Saturday, February 27, 2010

MORE US MISSILE INTRIGUES AGAINST RUSSIA



Messages In This Digest (8 Messages)

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1.

Turkey: NATO Ends 44-Nation War Council

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

Sat Feb 6, 2010 9:30 pm (PST)



http://www.turkishweekly.net/news/97216/informal-meeting-of-nato-defense-ministers-end.html

Journal of Turkish Weekly
February 6, 2010

Informal Meeting of Nato Defense Ministers End


The informal meeting of Nato Defense Ministers, hosted by Turkish Defemse Minister Vecdi Gonul and chaired by Nato SG Anders Fogh Rasmussen, ended Friday in Istanbul.

Two separate sessions were held under the single day event:

The North Atlantic Council meeting which brought together defense ministers of 28 allied countries and the meeting of NATO defense ministers with non-allied partners of (ISAF) which brought together representatives of 44 countries.

Rasmussen is holding a press conference on the informal meeting.
===========================
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2.

U.S. Missile Plans Hamper Nuclear Arms Cuts Talks: Russia

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

Sat Feb 6, 2010 9:30 pm (PST)



http://en.rian.ru/russia/20100206/157794552.html

Russian Information Agency Novosti
February 6, 2010

Russia says U.S. missile plans hamper nuclear arms cuts talks

-Russia unilaterally cut its tactical nuclear arsenals by 75% in the early 1990s, but the United States did respond with a similar move and even failed to withdraw its weapons from Europe. Ivanov said Russia will demand that nuclear weapons be kept on the territory of countries which they belong to.

Moscow: Washington's continued efforts to build a missile defense shield in Europe have complicated nuclear arms reduction talks with Russia, Russia's deputy prime minister said on Saturday.

"It is impossible to talk seriously about the reduction of nuclear capabilities when a nuclear power is working to deploy protective systems against vehicles to deliver nuclear warheads possessed by other countries," Sergei Ivanov said at an international security conference in Munich.

Russia and the United States are in talks to replace the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START 1), the cornerstone of post-Cold War arms control, which expired in December with a new deal.

Russia on Friday expressed concerns about Romania's decision to host missiles as part of a U.S. missile defense shield to protect European allies from possible Iranian attacks, and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov demanded "clarifications."

The planned deployment in Romania comes after President Barack Obama scrapped plans for a radar and interceptor missiles in the Czech Republic and Poland, which Russia fiercely opposed as a national security threat and a blow on its nuclear deterrent. Moscow threatened retaliatory measures.

Ivanov reiterated that Moscow will seek explanations from the United States on the planned deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in Eastern Europe.

He said Russia unilaterally cut its tactical nuclear arsenals by 75% in the early 1990s, but the United States did respond with a similar move and even failed to withdraw its weapons from Europe. Ivanov said Russia will demand that nuclear weapons be kept on the territory of countries which they belong to.

Ivanov, however, confirmed earlier reports that the new bilateral nuclear arms pact could be signed in the first half of this year adding that ratification may take place in the fall.

Last week, Obama and Russian leader Dmitry Medvedev ordered a speedy completion of the deal.

Obama and Medvedev pledged at their first meeting in April 2009 to replace the START I treaty as part of broader efforts to "reset" bilateral ties strained in recent years.
===========================
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3.

NATO To Consider Georgian Afghan War Transit Proposal

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

Sat Feb 6, 2010 9:33 pm (PST)



http://www.news.az/articles/8477

Georgia Online
February 5, 2010

NATO ready to consider Georgia's proposal


NATO NATO is ready to consider Georgia's proposal for transportation of military cargo to Afghanistan via Georgia in case of a concensus.

The due statement was made by general secretary of the alliance Anders Fogh Rasmussen upon completion of an informal meeting of the defense ministers of NATO member states and partners.

He said the proposals of official Tbilisi will be considered.

At the final briefing Anders Von Rasmussen thanked Georgia for participation in peacekeeping in Afghanistan.
===========================
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4.

Europe: Russia Demands Integrated Security Structure To  "Overcome"

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

Sat Feb 6, 2010 9:40 pm (PST)



http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-02/07/c_13166453.htm

Xinhua News Agency
February 7, 2010

Russia calls for integrated security structure for Europe to "overcome" NATO


MUNICH, Germany: Europe should replace its Cold-War-style security architecture with a comprehensive, integrated one which is legally bindings...Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Saturday in the annual Munich conference.

"In the last 20 years, European security has become weak in every aspect, concerning the erosion of arms control and emerging of serious conflicts," Lavrov said. "Statements that everything is fine and nothing should be changed are not convincing."

