Messages In This Digest (17 Messages)

16.: Colombia-Venezuela Tensions Worsening From: Rick Rozoff

17.: NATO Carrot, Stick: U.S.-Trained Macedonian Troops To Afghanistan From: Rick Rozoff

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1.: Nazi Rehabilitation: U.S., EU Vote Against UN Resolution

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

Sun Dec 20, 2009 7:29 am (PST)

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20091220/157304558.html

Russian Information Agency Novosti
December 20, 2009

Russia surprised by U.S., EU stance on UN anti-Nazi resolution

-The ministry said it was surprised by the position of the former Soviet republics of Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova which abstained from the vote, even though their peoples fought against Nazis during World War Two.

Moscow: Russia is concerned over the stance of the United States and the European Union on a UN resolution condemning the glorification of Nazism and the desecration of WWII monuments, the Foreign Ministry said on Sunday.

The UN General Assembly adopted on December 18, 2009 a draft resolution proposed by Russia on combating racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.

The resolution is aimed at condemning attempts to heroize the Nazi movement and former Waffen SS members and desecrate monuments to the fighters against Nazism.

"It is highly bewildering and regrettable that the United States voted against the resolution, supported by an overwhelming majority of UN member states, and a number of states, including all European Union members, abstained in the vote on the draft," the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry said it was surprised by the position of the former Soviet republics of Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova which abstained from the vote, even though their peoples fought against Nazis during World War Two.

"We believe this is disrespect for the heroism of those who glorified these countries by their heroic deeds in the struggle against Nazism," the statement said.

On Saturday, the Georgian authorities demolished a memorial to WWII heroes in the country's second largest city, Kutaisi. The blast, which was used to demolish the monument, killed two people.

Russia has condemned the Georgian war memorial demolition blast as an act of barbarism and state vandalism.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said the Georgian authorities "have committed an act of state vandalism, offending the feelings of any civilized person."
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2.: Two NATO Soldiers Killed In Afghan Combat Operations

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

Sun Dec 20, 2009 7:32 am (PST)

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2009/12/20/Two-NATO-soldiers-killed-in-Afghanistan/UPI-42841261310699

United Press International
December 20, 2009

Two NATO soldiers killed in Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan: Two soldiers from Poland and Britain were killed in separate combat operations in Afghanistan, NATO officials said Sunday.

The British soldier died in a roadside blast in southern Afghanistan while the Polish soldier died in eastern Afghanistan when his patrol came under small arms fire, NATO said in a release.
....
----------------------------------------------------------
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-12/20/content_12674488.htm

Xinhua News Agency
December 20, 2009

2 NATO soldiers killed in Afghanistan

KABUL: Two soldiers of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) were killed in the militancy-ridden southern region of Afghanistan, a press release of the alliance said on Sunday.

One of these soldiers is from Britain and the other is from Poland, the press release said.

"An ISAF member from the United Kingdom was killed when his unit encountered an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) in southern Afghanistan yesterday," it added without naming the exact place of incident.

ISAF in the press release also confirmed that a service member from Poland was killed on Saturday when his unit was attacked by insurgents' small arms fire. However, it did not say the exact place of the attack.

Meantime, a senior police officer in Ghazni province Mohammad Asif Sediqi told Xinhua that a Polish soldier was killed as a mine struck a military vehicle in Andar district Saturday night.

On the other hand, Zabihullah Mujahid who claims to speak for Taliban outfit in talks with media via cellular phone from undisclosed location claimed responsibility and said that six Polish soldiers were killed in the roadside bomb, but Sediqi stressed only one soldier lost his life in the blast.

Some 9,000 British forces and over 1,000 Polish soldiers have been serving in Afghanistan within the framework of NATO-led ISAF forces to help ensure lasting peace in the country.
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3.: Pakistan: Two More NATO Oil Tankers Torched Near Baloch Capital

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

Sun Dec 20, 2009 7:33 am (PST)

http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/Politics/20-Dec-2009/Two-more-NATO-oil-tankers-torched-near-Quetta

The Nation (Pakistan)
December 20, 2009

Two more NATO oil tankers torched near Quetta

Unidentified people torched two NATO oil supply tankers and fled the scene on Sunday.

According to details, oil worth hundreds of thousands of rupees was wasted when the tankers were torched.

Earlier, unidentified people had torched NATO oil supply tankers in the same area. Heavy contingents of police and FC officials reached on the spot after the incident. Efforts to put off fire are still underway.
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4.: Afghan War: Macedonian Troops First Partners Imbedded In U.S. Units

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

Sun Dec 20, 2009 7:33 am (PST)

http://www.timesargus.com/article/20091220/NEWS02/912200369/1003/NEWS02

Times Argus
December 20, 2009

Macedonian troops join with Vermont Guard units
By Peter Hirschfeld

-The United States has worked closely with soldiers from around the world in a war effort that includes dozens of countries. Unlike those nations though, Macedonia however is not a member of the North American Treaty Organization.
Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov visited Vermont earlier this year for a briefing on the deployment.

COLCHESTER: A historic alliance between soldiers from Vermont and Macedonia will mark the first time that troops from a non-NATO country have embedded inside U.S. military units.

In what Maj. Gen. Michael Dubie calls an unprecedented partnership, about 80 soldiers from Macedonia will deploy to Afghanistan and serve as integral parts of units from Vermont. The Vermont National Guard spent 18 months lobbying the Pentagon to get the partnership approved and finally got the go-ahead from top U.S. defense officials in November.

"This was a major muscle movement to try to get this approved," Dubie said last week. "Everyone liked the idea, but it was tough because this is the first time a non-NATO nation is embedding inside a U.S. brigade."

