts to cover up the incident.
....
Two hundred well-trained and well-equipped soldiers, members of the Bundeswehr's Quick Reaction Force, or QRF, left Germany for Afghanistan in June 2008. They were being sent to replace a group of Norwegian troops, and their mission was to wage offensive war against insurgents. "We are not talking about patrols and evacuations, but about offensive operations," said Birgit Homburger, the defense policy spokesperson of the Free Democratic Party (FDP) parliamentary group at the time.

"QRF is not PRT," said then Bundeswehr Inspector General Schneiderhan, putting it in a nutshell. The PRT, or Provincial Reconstruction Team, is the name used to describe the bulk of Bundeswehr troops in Kunduz. Its mission is to provide the Afghans with reconstruction assistance. This does not apply to the QRF, whose purpose is to attack members of the Taliban. Despite the QRF's obvious combat orientation, the German government and representatives of all parliamentary groups, with the exception of the Left Party, approved the mission.

In the coming months, the combat unit - which was in fact stationed in the relatively quiet Mazar-e-Sharif - was needed more and more frequently in the Kunduz area, where "incidents affecting security" were becoming more common.

On Oct. 20, 2008, two German soldiers were killed in a suicide bombing.

On Oct. 21, two state secretaries, August Hanning of the Interior Ministry and Peter Wichert of the Defense Ministry, traveled to Afghanistan, where they remained until Oct. 25.

'It Cannot Go On Like This'

When the two Germans met with Afghan National Security Advisor Zalmay Rassul, they wanted to know "why known backers of the attacks on German police officers and soldiers were not being called to account." Their words carried an unspoken threat: We will take matters into our own hands, if necessary.

Back in Berlin, Wichert scheduled an unusual meeting. He asked representatives of the Chancellery, the Interior Ministry, the Foreign Ministry and the BND, Germany's foreign intelligence agency, to attend a confidential meeting at the Defense Ministry. The attendees were contacted by telephone. There was no written invitation. The meeting revolved around two concrete questions: Who was behind the attacks in Kunduz? What could the German government do against the backers of those attacks?

"It cannot go on like this. I'm very concerned," said Hanning, who, together with Wichert, had convened the meeting and was reporting from Afghanistan. "The situation in and around Kunduz is far more dramatic than the public believes," he told the group. Hanning, intent on hunting down the Taliban backers, favored a tougher approach. From his perspective, for German troops the conflict boiled down to either hunting or being hunted.
....
From Bridge Builders to Combat Soldiers

The group of senior German government officials would convene several times after that initial meeting, always at the Defense Ministry, and it introduced an unspoken paradigm shift: Bit by bit, the bridge builders of the PRT were to become combat soldiers.
....
By now it was clear that the Germans had changed their position. Now they were hunting the Taliban.

Meanwhile, back in Berlin, the defense ministry and senior military officials were hard at work to ensure that German soldiers would be capable of engaging in combat.
===========================
Stop NATO
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopnato

Blog site:
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/

To subscribe, send an e-mail to:
rwrozoff@yahoo.com
or
stopnato-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Daily digest option available.
==============================

Back to top
Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post
Messages in this topic (1)

13.: Swedish Stop NATO Website: In English

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Tue Dec 22, 2009 7:32 pm (PST)

http://www.stoppanato.se/english/guides.htm

GUIDELINES

For a citizens' inquiry on the furtive accession of Sweden to NATO

The purpose of these guidelines is to provide an initial orientation, and thereby to facilitate, the citizens' inquiry proposed in the public appeal, "Stop the Furtive Accession to NATO". According to that document, the main questions to be investigated are:

What are the small-- and perhaps even large -- steps that have thus far been taken?

Who has taken those steps, with what means and motives, and with what legitimacy?

Which elected representatives have allowed that to happen, and for what reasons?

The questions themselves provide some indication as to what sorts of information and research are required. The first priority, of course, is to develop a list of the various steps in question. There may be some differences of opinion about which steps ought to be included, and a special section of the inquiry's website will be set aside for a discussion of that matter.

When the various steps have been at least provisionally identified, each of them can be studied within the framework of the three basic questions noted above. The final report will summarize and interpret the findings that result.