The Russian minister said after the end of the Cold War, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) missed a great opportunity of becoming an all-round organization for "ensuring equal security for every state in the European region."

"The choice was made in favor of NATO's expansion policy, not only dividing Europe into zones with different levels but also moving these lines deliberately to the East," he said. The membership of NATO has increased to 28 in 2009 from the original 12 in 1949.

Lavrov said that since both NATO and the OSCE failed to prevent tragedies such as hot conflicts in past decades, one lesson Europe has learned from history is not to neglect "the indivisibility of the security in the whole land of Europe."

"We want to overcome the bloc approach of cold war in the European architecture and to ensure a new policy of mutual trust," he said. "No single state can ensure its security at the expense of others'."

Russia supported the OSCE, rather than others, in "becoming a strong, efficient organization" with the joint efforts of Russia, the United States and other European countries, he said.

The Russian diplomat called for "a comprehensive solution" to set up a new security frameworks, which was emphasized by the Kremlin since 2008. But some Western countries suspect that it is mainly aimed at stopping further NATO expansion.

The OSCE, the world's largest security-oriented intergovernmental organization, has 56 member states covering most of the northern hemisphere. It was first created as an East-West forum during the Cold War era, and puts its focus on conflict prevention, arms control, crisis management and post-conflict rehabilitation.

The 46th Munich Security Conference, one of the leading political forums in the world, invited around 300 high-ranking participants in discussing major global challenges. "The Future of European Security" is the main topic on Saturday.
===========================
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5.

Germany: Pentagon Trains Georgian Troops For Afghan, Caucasus Wars

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

Sat Feb 6, 2010 9:52 pm (PST)



http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=67853

Stars and Stripes
February 7, 2010

Georgians trained for Afghan duty

STUTTGART, Germany: U.S. Marines and Army soldiers recently completed training 750 Georgian soldiers for deployment to Afghanistan.

It was the culmination of a six-month program, Marine Corps Col. Scott Cottrell, commander of the Marine Corps Training and Advisory Group, said of the training, which ended last month.

The Georgians, from the 31st Light Infantry Battalion, will support Marine Expeditionary Brigadeâ€"Alpha in Afghanistan’s Helmand province, Cottrell said.

The training, which was held for the first time in Hohenfels, focused on counterinsurgency operations and improving Afghanistan’s infrastructure, Hohenfels officials said in a press release. It included 1,500 individuals.

The training was done at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center, which has training areas designed to mimic conditions in Afghanistan.
===========================
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6.

NATO Should Be Global "Security Forum": Rasmussen, Albright

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

Sun Feb 7, 2010 7:49 am (PST)



http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/07/AR2010020700972.html

Reurers
February 7, 2010

NATO should be global security forum: Rasmussen
By David Brunnstrom and Mark Trevelyan

-"I believe the problem of NATO today is that NATO develops in reverse order - it tries to act globally more and more but continues to think locally," said Konstantin Kosachev, chairman of the Russian Duma's International Affairs Committee.
"As soon as NATO starts to reach beyond its borders this is no longer just an internal matter for NATO."

MUNICH, Germany: NATO should develop closer ties with China, India, Pakistan and Russia and become the forum for consultation on global security, the alliance's head said on Sunday, but a senior Russian politician reacted with skepticism.

The four countries all had interests in stability in Afghanistan and could do more to help develop and assist the country, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said.

"What would be the harm if countries such as China, India, Pakistan and others were to develop closer ties with NATO? I think, in fact, there would only be a benefit, in terms of trust, confidence and cooperation," he said.

NATO should become the global forum with other nations on a host of security issues extending from terrorism, cyber attacks, nuclear proliferation, piracy, climate change and competition for natural resources as well as Afghanistan, he said.

"NATO can be the place where views, concerns and best practices on security are shared by NATO's global partners. And where ... we might work out how to tackle global challenges together," he told a conference in Munich ahead of discussion of a new NATO Strategic Concept due to be approved in November.

Rasmussen said NATO was already working with Pakistan, and other countries stood to gain from a stable Afghanistan. "India has a stake in Afghan stability. China too. And both could help further develop and rebuild Afghanistan. The same goes for Russia," he said.

RUSSIAN SCEPTCISM

A senior Russian politician reacted skeptically to the proposals, saying NATO first had to think globally, and complained that Russia had not been involved in the process.

"I believe the problem of NATO today is that NATO develops in reverse order - it tries to act globally more and more but continues to think locally," said Konstantin Kosachev, chairman of the Russian Duma's International Affairs Committee.

"As soon as NATO starts to reach beyond its borders this is no longer just an internal matter for NATO," said Kosachev, who was also speaking the annual Munich Security Conference.