The coalition between Vermont and Macedonia dates back to 1994, when the countries were matched in the State Partnership Program, a U.S. Department of Defense initiative aimed at fostering strategic relationships with new democracies.

The Vermont National Guard was paired with the former Soviet bloc mainly because both regions are mountainous and approximately the same geographic size. Over the past 15 years, Macedonian soldiers have trained with their Vermont counterparts during exchange visits in both countries.
....
"If you are willing to have a partnership that includes deploying to a combat area together, there's really no better representation of what partnership is about," Dubie said.

Macedonia committed some of its best soldiers to the mission, according to Dubie, who said the Macedonians traveled to the United States last month to train alongside the Vermont Guard in Fort Polk, La.

"They're sending some of their special forces," Dubie said. "They're very professional. If we didn't have confidence that they were that good, we never would have gone through this very difficult process of getting this approved."

Dubie said the Macedonians will play no small role in the war effort.

"Some of them will be in leadership positions," Dubie said. "You could have a Macedonian squad leader in charge of people from the United States."

The United States has worked closely with soldiers from around the world in a war effort that includes dozens of countries. Unlike those nations though, Macedonia however is not a member of the North American Treaty Organization.

Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov visited Vermont earlier this year for a briefing on the deployment.
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5.: SPIEGEL Interview with NATO Head Anders Fogh Rasmussen

Posted by: "linguisticresearch" LinguisticResearch@gmx.de

Sun Dec 20, 2009 7:35 am (PST)

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,668055,00.html

12/19/2009

SPIEGEL Interview with NATO Head Anders Fogh Rasmussen

'We Will Stay in Afghanistan as Long as It Takes to Finish Our Job'

*US President Barack Obama has recently announced a major troop buildup
in Afghanistan and other NATO members will likewise be supplying more
troops. NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen spoke with SPIEGEL
about the 'warlike' conditions in Afghanistan, how long NATO will stay
and whether Russia might come to the alliance's aid.*

*SPIEGEL:* Mr. Secretary General, the NATO mission in Afghanistan has
not been going well in the last few years. Now US President Barack Obama
has announced a new strategy
<http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,664682,00.html>. He is
deploying 30,000 additional troops and is calling on allies to make
additional sacrifices. Does this signify a new beginning?

*Rasmussen:* No. We aren't starting at zero. I would call it a new
approach, a supplement to our mission thus far. We are currently beefing
up our efforts on all levels.

*SPIEGEL:* What does that mean?

*Rasmussen:* We will deploy at least 37,000 additional soldiers, and
presumably even more. At the same time, we want to gradually turn over
responsibility for the country's security to Afghan soldiers and police.
And we need to increase our efforts to train them. It is the
responsibility of Afghanistan's new government to gain better control
over the country's administration and to resolutely fight the drug trade
and corruption. And many countries and organizations have pledged to
contribute to civil reconstruction. The European Union already has an
action plan, and Japan has pledged $5 billion (€3.4 billion). All of
this together adds new momentum to our mission. You'll see, things will
soon begin moving ahead in Afghanistan.

*SPIEGEL:* The displeasure among the populations of the NATO countries
involved in the war is growing even more quickly than your commitment.
About 70 percent of Germans favor a rapid withdrawal of their troops.
How long can democratically governed nations wage a war opposed by a
majority of their populations?

*Rasmussen:* I believe that people understand very well why we are in
Afghanistan…

*SPIEGEL:* … and why, then, are they in favor of a rapid withdrawal?

*Rasmussen:* I believe that they understand that, with our troops, we
must prevent Afghanistan from becoming a safe haven and pullback area
for terrorists. Otherwise, they could use it as a base from which to
advance into Central Asia and further. In addition, they would continue
to destabilize neighboring Pakistan, a nuclear power. All of this would
be very, very dangerous, both for others and for us.

*SPIEGEL:* Not many people believe that our freedom is truly being
defended in Afghanistan. And even the supporters of the Afghanistan
mission say: We want to see results, finally.

*Rasmussen:* I understand that all too well. Perhaps we underestimated
the challenges in Afghanistan in the past. That's why we are now
strengthening and intensifying our commitment.

*SPIEGEL:* What exactly is our mission? Do we want to establish a
Western-style democracy in Kabul, dig wells and make sure that girls can
attend school? Or will we settle for protecting Europe and the United
States against the al-Qaida terrorist organization?

*Rasmussen:* We are in Afghanistan to prevent the country from becoming
a hotbed of terrorism once again. We should recall that the attacks of
Sept. 11, 2001 originated in Afghanistan, and that the inspiration for
the attacks in Madrid and Istanbul also came from Afghanistan.

*SPIEGEL:* The nature of the threat has changed. The /New York Times/
quotes a former CIA officer as saying that there is no longer an
al-Qaida in Afghanistan, nor are their any Afghans in al-Qaida. Instead,
hasn't neighboring Pakistan become the terrorist center and our real
problem?

*Rasmussen:* We are also concerned about Pakistan, and we cannot view
our challenges in Afghanistan separately from the problems in Pakistan.
For that reason, our new strategy is based on enhancing cooperation with
Islamabad. However, the threat Afghanistan poses to us should not be
downplayed. We know, for example, that the Taliban has harbored al-Qaida
groups and have an ambition to take over Pakistan, a nuclear power. We
would be taking a clear risk by withdrawing without having accomplished
our mission first.

*SPIEGEL:* All the Taliban has to do is wait, particularly now that US
President Obama has announced plans to begin withdrawing troops in July
2011. Wasn't it a mistake to offer the enemy a timetable by announcing
such withdrawal plans?

*Rasmussen:* No, no, President Obama did not present an "exit strategy."
He held out the prospect of a gradual transfer of power to the Afghans.
Withdrawal, however, is only possible once the necessary conditions have
been met. We will not be in Afghanistan forever. We will stay as long as
it takes to finish our job.