Interest seldom lies

As a point of departure, it can be useful to consider which interests might derive some benefit from Sweden's accession of NATO. By itself, an interest analysis cannot be regarded as solid evidence of anything in particular: It sometimes happens that groups and individuals, intentionally or not, act against what appear to be their own interests. But such an analysis can provide useful clues about where to start looking for facts and relationships. Among the interests that might conceivably be relevant in this context are:

United States of America
NATO and its member-states
Swedish political parties, including key figures
Business communities, both Swedish and international
Military personnel, Swedish and foreign
Intelligence/subversion agencies
Mass media
Lobbyists
Think tanks
Academics
Labour organizations

The list can doubtless be expanded and refined; and as with every interest analysis, an important task will be to elucidate possible connections and co-ordinated efforts among various interests.

Information sources

When the legendary U.S. journalist, I.F. Stone, was asked how he managed to dig up so many secret items of information in connection with his many revealing articles, his standard answer was that remarkably little was actually secret. Most information was accessible in official documents, published reports, news media, etc. "All" that was required was for someone to devote the necessary time, effort and thought to sifting it out and analysing it.

Concerning the furtive accession of Sweden to NATO, there is surely much to gain by the application of I.F.Stone's method, because most and perhaps all of the small steps of the process have been at least partially taken in full public view. (This fact has sometimes been adduced as evidence that nothing furtive has occurred. But the furtive aspect concerns the eventual accession to NATO, not the individual steps of the process. That is what is meant by the phrase, "the tyranny of small steps".)

Among the Swedish and international sources that may yield useful information are:

Public documents such as laws, bills, government decisions, public inquiries, legislative debates, etc.

Well-informed individuals, including politicians, military personnel, public officials, experts of various sorts, etc.

Information channels including news media, think tanks, lobbyists, educational institutions, commercial and other interest groups, political parties, research institutes, etc. These may be able to cast light on the various steps toward NATO membership. But they should also be studied in order to determine what sorts of information about USA/NATO and related issues reach and do not reach the general public. This relates to the knowledge and ideas that are conveyed, and to the relative influence of the various channels in terms of audience size and composition.

Methodology

As I.F. Stone explained (see above), there is often much to gain by making use of the valuable information that lies waiting to be discovered in libraries, public archives and other open sources such as the Internet. It is a matter of carefully sorting through printed and digital sources, and of watching/listening to various types of recording.

To get at more concealed facts and relationships, it may be essential to find well-informed individuals who are willing to impart their knowledge. The challenge is to identify promising interview subjects, and to get them to openly or anonymously convey tips and information.

Considering the issues that the inquiry is likely to touch upon, there should be at least a potential for various forms of co-operation with investigative journalists, scholars, university students and others who for their own reasons are dealing with the same or related questions. The citizens' inquiry might be able to contribute with useful information and contacts, and participate in joint efforts of mutual interest.

Again, the task is to develop answers to the three basic questions. That would include a thorough description of each step toward NATO, including its rationale, the individuals and organizations directly involved, and both the consequences thus far and the future implications of the furtive accession process.

Then it is a matter of determining who took each step, with what means and motives, and with what legitimacy. A key question in this context is: Who have the decision-makers represented in each case - the people of Sweden, or other interests? To the extent that the relevant decisions have not been democratically arrived at, which elected representatives have allowed that to happen and why?

The final report will summarize and analyse the knowledge accumulated and, to the extent possible, identify remaining gaps in that knowledge. The challenge will be to develop a comprehensive view which, among other things, identifies patterns and inter-relationships. The entire body of knowledge and related discussions will be published on the inquiry's website.

Investigators

Everyone who wants to help shed light on the furtive accession process is welcome to contribute to the inquiry. But until a reasonable number of interested parties join the effort, it will of course be impossible to devise any research plan or division of labour. To begin with, therefore, most essential tasks will necessarily be carried out by the project co-ordinator.

As soon as possible, a research advisory council will be established to review and assess contributions prior to publication, and also to assist volunteers who lack research experience and/or self-confidence.

All public inquiries are quite properly subjected to critical review, and it may be assumed that this one will become the focus of especially sharp scrutiny for at least three reasons:

It deals with sensitive issues that concern powerful Swedish and international interests.

Despite their obvious importance, the issues have been largely neglected by the research community-- because, according to some sources, the study of them is fraught with risk to professional careers.

What will hopefully be a strong element of "amateur" voluntary contributions.

The answer to all potential criticism is maximum openness. Every aspect of the inquiry will be openly presented and thereby subject to debate. As for the "non-professional" component, there will be no pretence that the inquiry is anything other than what it is-- i.e. a joint effort carried out by every manner of interested citizen, with the help of whichever Swedish and international professionals choose to contribute their expertise.

