Messages In This Digest (21 Messages)

1.: The Sword And The Shield

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

Thu Feb 4, 2010 8:16 am (PST)

http://space4peace.blogspot.com/2010/02/sword-and-shield.html

Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space
February 4, 2010

THE SWORD AND THE SHIELD
Bruce Gagnon

Aegis destroyers launching SM-3 "missile defense" systems
Army Ground-based "missile defense" interceptors

The latest news is that Romania will be hosting the U.S. Army's ground-based "missile defense" systems. Russia is not pleased with these developments.

These same Army Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) systems are going to be deployed in Taiwan as the U.S. continues its military encirclement of China. U.S. PAC-3 systems have already been deployed in Japan and South Korea.

The Standard Missile-3 (SM-3), already in the Persian Gulf and soon to be permanently based on Navy Aegis destroyers in the Baltic, South China, Mediterranean and Black Seas, has a range of 500 kilometers but can be enhanced for longer distances. The missile was used by the U.S. Navy to destroy a satellite 130 miles above the Pacific Ocean in February of 2008 in a test viewed by Admiral Michael Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff. "The satellite was unlike any target the system was designed to go after....The satellite was in orbit rather than on a ballistic trajectory. Also, the satellite was traveling at incredible speeds," Mullen said.

Translation: the SM-3 also has "anti-satellite" (ASAT) weapons capability. That means the Pentagon can use the Aegis-based missile to knock out Russian or Chinese satellites as part of a first-strike attack.

News that the U.S. is about to deploy a PAC-3 missile battery in Poland led Russia's ambassador to NATO, Dmitry Rogozin, to recently state: "Do they really think that we will calmly watch the location of a rocket system, at a distance of 60 km from Kaliningrad?"
The deployment of SM-3, with several times the reach of the Patriot, on land and sea in the same neighborhood will only makes matters more dangerous.

The official authorization of Patriot transfers to Taiwan - the missiles are produced by Raytheon Company headquartered in Massachusetts, whose former vice president of Government Operations and Strategy William Lynn is now Obama's Deputy Secretary of Defense - resulted in China's vice foreign minister, He Yafei, saying "We believe this move endangers China's national security." Luo Yuan, senior researcher with the Chinese Academy of Military Science, added "The U.S. action gives China a justified cause to increase its national defense expenditure, to enhance the development and purchase of weapons, and to accelerate its modernization process in national defense....China did nothing to threaten the U.S., why should the US challenge our core strategic interests?"

William Lynn delivered a speech in Washington, DC on January 21, where he demanded that Congress "put the Defense Department on a permanent footing to fight both low-intensity conflicts to maintaining air dominance and the ability to strike any target on Earth at any time....The next air warfare priority for the Pentagon is developing a next-generation, deep-penetrating strike capability that can overcome advanced air defenses."
The new Prompt Global Strike system is designed to accomplish just those objectives.
So the strategy is clear. Surround Russia and China with mobile "missile defense" systems whose job is to take out their retaliatory capability after a U.S. first-strike against their nuclear weapons. Russia and China then build counter-measures to the U.S. missile defense systems and then the Pentagon in return counters with the new "global strike" systems that are today under development.

All this means one thing - an extended arms race with Russia and China which will mean huge profits for the weapons industry and the very likely reality that no effective arms control treaties will be negotiated during this administration. Why would Russia and China negotiate to seriously reduce their nuclear arsenals when the U.S. is surrounding them with missile defense and building new global strike systems?

The U.S. war state (supported and funded by Democrats and Republicans) has become a pariah on this planet. You can dress it up nice with a smiling Obama but in the end one has to judge the U.S. by its deeds.

(Parts of this were written by Rick Rozoff in a piece called U.S. Extends Missile Buildup From Poland And Taiwan To Persian Gulf)

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2.: Brussels, London, Istanbul: A Week Of Western War Councils

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

Thu Feb 4, 2010 7:35 pm (PST)

http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/2010/02/05/brussels-london-istanbul-a-week-of-western-war-councils

Stop NATO
February 5, 2010

Brussels, London, Istanbul: A Week Of Western War Councils
Rick Rozoff

The defense chiefs of all 28 NATO nations and an undisclosed number of counterparts from non-Alliance partners gathered in Istanbul, Turkey on February 4 to begin two days of meetings focused on the war in Afghanistan, the withdrawal of military forces from Kosovo in the course of transferring control of security operations to the breakaway province's embryonic army (the Kosovo Security Force) and "the transformation efforts required to best conduct the full range of NATO´s agreed missions." [1]

Istanbul was the site of the bloc's 2004 summit which accounted for the largest expansion in its 60-year history - seven new Eastern European nations - and its strengthening military partnerships with thirteen Middle Eastern and African nations under the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative.

The Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, Admiral Giampaolo Di Paola, NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe Admiral James Stavridis and the top commander of all U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan - soon to reach over 150,000 - General Stanley McChrystal are also in attendance, as are European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton and United Nations High Representative for Afghanistan Kai Eide as well as the defense and interior ministers of Afghanistan.

The meetings follow by a week the International Conference on Afghanistan held in London, which in turn occurred the day after two days of meetings of the NATO Military Committee with the Chiefs of Defense of the military bloc's 28 member states and 35 more from what were described as Troop Contributing Nations; presumably NATO partner nations with troops stationed in the Afghan war theater. In all, the military chiefs of 63 countries.