*SPIEGEL:* So was the American president's mention of July 2011 nothing
but an artificial remark?

*Rasmussen:* Of course not. We assume that we will have made significant
progress in transferring the responsibility to the Afghans by then,
perhaps even sooner, so that we can begin reducing our troop levels.

*SPIEGEL:* For now, even more soldiers are being sent to the front,
including soldiers from Europe. General Karl-Heinz Lather, the German
chief of staff at NATO military headquarters, says that two battalions
are needed in the Kunduz region alone, one for combat missions. That
could mean up to 2,000 men. What do you expect from Germany?

*Rasmussen:* I don't want to discuss concrete numbers before the
international conference on Afghanistan in London on Jan. 28. However, a
number of European governments have already pledged a total of 7,000 new
troops in recent weeks. It's more than I expected, and I'm convinced
that it will get even better than that.

*SPIEGEL:* The French are skeptical. And (German Chancellor) Angela
Merkel has not held out the prospect of any concrete commitments yet.
What makes you so confident that you will in fact get the soldiers you
want from Berlin?

*Rasmussen:* I know very well that Berlin attaches great importance to
NATO and solidarity, in terms of sharing the burden. For this reason, I
feel confident that the German government will take the right decision,
one that serves both German and NATO interests.

*SPIEGEL:* At the moment, the German public's attention is focused even
more heavily on an air strike ordered by Colonel Georg Klein near Kunduz
on Sept. 4
<http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,667476,00.html>, in
which Taliban leaders were apparently killed, as well as dozens of
civilians. What is your opinion of the incident from the perspective of
NATO headquarters?

*Rasmussen:* We are following the debate, of course, but these are
classified matters. I neither can nor will comment publicly on the
confidential internal ISAF report.

*SPIEGEL:* But its key conclusions have long since been leaked. Can't
the public at least be told whether the ISAF mandate covers the targeted
killing of Taliban
<http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,667011,00.html>?

*Rasmussen:* I cannot comment on any concrete, operational decisions by
our commanders in the field.

*SPIEGEL:* With all due respect, we are not talking about individual
decisions, but the principle. Can and should ISAF soldiers intentionally
kill Taliban, even when they do not pose a direct threat, that is, are
not involved in belligerent actions?

*Rasmussen:* We have a mandate from the United Nations. We support the
Afghan government, so that Afghanistan does not become a place, once
again, that poses a threat to us. The operational decisions on how this
goal is to be met are made by commanders in the field.

*SPIEGEL:* Just to be clear: Your response to this direct question is
neither yes nor no. Are we conducting a war in Afghanistan, or what is it?

*Rasmussen:* It is quite clear that our troops are fighting under
warlike conditions in certain areas of Afghanistan. But I think the rest
of it is semantics.

*SPIEGEL:* You could end this debate by saying: "Yes, of course, we are
at war there." Why do you not have the courage to say this?

*Rasmussen:* What I'm saying is that there are warlike conditions in
some areas.

*SPIEGEL:* The new German defense minister uses the same language. Do
you know Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg?

*Rasmussen:* Yes. He visited me and made an excellent impression. He is
a very engaged minister and I have great expectations.

*SPIEGEL:* In Kabul, President Hamid Karzai recently secured re-election
through a rather crass manipulation of the vote. Is Karzai really a man
who we can trust?

*Rasmussen:* I think President Karzai realizes exactly how important it
is to strengthen the fight against corruption in the country now, step
up endeavors to stop the drug trade and to deliver better governance. He
said as much in his inaugural address.

*SPIEGEL:* President Karzai has said these sorts of things many times in
the past. Why does the West continue to back him, despite the blatant
election fraud?

*Rasmussen:* Even if you take that into account, he did have the most
votes in the country. I feel confident that he realizes what is at
stake. We will stay committed, but in exchange we expect better governance.

*SPIEGEL:* Has the tone being used with him become more direct? Are you
making it clear to him that there are limits to your patience?

*Rasmussen:* Yes. If, within the context of our strategy, the Afghan
government is to increasingly take control of the country's destiny, it
has to demonstrate that it is capable of doing so -- but also that their
government offers a better alternative than the Taliban. And it has to
gain the trust of the people.

*SPIEGEL:* When exactly is the NATO mission completely fulfilled? What
exactly are the criteria?

*Rasmussen:* The mission will be fulfilled when the Afghans are capable
of governing their country and guaranteeing security. The more we invest
in that transition now, the more likely this outcome becomes. This not
an exit strategy, but a transition strategy. We will gradually turn over
the country to Afghan control, district by district, province by
province. And I believe we will be able to start that process by next year.

*SPIEGEL:* Perhaps the Russians will help you with that. You traveled to
Moscow for three days on Tuesday. Did you discuss the issue?

*Rasmussen:* Yes. I see great potential for further Russian engagement
in Afghanistan. Russia has already offered us a transit route for
supplies. I could imagine more happening. The Russians could also
participate in the training and providing equipment for the Afghan army.

*SPIEGEL:* Russian politicians have been concerned about NATO's eastward
expansion in recent years. They could make closer cooperation contingent
upon NATO agreeing not to accept additional former Soviet republics like
Georgia and Ukraine as new members. Is such a deal a possibility?

*Rasmussen:* NATO has been clear on that: Georgia and Ukraine will
become NATO members. We made that decision in Bucharest in 2008. When
this will happen is still open. It depends on when the two countries
fulfill the necessary criteria for membership.

*SPIEGEL:* And the NATO expansion drive will continue after that?

*Rasmussen:* I have to make clear that NATO's "open-door policy" will
continue. In principle, every European country has the right to become a
member of our organization.

*SPIEGEL:* Including Russia?