The final result can hardly be worse than what has thus far been achieved in this area of inquiry by prominent institutions. The heavily state-subsidized Swedish Institute of International Affairs, for example, has dealt with the NATO issue in a manner that can only be regarded as propagandistic.**

As with all initiatives, the most important precondition for success is a firm belief that it is possible to succeed-- something that can at times be difficult to conjure up, especially at the outset of a large and complex task. It can therefore be useful to meet often in order to pose questions, discuss methodological and other problems, share experiences, etc. It is intended that a special section of the inquiry's website will be established for that purpose and, if there is sufficient interest, it may also be possible to arrange physical meetings of project participants.

Finally, it should be emphasized that these guidelines are by no means written in stone, and may very well need to be further developed during the course of the project.

Al Burke, Project Co-ordinator
17 June 2009

===========================
Stop NATO
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopnato

Blog site:
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/

To subscribe, send an e-mail to:
rwrozoff@yahoo.com
or
stopnato-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Daily digest option available.
==============================

Back to top
Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post
Messages in this topic (1)

14.: Jemen: Das Pentagon führt auch auf der arabischen Halbinsel Krie

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Wed Dec 23, 2009 5:58 am (PST)

http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/2009/12/23/jemen-das-pentagon-fuhrt-auch-auf-der-arabischen-halbinsel-krieg

Stop NATO
23. Dezember 2009

Jemen: Das Pentagon führt auch auf der arabischen Halbinsel Krieg
Rick Rozoff

Quelle und Übersetzung: Wolfgang Jung, luftpost-kl.de

----------
Der Jemen wird das Schlachtfeld für einen Stellvertreter-Krieg zwischen dem Iran auf der einen und den Vereinigten Staaten und Saudi-Arabien auf der anderen Seite werden; die zwischenstaatlichen Beziehungen der beiden letztgenannten gehören zu den engsten und stabilsten in der ganzen Ära nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg.

Es ist wahrscheinlich unmöglich, den genauen Zeitpunkt zu bestimmen, zu dem von den USA unterstützte, selbsternannte "heilige Krieger" – die dazu ausgebildet wurden, Terroranschläge in Städten zu verüben und Passagierflugzeuge abzuschießen – aufhören, Freiheitskämpfer zu sein und zu Terroristen werden. Es ist aber ziemlich sicher, dass dies geschieht, wenn sie Washington nicht länger von Nutzen sind. Ein Terrorist, der amerikanischen Interessen dient, ist ein Freiheitskämpfer; ein Freiheitskämpfer, der das nicht mehr tut, ist ein Terrorist.

Jetzt lernen die Jemeniten die Gesetze des Dschungels kennen, nach denen das Pentagon und das Weiße Haus handeln. Nach dem Irak und Afghanistan, wo Stanley McChrystal, der Spezialist für Aufstandsbekämpfung, seine Techniken perfektioniert hat, gehört jetzt auch der Jemen zu den Staaten, in denen das Pentagon auf diese spezielle Art Krieg führt – mit zahlreichen Massakern an Zivilisten und anderen so genannten Kollateralschäden – wie Kolumbien, Mali, Pakistan, die Philippinen, Somalia und Uganda.
----------

In den BBC News wurdet am 14. Dezember berichtet, dass 70 Zivilisten starben, als Flugzeuge einen Markt im Dorf Bani Maan im Nordjemen bombardierten (s. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8411726.stm ).

Die jemenitischen Streitkräfte übernahmen die Verantwortung für den mörderischen Angriff, aber auf einer Website der Houthi-Rebellen, denen der Bombenangriff offensichtlich galt, wurde berichtet, dass "saudische Flugzeuge das Gemetzel unter den unschuldigen Einwohnern von Bani Maan angerichtet haben". [1] Das saudische Regime hat Anfang November auf Seiten der jemenitschen Regierung in die bewaffnete Auseinandersetzung mit den aufständischen Houthis eingegriffen und wird seither beschuldigt, mit Panzern und Kampfflugzeugen Angriffe auf dem Gebiet des Jemen durchzuführen. Schon vor dem jüngsten Bombardement wurden Hunderte Jemeniten bei den Kämpfen getötet und Tausende aus ihren Häusern vertrieben. Saudi-Arabien wurde beschuldigt, auch Phosphor-Bomben eingesetzt zu haben. (Weitere Infos unter http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=111124 und http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=113616&sectionid=351020206 )