Moscow still views NATO, its Cold War adversary, with deep suspicion. Ties were severely strained by the 2008 war between Russia and Georgia and by U.S.-backed plans to invite more former Soviet states to join the alliance.

Kosachev accused the alliance of provoking the Georgia-Russia conflict by promising Tbilisi eventual membership and of failing to tackle the drugs problem in Afghanistan. He urged NATO to show it was serious by having proper discussions with Russia about Moscow's security concerns and proposals.

Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, chair of a group of experts drawing up the Strategic Concept, and Canadian Defense Minister Peter MacKay backed Rasmussen's vision of NATO as the preeminent forum for global security discussion.

"I think we are talking about how we can have some coordinating mechanism for all the various organizations that exist in the world," Albright said, adding that the question was "which organization can make the biggest difference."

"While I am a great admirer of the United Nations, I know what it can and cannot do," she said, noting that it was NATO cooperation that halted the killing in Kosovo in the 1990s.

Rasmussen said he did not see the Western military alliance, which groups 26 European nations, Canada and the United States, becoming a competitor to the United Nations.

"We are talking here about a group of nations consulting, formally or informally, on security. Nothing more.

"In fact, I think it would actually benefit the UN. NATO is operating almost without exception in support of U.N. resolutions. Allies are all strong and active UN members," he said.

(Editing by Dave Graham and Dominic Evans)
===========================
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7.

IRAN, CHINA, AND THE SHANGHAI COOPERATION ORGANIZATION

Posted by: "linguisticresearch" LinguisticResearch@gmx.de

Sun Feb 7, 2010 7:53 am (PST)



http://www.raceforiran.com/iran-china-and-the-shanghai-cooperation-organization

IRAN, CHINA, AND THE SHANGHAI COOPERATION ORGANIZATION

Posted on February 5th, 2010 under general
<http://www.raceforiran.com/category/general> with 28 replies
<http://www.raceforiran.com/iran-china-and-the-shanghai-cooperation-organization#comments>.

The new secretary general of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization
(SCO), Muratbek Sansyzbayevich Imanaliev, said at a news conference in
Beijing earlier this week that the conflict in Afghanistan and expanding
the SCO's members to include Iran and Pakistan were the top issues on
the SCO's agenda in 2010
<http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9DLFMLG2.htm>.
Certainly, these issues are likely to dominate preparation for the SCO's
annual summit, which will take place in Tashkent, Uzbekistan sometime
this coming summer.

The SCO was founded in 2001 by six original members: Russia and China
along with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
Formally, the SCO was created to institutionalize the founding members'
ongoing cooperation on border security, counterterrorism, and fighting
extremist and separatist activism, as well as for economic cooperation.
More broadly, the SCO has established itself as an increasingly
important factor in Central Asian affairs, Sino-Russian relations, and
the formation of an international "coalition"—loosely organized around
Beijing and Moscow—opposed to what its members see as excessive U.S.
unilateralism.

In 2004, Mongolia became the first state to receive observer status in
the SCO; in 2005, Iran, India, and Pakistan were also granted observer
status in the SCO. If one includes the populations and territorial
extent of the four observer states along with those of the six core
members, the SCO has become the world's largest regional security
organization, in terms of the number of people and the amount of
territory it covers. Among other things, the inclusion of Iran, India,
and Pakistan as observers significantly expands the SCO's already
considerable latent potential to exert influence over the development
and marketing of Central Asia's oil and gas resources.

Over the past three years, Russia has pushed for Iran to be accorded
full membership in the SCO. China has quietly resisted this push. In
public, Chinese officials say only that the issue needs to be studied,
as a formal mechanism through which the SCO can bring in new members
does not currently exist. In private, Chinese officials say that
including Iran would change the character and function of the SCO in
important ways. In particular, Iranian membership would make it harder
for Beijing to insist, as it regularly does, that the SCO is not an
alliance directed against any specific country—e.g., the United States.

It is not clear that Beijing is ready to endorse full membership for
Iran in the SCO. But, as Andrei Ibanov, a Russian analyst, wrote this
week in China's /Global Times/
<http://opinion.globaltimes.cn/commentary/2010-01/498637.html>,
Beijing's heightened strategic standing "allows it a more direct role in
advancing its national interests faster than ever". And, as we have
pointed out repeatedly on this blog and elsewhere, since 2007, China has
become more assertive in advancing its perceived interests /vis-ŕ-vis/
Iran, even as U.S. pressure on Beijing to take a tougher line against
Tehran intensifies. We certainly expect that trend to continue.