*Rasmussen:* Why not? Russia is a European country. So yes, in principle.

*SPIEGEL:* Where do you see common interests with Moscow?

*Rasmussen:* I just reassured the people I met with there that NATO is
not a threat to Russia. There are joint interests everywhere. In
general, the fight against terrorism is as important to Moscow as it is
to us. The same applies to the acquisition of weapons of mass
destruction by some countries. Missiles from Iran, for example, are not
only a threat to NATO countries, but could just as easily be pointed at
Russia.

*SPIEGEL:* You believe that the Kremlin feels threatened by Iranian
nuclear weapons?

*Rasmussen:* I believe that this view is beginning to take hold in Moscow.

*SPIEGEL:* You have been in office for less than five months, but you
have already requested a comprehensive new strategic concept for NATO.
Has NATO gotten too fat? Is it already getting senile at 60?

*Rasmussen:* No. But our last strategic concept is now 10 years old. In
that time, the number of alliance members has almost doubled, new
threats have arisen and missions have become necessary that no one could
have imagined at the time.

*SPIEGEL:* So why does NATO want to, and why should it, deal with
everything in the future?

*Rasmussen:* Think of cyber wars, the threat posed by pirates and the
new forms of terror. These are all challenges for which we must find a
response. My job is to mediate and develop compromises. Perhaps it isn't
such a bad thing to come from a small country, as I do, and to have
headed a minority government.

*SPIEGEL:* Do you enjoy running NATO? In the spring, Turkey tried to
obstruct your appointment. You were berated as an "enemy of the Prophet"
for your uncompromising stance in the dispute over the Muhammad caricatures.

*Rasmussen:* The Turks are now among my best friends and supporters
within NATO.

*SPIEGEL:* Mr. Secretary General, thank you for this interview.

/Interview conducted by Erich Follath and Hans-Jürgen Schlamp.
Translated from the German by Christopher Sultan./

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6a.: Re: "Germany Will Never Attack Russia": Joachim von Ribbentrop

Posted by: "michaelt8111" michaelt15@telkomsa.net michaelt8111

Sun Dec 20, 2009 7:35 am (PST)

Russia Today
December 17, 2009

1. NATO will never attack Russia - Rasmussen
Hitler made the same statement.
2. NATO Secretary General Anders Rasmussen is in Moscow to seek
greater assistance from Moscow for the military campaign in Afghanistan.
His main argument is that the alliance does not consider Russia as an
enemy.
The USA started the Afgan affair, why ask Russia to help. NATO is
controlled by the USA so ask the USA.
3. Rasmussen expressed hope to have a common missile defense system
with Russia by 2020.
Correct me if I am wrong, I do not recall Germany voting against the
USA's missile defence system in Eastern Europe. Also, with NATO's
assistance, the USA is trying to destabilise the regions around Russia
with the intention to destabilise Russia. How can one possibly trust
Germany and NATO.
4.
A united missile shield in the Euro-Atlantic area will not only protect
us all against proliferation, but bind us together politically as well,
he said in his speech before students at Moscow State University of
International Relations. NATO will never attack Russia, and we dont
think Russia will attack us. We have stopped worrying about this and
Russia should stop worrying about us as well.
The missile shield is an USA affair. So NATO and Germany is wanting to
stay in favour with the USA.
5. On the other hand, Rasmussen also said NATO has no intention of
compromising on principal issues.
What princilpes are these?
6. I would like to send a very clear message to Russian people. NATO
is not directed against Russia. NATO is here to protect our people in
our member states against the new threats of today and many of these
threats are common threats for NATO states and Russia, Rasmussen pointed
out at a news conference earlier on Thursday.
Lies and deciept!

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7.: Colombia Deploys Troops, U.S. Helicopters For War With Venezuela

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

Sun Dec 20, 2009 7:44 am (PST)

http://en.trend.az/regions/world/ocountries/1604059.html

Trend News Agency
December 20, 2009

Colombia beefs up forces on border with Venezuela

-At the same time, the Colombian army activated the new airborne battalions, which are equipped with US helicopters.
The helicopter fleet, made up mainly of Blackhawks, now numbers 120, making the Colombian Army Air Corps the best equipped and most experienced in Latin America....

The Colombian government has announced it is building a new military base on its border with Venezuela and has activated six new airborne battalions, BBC reported.

Relations between the two nations are at a historic low with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez already telling his generals to prepare for war.

He moved 15,000 more troops up to the border, accusing Colombia and its ally, the US, of planning an attack.

A BBC correspondent says the potential for conflict is heightened.

Colombian Defence Minister Gabriel Silva announced the formation of a new base in La Guajira in the north, near the Venezuelan border.

At the same time, the Colombian army activated the new airborne battalions, which are equipped with US helicopters.

The helicopter fleet, made up mainly of Blackhawks, now numbers 120, making the Colombian Army Air Corps the best equipped and most experienced in Latin America, the BBC's Jeremy McDermott in Colombia says.

Preparing for war

President Chavez has criticised a pact announced last month allowing US troops to use several bases in Colombia.

Mr Silva said that the new base would have up to 1,000 soldiers.
....
Since Venezuelans were told by Mr Chavez to prepare for war and the Venezuelan army starting blowing up bridges that link the two nations, Colombia has been overhauling its defence strategy.

Until now this strategy has been geared almost exclusively to fighting the country's 45-year Marxist insurgency.

With the increasing build-up of military on both sides of the border, the potential for conflict is heightened, particularly when one considers 2,000 rebels in the border region prepared for a fight between the two nations, our correspondent says.
===========================
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8.: Report: New Saudi Air Raids Kill Over 50 Yemeni Civilians

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

Sun Dec 20, 2009 7:51 am (PST)

http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=114220&sectionid=351020206

Press TV
December 20, 2009

Saudi air raids kill 54 civilians in northern Yemen

Saudi warplanes have carried out fresh airstrikes on northern Yemeni villages, killing more than 50 civilians, Houthi sources say.