Die Rebellen, die sich "Junge Gläubige" nennen, sind Teil der schiitisch-muslimischen Gemeinschaft des Jemens, der 30 Prozent der jemenitischen Bevölkerung von 23 Millionen Menschen angehören; sie behaupten außerdem, dass am 14. Dezember "US-Kampfflugzeuge die Provinz Saada bombardiert und insgesamt 28 Angriffe in dieser nordwestlichen Provinz des Jemen durchgeführt haben" (s. http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=113687&sectionid=351020206 ). [2]

Die britische Zeitung DAILY TELEGRAPH berichtete am 13.12.09 über Gespräche mit US-Militärs, die erklärten: "Aus Besorgnis darüber, dass auch der Jemen in Gefahr ist, zu einem "Failed State" (gescheiterten Staat) zu werden, hat Amerika jetzt einige Spezialkräfte-Teams entsandt, die zur Abwendung dieser Bedrohung die Ausbildung der jemenitischen Armee verbessern sollen."

Ein ungenannter Pentagon-Offizieller wurde mit folgender Behauptung zitiert: "Der Jemen ist zu einer Ausgangsbasis für die Aktivitäten der Al-Qaida in Pakistan und Afghanistan geworden." (Artikel unter http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/yemen/6803120/US-special-forces-train-Yemen-army-as-Arab-state-becomes-al-Qaeda-reserve-base.html ) [3]

Das Schreckgespenst Al-Qaida wird jedoch nur als Vorwand benutzt. Die Rebellen im Nordjemen sind Schiiten und keinesfalls den Sunniten oder den saudi-arabischen Wahhabi-Sunniten zuzurechen (die das Gros der Al-Quaida-Kämpfer stellen, s. http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wahhabiten und http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Qaida ); die Houthi-Rebellen haben nicht nur keinerlei Verbindung zu Gruppen, die Al-Qaida nahe stehen, sie würden sogar eher von denen bekämpft.

Um die US-Aktivitäten in dieser Region zu unterstützen, haben die britische und die amerikanische Presse in letzter Zeit den Jemen als "Heimat der Vorfahren" Osama bin Ladens hochgespielt. Bin Laden stammt aus der Familie eines angesehenen saudi- arabischen Milliardärs; die westlichen Medien nutzen den historischen Zufall, dass bin Ladens Vater vor mehr als einem Jahrhundert in dem Teil der arabischen Halbinsel geboren wurde, der jetzt die Islamische Republik Jemen ist, dazu aus, Osama bin Laden eine aktive Rolle in dem Konflikt im Jemen anzudichten, um eine äußerst fragwürdige Verbindung zwischen dem südasiatischen Krieg in Afghanistan und Pakistan und dem Eingreifen der Streitkräfte Saudi-Arabiens und der USA in die Kämpfe im Jemen herzustellen.

Bereits im Jahr 2002 entsandte das Pentagon etwa 100 Elite-Soldaten – die nach einigen Presseberichten von der Spezialtruppe "Green Berets" (s. http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Army_Special_Forces_Command_%28Airborne%29 ) gekommen sein sollen – in den Jemen, um sie das Militär des Landes ausbilden zu lassen. Diese Maßnahme erfolgte zwei Jahre nach dem Selbstmordanschlag auf den Navy-Zerstörer "USS Cole" im Hafen Aden im Südjemen (s. http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Cole_%28DDG-67%29 ), der Al-Qaida angelastet und mit von Drohnen vorgetragenen Raketenangriffen auf (angeblich) identifizierte Al-Qaida-Führer beantwortet wurde; Washington begründete seine Aktivitäten im Jemen als Reaktion auf dieses Ereignis und auf die Anschläge in New York und in Washington D.C. im Jahr 2001.

Der gegenwärtig zur Aufstandsbekämpfung im Jemen mit US-Unterstützung geführte Krieg steht in einem ganz anderen Kontext und hat nichts mit der angeblichen Bedrohung durch Al-Qaida zu tun; er ist ein integraler Bestandteil der Strategie, den Krieg in Afghanistan in konzentrischen Kreisen auf ganz Süd- und Zentralasien, den Kaukasus, den Persischen Golf, Südostasien, den Golf von Aden, das Horn von Afrika und die arabische Halbinsel auszuweiten. Der ungeduldig erwartete Abgang des US-Präsidenten George W. Bush hat vielleicht seinen "globalen Krieg gegen den Terror" beendet; der läuft aber unter der Bezeichnung "Notfall-Operationen im Ausland" weiter, und außer dem Namen hat sich nichts geändert.