In this context, Ibanov argues that

"China's best move, particularly as the leader of the SCO, would be
to encourage and facilitate the acceptance of Iran's membership into
the pact quickly before a new round of sanctions are imposed. Doing
so would not only add strength to China's ability to access Iran's
energy sources, it would also very seriously dampen any unilateral
moves, whether sanctions or missiles aimed at Iran and its nuclear
facilities."

Two years ago, a general in the People's Liberation Army intelligence
branch told us in Beijing that China would agree to full Iranian
membership in the SCO "only if the United States forced its hand".
Given the Obama Administration's gratuitous antagonism of China, over
Iran and other issues, it will be interesting to see whether Beijing is
more open to the prospect of full SCO membership for the Islamic Republic.

On the Obama Administration's approach to China, we were surprised to
find ourselves in rather strong agreement with a recent Op Ed on this
subject in /The Wall Street Journal/ by George Gilder
<http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704041504575045573110641044.html?mod=googlenews_wsj>,
an intellectual darling of conservative and neoconservative Republicans
for many years. We disagree with Gilder on many subjects, particularly
with regard to the Middle East. But his Op Ed, entitled "Why Antagonize
China?", contains passages of real insight:

It started last June in Beijing when U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy
Geithner lectured Chinese Premier Wen Jiaboa, who recoiled like a
man cornered by a crank at a cocktail party. Mr. Geithner was
haranguing the Chinese on…the need for a Chinese dollar devaluation,
on which one can scarcely imagine that he can persuade Chinese
holders of a trillion dollars of reserves. This week in a meeting
with Senate Democrats, President Obama continued to fret about the
dollar being too strong against the yuan at a time when most of the
world's investors fear that the Chinese will act on his words and
crash the dollar…

Yes, the Chinese are needlessly aggressive in missile deployments
against Taiwan, but there is absolutely no prospect of a successful
U.S. defense of that country. Sending them $6 billion of new
weapons is a needless provocation against China that does nothing
valuable for the defense of the U.S. or Taiwan…

[But] a foreign policy of serious people at a time of crisis will
recognize that the current Chinese regime is the best we can expect
from that country. The Chinese revitalization of Asian capitalism
remains the most important positive event in the world in the last
30 years. Not only did it release a billion people from penury and
oppression but it transformed China from a communist enemy of the
U.S. into a now indispensable capitalist partner. It is ironic that
liberals who once welcomed appeasement of the monstrous regime of
Mao Zedong now become openly bellicose at various murky incidents of
Internet hacking…

The U.S. is as dependent on China for its economic and military
health and economic growth as China is dependent on the U.S. for its
key markets, reserve finance, and global capitalist trading regime.

It is self-destructive folly to sacrifice this core synergy at the
heart of global capitalism in order to gain concessions on global
warming, dollar weakening, or Internet politics.

How many enemies do we need?

How many indeed. This blog is, in many respects, dedicated to the
proposition that the United States does not need the Islamic Republic as
an enemy. It is a disturbing sign of how far off the track the Obama
Administration's foreign policy has gone that both the Leveretts and
George Gilder feel compelled to point out just how dangerous it could be
for the United States to turn China into an enemy.

8.

U.S. Missiles In Romania Can Turn Moldova Into Battle Line

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

Sun Feb 7, 2010 7:55 am (PST)



http://en.rian.ru/exsoviet/20100207/157798611.html

Russian Information Agency Novosti
February 7, 2010

Moldova ex-president hits at Romania's plans to host U.S. missiles


Chisinau: Romania's initiative to host missiles as part of a U.S. missile defense shield in Europe could turn neighboring Moldova into a front-line area, Moldovan ex-president Vladimir Voronin said on Sunday.

Romanian President Traian Basescu on Thursday welcomed talks with the United States on a plan to deploy interceptor missiles as part of the U.S. missile shield to protect European allies.

A U.S. State Department official said earlier the facilities in Romania are due to become operational by 2015 and are designed as protection against "current and emerging ballistic missile threats from Iran."

Voronin, who is leader of Moldova's Communist Party, said Romania's position on the U.S. missile shield and also open support for it from the Moldovan current leadership could have disastrous consequences for security in the region.

Moldovan Communists earlier demanded from Moldova's government to issue a protest to Romania over its U.S. missile plans, pointing to the inadmissibility of deploying U.S. missile shield elements on Romanian territory.

Russia on Friday expressed concerns about Romania's decision to host missiles as part of a U.S. missile defense shield, and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov demanded "clarifications."

The planned deployment in Romania comes after U.S. President Barack Obama scrapped plans for a radar and interceptor missiles in the Czech Republic and Poland, which Russia fiercely opposed as a national security threat and a blow on its nuclear deterrent. Moscow threatened retaliatory measures.
===========================
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