The Shia fighters said on Sunday that Saudi jets fired more than one-thousand missiles at the region along its border with Yemen, Arabic language Al-Menpar news website reported.

"There has been a massacre committed by the Saudis in the district of Razeh in the (northern) Sa'ada province, this morning (Sunday)," a fighters spokesman who identified himself as Ali was quoted by AFP as saying.

"The town of Al-Nadheer was targeted by air strikes and 54 civilians, including women and children, were killed," he added.

According to Al-Menpar "US-made weaponry" is now being used by the Saudi army against the civilians in the region.

Although Riyadh insists that its raids are only aimed at targeting Houthi positions, Saudi warplanes continue to target civilian areas in northern Yemen.

Meanwhile, the US special forces have reportedly been sent to Yemen to provide the national army with training services. The US Air Force is also said to have been sporadically pounding the northern areas since Monday.

The Houthis said US attacks on Thursday killed 120 civilians, among whom were women and children. Also on Saturday, a report on the Houthis' website said that three civilians, including a woman and a child, had been killed in fresh air raids carried out by US warplanes.

The attacks have so far left scores of Shia civilians killed in the war torn region and thousands of others displaced since Yemen launched its offensive against the fighters in August.
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9.: NATO Chief Demands Russia 'Respect Georgia's Territorial Integrity'

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

Sun Dec 20, 2009 7:58 am (PST)

http://rustavi2.com/news/news_text.php?id_news=34935&pg=1&im=main&ct=0&wth=

Rustavi2
December 20, 2009

NATO demands from Russia to respect Georgia`s territorial integrity

NATO demands that Russia respect Georgia`s territorial integrity and sovereignty, Anders Fogh Rasmussen said in his interview with Rossiya TV-station. The Secretary General of the alliance said despite the disagreement in some areas, the alliance and Russia should cooperate in security issues. Rasmussen reiterated that Georgia remains the main issues of disagreement between NATO and Russia.

After the secretary general`s interview, official representative of Russia to NATO Dmitry Rogozin was invited to the TV-program. Rogozin said Georgia and NATO at this stage are too far from integration into the alliance.
===========================
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10.: Venezuela Accuses U.S. Drone Of Violating Airspace From Colombia

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

Sun Dec 20, 2009 6:49 pm (PST)

http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2009/12/ap_chavez_spy_plane_accusation_122009/

Associated Press
December 20, 2009

Hugo Chavez: U.S. drone violated our airspace
By Christopher Toothaker

CARACAS, Venezuela: An unmanned U.S. spy plane recently violated Venezuela´s airspace and the military has been ordered to shoot down any such aircraft if it happens again, President Hugo Chavez said Sunday.

Speaking during his weekly television and radio program, Chavez said the aircraft overflew a Venezuelan military base in the western state of Zulia after taking off from neighboring Colombia. He did not elaborate, but suggested the plane was being used for espionage.

"These are the Yankees. They are entering Venezuela," he said.

"I´ve ordered them to be shot down," Chavez said of the aircraft. "We cannot permit this."

Chavez has accused Colombia of allowing the United States to use its military bases to prepare a possible attack against Venezuela.
....
Last week, the president accused the Netherlands of letting the U.S. military use Dutch islands off Venezuela´s Caribbean coast to prepare for a possible military offensive. The former paratroop commander said the U.S. military has sent intelligence agents, warships and spy planes to Aruba, Curacao and Bonaire, which are self-governing Dutch islands.
....
Tensions between Venezuela and neighboring Colombia have been tense for months due to Chavez´s accusations of warmongering and Colombian President Alvaro Uribe´s allegations that Venezuela has allowed Colombian rebel leaders to seek refuge there.

Chavez denied on Sunday that his socialist government is protecting Marxist guerrillas and warned Colombia´s military against sending soldiers across the border.

"You´ll be sorry," he said. "We are not unarmed."
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11.: Ex-Polish DM To Head NATO 'College Of Wise Men'

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

Mon Dec 21, 2009 5:27 am (PST)

http://www.thenews.pl/international/artykul122342_pole-heads-nato-wise-men.html

Polish Radio
December 21, 2009

Pole heads NATO "wise men"

Former defense minister Andrzej Karkoszka is to became head of the "college of wise men" an advisory board to NATO special forces command.

"The nomination is a big success of our country," says General Roman Polko, former commander of Poland´s special forces unit GROM.

In his view, this means that NATO appreciates the Polish contribution to the construction of special forces units.
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12.: Ex-Russian PM: Attack On Iran To Have Horrible, Unpredictable Result

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

Mon Dec 21, 2009 5:32 am (PST)

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20091221/157314912.html

Russian Information Agency Novosti
December 21, 2009

Ex-Russian PM warns against attack on Iran's nuclear facilities

AMMAN, JORDAN: Any attack on Iran's nuclear facilities would have "horrible and unpredictable consequences," a former Russian prime minister said on Monday.

Yevgeny Primakov told an international Middle East conference in Jordan that an attempt to solve the issue of Iran's nuclear program by force would only further radicalize Tehran.

"In that situation, Iran could consider it absolutely vital to have nuclear weapons," he said.

Primakov was speaking at an international conference called "Middle East 2020: Is a Comprehensive Settlement Possible?"

The event, which kicked off on Sunday, was organized by the Russian News & Information Agency RIA Novosti and the Russian Council for Foreign and Defense Policy within the framework of the Valdai International Discussion Club.

He also stressed that Iran had become a regional power.