Am 13. Dezember sagte General David Petraeus – der Chef des Central Command, des Pentagon-Regionalkommandos, das für die Kriege im Irak, in Afghanistan und in Pakistan zuständig ist – dem (saudi-arabischen) TV-Sender Al Arabiya: "Die Vereinigten Staaten kümmern sich um Sicherheit des Jemen im Rahmen der militärischen Zusammenarbeit, die Amerika all seinen Verbündeten in der Region anbietet." Er betonte, dass sich die USSchiffe in den nationalen Gewässern des Jemen nicht nur zur Kontrolle aufhalten, sondern auch die Versorgung der Houthi-Rebellen mit Waffen verhindern sollen". (s. http://www.yemenpost.net/Detail123456789.aspx?ID=100&SubID=1668&MainCat=3 ) [4]

Diesmal wird die Zeitungsente von der Bedrohung durch Al-Qaida/bin Laden verwendet, um die Ausweitung der US-Militärinterventionen auf die arabischen Halbinsel zu rechtfertigen.

Der YEMEN POST vom 13. Dezember schrieb, das Medienbüro der Houthis habe "die Vereinigten Staaten beschuldigt, am Krieg gegen die Houthis teilzunehmen" und Fotos von US-Kampfjets veröffentlicht, die an den Bombenangriffen in der Provinz Saada im Nordjemen beteiligt waren.

Das Medienbüro berichtete von über zwanzig US-Bombenangriffen, die unter Satellitenkontrolle durchgeführt worden seien. [5]

Die westliche Presse gibt sich wieder dafür her, die Houthis, die der schiitischen Sekte der Zaiditen angehören und sich stark von den iranischen Schiiten unterscheiden, verschwörerischer Beziehungen zu Teheran zu bezichtigen. Sogar Mitglieder der US-Regierung haben bis heute keine Beweise dafür, dass der Iran die jemenitischen Rebellen unterstützt oder sogar mit Waffen versorgt. Das wird sich bald ändern, wenn die Regierung des Jemen die "Anregung" des Generals Petraeus aufnimmt (und "iranische" Waffen findet); Washington wird pflichtschuldigst die Behauptung aufgreifen, dass der Iran auch im Jemen seine schiitischen Brüder bewaffnet, wie er es im Libanon getan haben soll.

Der Jemen wird das Schlachtfeld für einen Stellvertreter-Krieg zwischen dem Iran auf der einen und den Vereinigten Staaten und Saudi-Arabien auf der anderen Seite werden; die zwischenstaatlichen Beziehungen der beiden letztgenannten gehören zu den engsten und stabilsten in der ganzen Ära nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg.

In einem Leitartikel, der vor fünf Tagen in der TEHRAN TIMES erschien, werden alle Parteien im Jemen-Konflikt – die (jemenitische) Regierung, die Rebellen und Saudi-Arabien der Rücksichtslosigkeit beschuldigt; außerdem wird folgende Warnung ausgesprochen: "Die Geschichte liefert uns ein gutes Beispiel. Saudi-Arabien hat extremistische Gruppen in Afghanistan finanziert, und zwei Jahrzehnte nach dem Abzug der sowjetischen Armee aus diesem Land greifen die Flammen des Afghanistan-Krieges auf die Verbündeten Saudi-Arabiens über. Ein ähnliches Szenario entwickelt sich jetzt im Jemen." (s. http://tehrantimes.com/Index_view.asp?code=209547 ) [6]

Der Vergleich zwischen dem Jemen und Afghanistan spielte darauf an, dass Riad jetzt schon zum zweiten Mal Hand in Hand mit den Vereinigten Staaten den saudiarabischen Wahhabismus zu exportieren versucht, um seinen politischen Einfluss auszuweiten.

Saudi-Arabien will seine eigene Version des Extremismus auch im Jemen durchsetzen, wie es das schon früher in Afghanistan und Pakistan versucht hat und zur Zeit auch im Irak versucht. Ohne jeden Einwand der Vereinigten Staaten und ihrer westlichen Verbündeten werden sich die Saudis und die mit ihnen verbündeten Monarchien am Persischem Golf von den westlichen Waffen im Wert von 100 Milliarden Dollar, die im Lauf der nächsten fünf Jahre in den Mittleren Osten verkauft werden sollen, den größten Anteil sichern. "Im Zentrum dieser Waffeneinkaufsorgie steht zweifellos das US-Waffenpaket im Wert von 20 Milliarden Dollar, das die sechs Staaten des Golf Cooperation Council (des Rates für Zusammenarbeit am Golf) – Saudi-Arabien, die Vereinigten Emirate, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar und Bahrain – in den nächsten zehn Jahren anschaffen wollen." [7] Saudi-Arabien verfügt bereits über modernste britische und französische Kampfflugzeuge und ein
US-Raketenabwehrsystem.