"We owe this to the Americans," he said. "When they launched their operation in Iraq, they destroyed the balance of forces that had existed for years. Iran has attained the level of a Middle East power that must be reckoned with."

Iran has said it will consider any military action against its nuclear facilities as a declaration of war. It has also warned that if attacked, it will launch missiles at Israel and close off the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a narrow outlet for oil tankers leaving the Persian Gulf.

The country denies Western allegations that its nuclear program is a cover for atomic weapons development.
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13.: U.S. Forces To Train Polish Counterparts On Interceptor Missiles

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

Mon Dec 21, 2009 5:55 am (PST)

http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=66800

Stars and Stripes
December 21, 2009

U.S. forces to train Poles on air defense
By John Vandiver

STUTTGART, Germany: Soldiers will soon be on their way to Poland to provide training for the U.S. Army Patriot Missile, according to U.S. Army Europe.

A specific unit has not been designated for the mission but about 100 soldiers are expected to deploy during the early part of 2010, said Maj. Peggy Kageleiry, a USAREUR spokeswoman.

As part of an agreement between the two countries, soldiers will rotate to Poland on a regular basis but the length of those rotations is still being planned, according to Kageleiry.

"U.S. Army Europe will help the Polish Armed Forces develop their air and missile defense capabilities," she said.

"Considering the cooperative training we already do with the Polish Armed Forces, this Patriot training program is just another extension of that effort."

Though USAREUR didn´t name the unit, the likely candidate to conduct the mission is the Army´s only remaining Europe-based Patriot unit, the 5th Battalion, 7th Air Defense Artillery based at Kaiserslautern.
....
A new deal between Poland and the U.S. was sealed on Dec. 11 when officials signed off on a status of forces agreement between the two countries that defines the legal status of U.S. military personnel working in Poland.

"The agreement will facilitate a range of mutually agreed activities including joint training and exercises, deployments of U.S. military personnel, and prospective Ballistic Missile Defense deployments," the U.S. State Department said in a news release.
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14.: World's Sole Military Superpower's 2 Million-Troop, $1 Trillion Wars

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

Mon Dec 21, 2009 6:05 am (PST)

http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/2009/12/21/worlds-sole-military-superpowers-2-million-troop-1-trillion-wars

Stop NATO
December 21, 2009

World's Sole Military Superpower's 2 Million-Troop, $1 Trillion Wars
Rick Rozoff

----------
With a census of slightly over 300 million in a world of almost seven billion people, the U.S. accounts for over 40 percent of officially acknowledged worldwide government military spending with a population that is only 4 percent of that of the earth's. A 10-1 disparity.

In addition to its 1,445,000 active duty service members, the Pentagon can and does call upon 1.2 million National Guard and other reserve components. As many as 30% of troops that have served in Afghanistan and Iraq are mobilized reservists. The Army National Guard has activated over 400,000 soldiers since the war in Afghanistan began and in March of 2009 approximately 125,000 National Guard and other reserve personnel were on active duty.

The Defense Department also has over 800,000 civilian employees at home and deployed worldwide. The Pentagon, then, has more than 3.5 million people at its immediate disposal excluding private military contractors.

After allotting over a trillion dollars for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq alone and packing off more than two million of its citizens to the two nations, the U.S. military establishment and peace prize president have already laid the groundwork for yet more wars. Boeing, Raytheon and General Electric won't be kept waiting.
----------

In his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech on December 10 the president of the United States appropriated for his country the title of "the world's sole military superpower" and for himself "the Commander-in-Chief of the military of a nation in the midst of two wars."

This may well have been the first time that an American - and of course any - head of state in history boasted of his nation being the only uncontested military power on the planet and unquestionably the only time a Nobel Peace Prize recipient identified himself as presiding over not only a war but two wars simultaneously.

As to the appropriateness of laying such claims in the venue and on the occasion he did - accepting the world's preeminent peace award before the Norwegian Nobel Committee - Barack Obama at least had the excuse of being perfectly accurate in his contentions.

He is in fact the commander-in-chief in charge of two major and several smaller wars and his nation is without doubt the first global military power which for decades has operated without constraints on five of six inhabited continents and has troops stationed in all six. United States armed forces personnel and weapons, including nuclear arms, are stationed at as many as 820 installations in scores of nations.

The U.S. has recently assigned thousands of troops to seven new bases in Bulgaria and Romania [1], deployed the first foreign troops to Israel in that nation's history to run an interceptor missile radar facility in the Negev Desert [2], and last week signed a status of forces agreement with Poland for Patriot missiles (to be followed by previously ship-based Aegis Standard Missile-3s interceptors) and U.S. soldiers to be stationed there. The troops will be the first foreign forces based in Poland since the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact in 1991.

The U.S., whose current military budget is at Cold War, which is to say at the highest of post-World War II, levels, also officially accounts for over 41% of international military spending according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute's report on 2008 figures: $607 billion of $1.464 trillion worldwide. On October 28 President Obama signed the 2010 National Defense Authorization Act with a price tag of $680 billion, including $130 billion for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

That figure excludes military spending outside of the Department of Defense. The American government has for several decades been the standard-bearer in outsourcing to private sector contractors in every realm and the Pentagon is certainly no exception to the practice. According to some estimates, American military and military-related allotments in addition to the formal Pentagon budget can bring annual U.S. defense spending as high as $1.16 trillion, almost half of official expenditures for all of the world's 192 nations, including the U.S., last year.

With a census of slightly over 300 million in a world of almost seven billion people, the U.S. accounts for over 40 percent of officially acknowledged worldwide government military spending with a population that is only 4 percent of that of the earth's. A 10-1 disparity.

The U.S. also has the world's second largest standing army, over 1,445,000 men and women under arms according to estimates of earlier this year, second only to China with 2,255,000. China has a population of over 1.325 billion, more than four times that of America, and does not have a vast army of private contractors supplementing its armed forces. And of course unlike the U.S. it has no troops stationed abroad. India, with a population of 1.140 billion, has active duty troop strength smaller than that of the U.S. at 1,415,000.

The U.S. and Britain are possibly alone in the world in deploying reservists to war zones; this last February the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen acknowledged that 600,000 reserves have been called up to serve in the area of responsibility of the U.S. Central Command, in charge of the Afghan and Iraqi wars, since 2001. In addition to its 1,445,000 active duty service members, the Pentagon can and does call upon 1.2 million National Guard and other reserve components. As many as 30% of troops that have served in Afghanistan and Iraq are mobilized reservists. The Army National Guard has activated over 400,000 soldiers since the war in Afghanistan began and in March of 2009 approximately 125,000 National Guard and other reserve personnel were on active duty.

The Defense Department also has over 800,000 civilian employees at home and deployed worldwide. The Pentagon, then, has more than 3.5 million people at its immediate disposal excluding private military contractors.

In the last 48 hours two unprecedented thresholds have been crossed. On the morning of December 19 the U.S. Senate met in a rare Saturday morning session to approve a $636.3 billion military budget for next year. The vote was 88-10, as the earlier vote by the House of Representatives on December 16 was 395-34. In both cases the negative votes were not necessarily an indication of opposition to war spending but part of the labyrinthine American legislative practices of trade-offs, add-ons and deal-making on other, unrelated issues, what in the local vernacular are colorfully described as horse-trading and log-rolling among other choice terms. A no vote in the House or Senate, then, was not automatically a reflection of anti-war or even fiscally conservative sentiments.

The Pentagon appropriation included another $101 billion for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq (Obama signed the last formal Iraq and Afghanistan War Supplemental Appropriations, worth $106 billion, in July), but did not include the first of several additional requests, what are termed emergency spending measures, for the Afghan war. The first such request is expected early next year, more than $30 billion for the additional 33,000 U.S. troops to be deployed to the war zone, which will increase the number of American forces there to over 100,000.

On the day of the Senate vote Bloomberg News cited the Congressional Research Service, which had tallied the numbers, in revealing that the funds apportioned for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have now pushed the total expenditure for both to over $1 trillion. "That includes $748 billion for spending related to the war in Iraq and $300 billion for Afghanistan, the research service said in a Sept. 28 report."

The new Pentagon spending plan "includes $2.5 billion to buy 10 additional Boeing Co. C-17 transports that weren't requested by the Pentagon. Chicago-based Boeing also would benefit from $1.5 billion for 18 F/A-E/F Super Hornet fighters, nine more than the administration requested."

Funding for military aircraft not even requested by the Defense Department and the White House or for larger numbers of them than were is another curious component of the American body politic. That arms merchants (and not only domestic ones) place their own orders with the American people's alleged representatives - the current Deputy Secretary of Defense, William Lynn, was senior vice president of Government Operations and Strategy for Raytheon Company prior to assuming his new post - is illustrated by the following excerpts from the same report:

"Defense Secretary Robert Gates recommended April 6 that the C-17 program be terminated once Boeing delivers the last of 205 C-17s in late 2010. Boeing, the second-largest defense contractor, has said its plant in Long Beach, California, will shut down in 2011 without more orders.

"The budget also includes $465 million for the backup engine of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The engine is built by Fairfield, Connecticut-based General Electric Co. and London-based Rolls Royce Plc. The administration earlier threatened to veto the entire defense bill if it contained any money for the engine." [3]

The Pentagon and its chief Gates may win battles with the Congress and even the White House when they relate to the use of military force abroad, but against the weapons manufacturers and the congressmen whose election campaigns they contribute to the military brass will come off the losers.

In addition to the nearly two-thirds of a trillion dollar annual Pentagon war chest, the ongoing trillion dollar Broader Middle East war is a lucrative boon to the merchants of death and their political hangers-on.

On December 18 a story was posted on several American armed forces websites that U.S. soldiers have been sent to Afghanistan and Iraq 3.3 million times since the invasion of the first country in October of 2001. The report specifies that "more than 2 million men and women have shouldered those deployments, with 793,000 of them deploying more than once."

The break-down according to services is as follows:

More than 1 million troops from the Army.

Over 389,900 from the Air Force.

Over 367,900 from the Navy.

More than 251,800 Marines.

This past October alone 172,800 soldiers, 31,500 airmen, 30,000 sailors and 20,900 Marines were dispatched to the two war zones. [4]

The bulk of the U.S.'s permanent global warfighting force may be deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq, but enough troops are left over to man newly acquired bases in Eastern Europe, remain in Middle East nations other than Iraq, be based on and transit through the Manas Air Base in Kyrgyzstan, take over seven new military bases in Colombia, run regional operations out of America's first permanent base in Africa - Camp Lemonier in Djibouti, where 2,400 personnel are stationed - and engage in counterinsurgency campaigns in the Philippines, Mali, Uganda, Yemen and Pakistan.

Recently a U.S. armed forces newspaper reported in an article titled "AFRICOM could add Marine Air Ground Task Force" that "A 1,000-strong Marine combat task force capable of rapidly deploying to hot spots could soon be at the disposal of the new U.S. Africa Command."

The feature added that a Marine unit previously attached to the newly launched AFRICOM has "already deployed in support of training missions in Uganda and Mali," whose armies are fighting the Lord's Resistance Army and Tuareg rebels, respectively. [5]

In Yemen, Houthi rebel sources "accused the U.S. air force [on December 15] of joining attacks against them, and killing at least 120 people in a raid in the north of the poor Arab state."