Die weiter vorn aus dem iranischen Leitartikel zitierte Warnung vor den "der Flammen des Afghanistan-Krieges" wird durch die COMISAF Initial Assessment (die anfängliche Bewertung des ISAF-Kommandeurs) bestätigt, die General Stanley McChrystal, der Oberkommandierende der US- und NATO-Streitkräfte in Afghanistan, am 30. August 2009 abgegeben hat und die von der WASHINGTON POST am 21. September mit den redaktionellen Änderungen des Pentagons veröffentlicht wurde. Das 66-seitige Dokument diente dem Präsidenten Barack Obama als Vorlage für seine am 1. Dezember verkündete Entscheidung, 33.000 zusätzliche US-Soldaten nach Afghanistan zu entsenden. (s. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/21/AR2009092100110.html )

In der Bewertung stellt McChrystal fest: "Die Hauptgruppen der Aufständischen sind in der Reihenfolge der Bedrohung, die von ihnen ausgeht: die Taliban, deren Führung in Quetta, einer Stadt in der pakistanischen Provinz Balutschistan sitzt (QST), das Haqqani-Netzwerk (HQN) und Gulbuddins Hezb-e Islami (HiG)."

Die letzten beiden sind nach ihren Gründern und gegenwärtigen Führern Jalaluddin Haqqani (s. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jalaluddin_Haqqani ) und Gulbuddin Hekmatyar (s. http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulbuddin_Hekmatyar ) benannt, den zwei Mudschaheddin-Lieblingen der CIA aus 80er Jahren des letzten Jahrhunderts. Stellvertretender Direktor der CIA war von 1986-1989 Robert Gates, der jetzt als US-Verteidigungsminister für den Krieg in Afghanistan verantwortlich ist. Und neuerdings auch für den Krieg im Jemen.

In seinem 1996 veröffentlichten Buch "From the Shadows" (Über die Schatten) rühmt sich Gates: "Die CIA erzielte mit verdeckten Aktionen wichtige Erfolge. Die wahrscheinlich folgenreichsten in Afghanistan, wo die CIA über ihre Verbindungen (zum pakistanischen Geheimdienst ISI) die Mudschaheddin mit Milliarden Dollars für Waffen und Nachschub versorgte." [8]

Die NEW YORK TIMES enthüllte 2008 diese Details: "In den 80er Jahren des letzten Jahrhunderts wurde Jalaluddin Haqqani als "einzigartige Stütze" der CIA gefeiert und erhielt für seinen Kampf gegen die sowjetische Armee in Afghanistan mehrere zehntausend Dollar in Cash; das berichte Steve Coll in seinem jüngsten Buch '"The Bin Laden's" (Die Familie Bin Laden). Damals half und schützte Haqqani den (Al-Qaida-Gründer) Osama bin Laden, der eine eigene Miliz zum Kampf gegen die sowjetischen Streitkräfte aufbaute." (s. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/09/world/asia/09pstan.html?_r=1 [9] Coll ist auch der Autor des Buches "Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001" (Geisterkriege: Die geheime Geschichte der CIA, Afghanistans und Bin Ladens von der sowjetischen Invasion bis zum 10. September 2001).

Haqqanis Kollege Hekmatyar "erhielt über ISI, den pakistanischen Geheimdienst, Millionen Dollars von der CIA. Gulbuddins Hezb-e-Islami (s. http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hezb-e_Eslami ) wurde am stärksten von Pakistan und Saudi-Arabien unterstützt und arbeitete mit Tausenden Mudschaheddin zusammen, die aus dem Ausland nach Afghanistan gekommen waren." (s. dazu auch http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulbuddin_Hekmatyar ) [10]

Im Mai 2009 sagte der äußerst pro-amerikanische pakistanische Präsident Asif Ali Zardari in der amerikanischen TV-Sendung NBC NEWS, die Taliban sind "ein Teil unserer Vergangenheit und Ihrer Vergangenheit, und der ISI und die CIA schufen sie gemeinsam. Die Taliban sind eine Plage, die wir zusammen geschaffen haben." [11]