Their information office said "The savage crime committed by the U.S. air force shows the real face of the United States." [6]

According to ABC News "On orders from President Barack Obama, the U.S. military launched cruise missiles early Thursday [December 17] against two suspected al-Qaeda sites in Yemen," [7] to complement mounting missile attacks in Pakistan.

The Houthi rebels are religiously Shi'ia, so any attempt at exploiting an al-Qaeda rationale for bombing their villages is a subterfuge.

At the same time the Commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe and NATO Allied Air Component, General Roger Brady, fresh from a tour of inspection of the Caucasus nations of Azerbaijan and Georgia, was at the Adazi Training Base in Latvia to meet with the defense ministers of that nation, Estonia and Lithuania and plan "closer military cooperation in the security sector between the Baltic States and the USA which also included joint exercises in the Baltic region." [9] All five nations mentioned above - Azerbaijan, Estonia, Georgia, Latvia and Lithuania - border Russia.

During the same week's summit of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA) in Havana, Cuba, the host country's president Raul Castro said of the latest Pentagon buildup in Colombia that "The deployment of [U.S.] military bases in the region is...an act of aggression against Latin America and the Caribbean." [9]

Less than a week later the government of Colombia, the third largest recipient of American military aid in the world, announced it would construct a new military base near its border with Venezuela. "Defense Minister Gabriel Silva said [on December 18] that the base, located on the Guajira peninsula near the city of Nazaret, would have up to 1,000 troops. Two air battalions would also be activated at other border areas....Army Commander General Oscar Gonzalez meanwhile announced [the following day] that six air battalions were being activated, including two on the border with Venezuela." [10]

After allotting over a trillion dollars for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq alone and packing off more than two million of its citizens to the two nations, the U.S. military establishment and peace prize president have already laid the groundwork for yet more wars. Boeing, Raytheon and General Electric won't be kept waiting.

1) Bulgaria, Romania: U.S., NATO Bases For War In The East
Stop NATO, October 24, 2009
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/2009/10/25/bulgaria-romania-u-s-nato-bases-for-war-in-the-east
2) Israel: Forging NATO Missile Shield, Rehearsing War With Iran
Stop NATO, November 5, 2009
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/2009/11/05/israel-forging-nato-missile-shield-rehearsing-war-with-iran
3) Bloomberg News, December 19, 2009
4) Michelle Tan, 2 million troops have deployed since 9/11
December 18, 2009
5) Stars And Stripes, December 16, 2009
6) Reuters, December 16, 2009
7) ABC News, December 18, 2009
8) Defense Professionals, December 14, 2009
9) Russian Information Agency Novosti, December 14, 2009
10) Agence France-Presse, December 19, 2009
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15.: Venezuela Warns Against Colombian Aggression At Border

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

Mon Dec 21, 2009 6:08 am (PST)

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-12/21/content_12680836.htm

Xinhua News Agency
December 21, 2009

Chavez warns against possible Colombian aggression at border

CARACAS: Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez said Sunday that Venezuela is on the alert for a possible Colombian military action at the border.

"They are getting ready for an aggression ... If you attack Venezuela, you will regret it," Chavez warned during his weekly television and radio program.

"We must be alert," Chavez said, adding that Venezuela was armed. However, he stressed that Venezuela does not want a war with Colombia.

He accused the Colombian government of frequently making declarations and threats against his country, including establishing military troops at the border and possible attempts to capture guerillas in Venezuelan territory.

He also accused the United States of sending planes to the Netherlands Antilles, north of Venezuela.

Chavez froze ties with Colombia in July after Colombia agreed to a military cooperation that allowed the United States to use its military bases.

Venezuela, bordering Colombia to the north, is the most vehement opponent of the plan as Chavez said the bases were "a threat" to his country.
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16.: Colombia-Venezuela Tensions Worsening

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

Mon Dec 21, 2009 6:15 am (PST)

http://www.rnw.nl/english/article/venezuela-colombia-tension-increasing

Radio Netherlands
December 21, 2009

Venezuela-Colombia tension increasing

The tensions between Colombia and neighbouring Venezuela have increased over the weekend.

In a newspaper interview the Colombian Minister of Defence, Gabriel Silva, said his country is preparing a strategy to ward off a military attack. Although he did not mention Venezuela by name, he said that up to now Colombia had concentrated on internal problems but that today the dangers facing his country came from outside its borders.

Colombia has already made known that it intends to build a new military base in the department of Guajira, on the north-eastern border with Venezuela.

Relations between Colombia and Venezuela have been tense for several months. Venezuela President Hugo Chávez has said he is not pleased that Colombia has sought close military ties with the United States.

Speaking in his weekly television programme on Sunday, Mr Chávez said Colombia would regret any operation directed at Venezuela. He added that his country had no plans for an attack on its neighbour.
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17.: NATO Carrot, Stick: U.S.-Trained Macedonian Troops To Afghanistan

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

Mon Dec 21, 2009 6:17 am (PST)

http://www.b92.net/eng/news/region-article.php?yyyy=2009&mm=12&dd=21&nav_id=63906

FoNet
December 21, 2009

Macedonian soldiers go to Afghanistan

-The Macedonian military has been cooperating within this formation since 1994, as part of a U.S. government program aimed at strengthening Washington's strategic ties with former communist countries.

SKOPJE: 80 Macedonian soldiers will deploy in Afghanistan along with those from the U.S. National Guard from the U.S. state of Vermont, reports said.

The National Guard, according to a FoNet news agency report, "has been persuading the Pentagon for 18 months to approve this".

The Macedonian military has been cooperating within this formation since 1994, as part of a U.S. government program aimed at strengthening Washington's strategic ties with former communist countries.

During the past 15 years, Macedonian and U.S. soldiers took part in joint drills held in both countries, the report said.
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