Am 11. September 2001 gab es auf der Welt nur drei Staaten, die das Taliban-Regime in Afghanistan anerkannt hatten: Pakistan, Saudi-Arabien und die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate. US-Präsident George W. Bush nannte sofort danach sieben Staaten, die angeblich die Terroristen unterstützt hätten, als Kandidaten für eine potenzielle Vergeltung: Kuba, den Iran, den Irak, Libyen, Nordkorea, den Sudan und Syrien. Nur der Sudan, der Osama bin Laden 1996 ausgewiesen hat, hatte überhaupt irgendwelche erkennbaren Verbindungen zu Al-Qaida. Von den neunzehn Beschuldigten, die am 11. September die Flugzeuge entführt haben sollen, stammten fünfzehn aus Saudi-Arabien, zwei aus den Vereinigten Arabischen Emiraten, einer aus Ägypten und einer aus dem Libanon.

Pakistan und Saudi-Arabien sind nach wie vor sehr geschätzte politische und militärische Verbündete der USA, und die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate stellen Truppen, die unter NATO-Befehl in Afghanistan dienen.

Es ist wahrscheinlich unmöglich, den genauen Zeitpunkt zu bestimmen, zu dem von den USA unterstützte, selbsternannte "heilige Krieger" – die dazu ausgebildet wurden, Terroranschläge in Städten zu verüben und Passagierflugzeuge abzuschießen – aufhören, Freiheitskämpfer zu sein und zu Terroristen werden. Es ist aber ziemlich sicher, dass dies geschieht, wenn sie Washington nicht länger von Nutzen sind. Ein
Terrorist, der amerikanischen Interessen dient, ist ein Freiheitskämpfer; ein Freiheitskämpfer, der das nicht mehr tut, ist ein Terrorist.

Jahrzehnte lang standen der African National Congress Nelson Mandelas und die Palestine Liberation Organization Yassir Arafats an der Spitze der Liste, in der das US-Außenministerium Terroristengruppen registriert. Als der Kalte Krieg kaum beendet war, wurden Mandela und Arafat wie Gerry Adams von der (nordirischen) Sinn Fein ins Weiße Haus eingeladen. Das erste erhielt den Friedensnobelpreis 1993 und der zweite 1994.

Wenn ein selbst ernannter "heiliger Krieger" in den 80er Jahren des letzten Jahrhunderts Saudi-Arabien oder Ägypten verließ und nach Pakistan ging, um gegen die afghanische Regierung und ihre sowjetischen Verbündeten zu kämpfen, war er in den Augen der US-Amerikaner ein Freiheitskämpfer. Wenn er anschließend in den Libanon kam, war er ein Terrorist. Wenn er Anfang der 90er Jahre des letzten Jahrhunderts nach Bosnien ging, war er wieder ein Freiheitskämpfer. Wenn er danach im Gaza-Streifen oder im Westjordanland auftauchte, galt er wieder als Terrorist. Im russischen Nordkaukasus war er ein neugeborener Freiheitskämpfer, wenn er aber 2001 nach Afghanistan zurückkehrte, wurde er wieder zum Terroristen.

Je nachdem, wie der Wind in Foggy Bottom (einem Stadtteil Washingtons) weht, ist ein bewaffneter Separatist des Baloch-Volkes in Pakistan oder ein Kashmiri in Indien entweder ein Freiheitskämpfer oder ein Terrorist.

Noch 1998 beschrieb Robert Gelbard, der US-Sondergesandte für den Balkan, die Kosovo Liberation Army / KLA, die gegen die jugoslawische Regierung kämpfte, als eine Terrororganisation: "Ich erkenne einen Terroristen, wenn ich einen sehe, und diese Männer sind Terroristen." [12]

Im Februar des nächsten Jahres lud die US-Außenminister Madeleine Albright fünf Mitgliedern der KLA, darunter deren Chef Hashim Thaci, nach Rambouillet in Frankreich ein, und stellte Jugoslawien ein Ultimatum, von dem sie wusste, dass es abgelehnt und zum Krieg führen würde. Im nächsten Jahr begleitete sie Thaci auf einer persönlichen Einladungstour ins Hauptquartier der Vereinten Nationen und ins US-Außenministerium und nahm ihn als Gast zum Parteitag nach Los Angeles mit, auf dem der Präsidentschaftskandidat der Demokraten nominiert wurde.

Am 1. November dieses Jahres hatte Thaci, der jetzt Premierminister eines Pseudo- Staates ist, den nur 63 der 192 Nationen der Welt anerkannt haben, den ehemaligen US-Präsidenten Bill Clinton zu Gast, um ihn durch die Enthüllung eines Clinton-Denkmals für seine Verbrechen zu ehren und seiner Eitelkeit zu huldigen.

Von der Mitte der 70er Jahre bis 1991 unterstützte Washington bewaffnete Separatisten in Eritrea in ihrem Kampf gegen die äthiopische Regierung.

Zur Zeit bewaffnen die Vereinigten Staaten Somalia und Djibouti für einen Krieg gegen das unabhängige Eritrea. Das Pentagon hat seine erste dauerhafte Militärbasis in Afrika in Djibouti errichtet; dort hat es 2.000 Soldaten stationiert, die mit Hilfe von Drohnen Somalia und den Jemen kontrollieren.

Balzac lässt sein Romanhelden Vautrin sagen: "Es gibt keine Prinzipien, es gibt nur Ereignisse; es gibt auch keine Gesetze, sondern nur Verhältnisse."

Jetzt lernen die Jemeniten die Gesetze des Dschungels kennen, nach denen das Pentagon und das Weiße Haus handeln. Nach dem Irak und Afghanistan, wo Stanley McChrystal, der Spezialist für Aufstandsbekämpfung, seine Techniken perfektioniert hat, gehört jetzt auch der Jemen zu den Staaten, in denen das Pentagon auf diese spezielle Art Krieg führt – mit zahlreichen Massakern an Zivilisten und anderen so genannten Kollateralschäden – wie Kolumbien, Mali, Pakistan, die Philippinen, Somalia und Uganda.

Anmerkungen

1) BBC News, 14. Dezember 2009
2) Press TV, 14. Dezember 2009
3) Daily Telegraph, 13. Dezember 2009
4)Yemen Post, 13. Dezember 2009
5) ebd.
6) Tehran Times, 10. Dezember 2009
7) United Press International, 25. August 2009
6/11
8) BBC News, 1. Dezember 2008
9) The New York Times, 9. September 2008
10) Wikipedia
11) Press Trust of India, 11. Mai 2009
12) BBC News, 28. Juni 1998
===========================
Stop NATO
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopnato

Blog site:
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/

To subscribe, send an e-mail to:
rwrozoff@yahoo.com
or
stopnato-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Daily digest option available.
==============================

Back to top
Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post
Messages in this topic (1)

15.: More Polish Troops In Afghanistan, Afghan Troops In Poland

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Wed Dec 23, 2009 6:04 am (PST)

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-12/23/content_12694938.htm

Xinhua News Agency
December 23, 2009

Poland to increase troops in Afghanistan: official

KABUL: Poland would boost its military presence in Afghanistan within the framework of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), a statement issued by Afghanistan's Presidential Palace said Wednesday.

The statement was released at the conclusion of the meeting between the visiting Polish Defence Minister Bogdan Klich and Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

"Defence Minister Bogdan Klich called on President Karzai at his palace Wednesday and said that Poland would increase its troops within NATO framework to up to 2,600 by April 2010," said the statement.

Some 2,000 Polish troops are currently stationed in Afghanistan under NATO command to help stabilize security in the war-ravaged country.

Karzai, according to the statement, called for Klich to facilitate Afghan youth study in Poland in both the military and civilian fields.

The Polish defense minister arrived in Afghanistan Tuesday to pay a visit to Polish troops, which were stationed in the central Ghazni province.
===========================
Stop NATO
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopnato

Blog site:
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/

To subscribe, send an e-mail to:
rwrozoff@yahoo.com
or
stopnato-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Daily digest option available.
==============================

Back to top
Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post
Messages in this topic (1)

16.: U.S., Georgia Develop Post-War Strategic Partnership

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Wed Dec 23, 2009 6:13 am (PST)

http://en.trend.az/news/politics/foreign/1606092.html

Trend News Agency
December 23, 2009

Georgia mulls prospects of Georgian-American Charter
N. Kirtzkhalia

Georgia, Tbilisi: Georgian Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze and U.S Ambassador to Georgia John Bass have discussed the prospects of the Georgian-American Charter on strategic partnership at the ministry.

The sides discussed a broad spectrum of Georgia-US bilateral relations and prospects of cooperation development between the two countries under the Strategic Charter, the ministry reported.

Several working groups have been established under the charter. The working groups have already held several meetings in Washington and Tbilisi.
===========================
Stop NATO
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopnato

Blog site:
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/

To subscribe, send an e-mail to:
rwrozoff@yahoo.com
or
stopnato-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Daily digest option available.
==============================

Back to top
Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post
Messages in this topic (1)