The U.S.'s McChrystal was present there also as were Israeli Chief of General Staff Lieutenant General Gabi Ashkenazi and Pakistani Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. Beforehand the bloc's website reported that "The various meetings will focus on the progress made in ongoing operations and the New Strategic Concept for NATO." [2] That 35 top military commanders from non-NATO countries were present to hear plans for the escalation of what is already the largest war in the world is understandable, as their forces are on the ground as part of a 50-nation plus force under NATO military command.

That the same conference discussed the bloc's 21st century new global military doctrine - former U.S. secretary of state Madeleine Albright delivered an address on the topic - raises the question of how many of the 35 partner states' military chiefs may have joined their 28 NATO colleagues for that phase of discussions. That such a high percentage of the world's leading military commanders attended a two-day affair which deliberated on both the war in South Asia and the expansion of the world's only military bloc's activities even further outside the Euro-Atlantic area (when it has already conducted operations in four continents) confirms that the Afghan war serves more than one purpose for the West. It is the laboratory for strengthening military ties with nations on every inhabited continent and for building the nucleus of and foundation for a potential future world army.

The London conference on Afghanistan, presented in the West as a benign undertaking tantamount to an economic development or humanitarian aid planning event - the conference's website described it as "The international community [coming] together to fully align military and civilian resources behind an Afghan-led political strategy" [3] - was preceded by two days of meetings between top military commanders of almost a third of the world's nations at NATO headquarters and followed by two days of meetings by NATO and allied defense chiefs this week. Many of the same people - EU foreign policy chief Baroness Ashton and the UN's Eide (who formerly occupied comparable posts in Bosnia and Kosovo and was Norway's ambassador to NATO from 2002 to 2006) - attended both the London conference and are attending the Istanbul NATO defense ministers conclave.

(Ashton's predecessor's Javier Solana was Secretary General of NATO from 1995 to 1999 before becoming the EU's High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy - the title slightly adjusted after the Lisbon Treaty - from 1999 until December of 2009, effecting the transition seamlessly.)

By way of reciprocity, the London conference was addressed by NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen who said, inter alia, "with more than 85,000 troops from 44 nations deployed to Afghanistan - and with over 39,000 additional forces arriving over the coming weeks and months - the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force remains NATO´s top priority." [4]

If any further evidence was required that the United Nations is at the service of NATO and not vice versa, that the EU is NATO's civilian valet de chambre, and that all three are subordinated to the United States, the last week's events and the roster of attendees at them should suffice.

The chain of command begins in Washington and orders barked out there work their way down to Brussels and New York City.

The two organizations based in the Belgium capital, the "military alliance of democratic states in Europe and North America" (NATO's self-definition) and the "European military superstate" (Irish opposition parties' reference to the effects of the Nice and Lisbon treaties), are afflicted with political echolalia, parroting the U.S. position on conflicts armed and with the potential to become so around the world - Afghanistan, Iraq, Georgia-Russia, Georgia-Abkhazia, Georgia-South Ossetia, Russia-Ukraine, Kosovo, Bosnia, Somalia, Yemen, Colombia, Myanmar, Sudan, Chad, the Central African Republic, North Korea, Zimbabwe, Israel-Lebanon, Lebanon-Syria, Israel-Palestine, Macedonia, Ivory Coast, Djibouti-Eritrea, Transdniester and all those to come - with truly impressive fidelity in this otherwise inconsistent age.

Condemnations, tirades and threats issued by the U.S. secretary of state and ambassador to the United Nations may as well be presented in triplicate.

Permanent Security Council members Russia and China may occasionally - all too occasionally - block hostile Western actions against defenseless third parties in the United Nations, but Washington always walks away with a mandate and the final say in the selection of viceroys to complement U.S. and NATO military forces on the ground in subjugated nations.

As a recent example, during the second day of the NATO Military Committee meetings in Brussels and the day before the Afghan conference in London, an "international" conference on Yemen was also held in London which "Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown called for...in response to the failed bomb attack on an airliner over Detroit on December 25." [5]

That bears repeating. The apprehension in the U.S. of a Nigerian national alleged to have been trained in Yemen led the head of state of the United Kingdom to summon representatives of the Group of Eight (Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the U.S.), the Gulf Cooperation Council (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates), Egypt, Jordan - but not the Arab League - Turkey and the European Union, United Nations, World Bank and International Monetary Fund "to bolster Yemen's fight against al Qaeda...." [7] Soon 50,000 non-American NATO troops will be bogged down in Afghanistan because the bloc invoked its Article 5 collective defense provision in 2001...to fight against al-Qaeda.

Ever-compliant UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon lent legitimacy to this American and British charade, as he did the following day's Afghan conference where he delivered a speech in the presence of 28 NATO and perhaps dozens of its International Security Assistance Force non-member states foreign ministers.

Yemen has joined the former Yugoslavia, Afghanistan and Iraq as a target for Western "assistance and stabilization." NATO will conduct more planning sessions with scores of military chiefs and defense and foreign ministers and not only for the war in Afghanistan.

Its new Strategic Concept knows no geographical bounds.

1) NATO, February 3, 2010
http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-07E5106A-22C87D27/natolive/news_61170.htm?]
2) NATO, January 25, 2010
http://www.nato.int/ims/news/2010/n100126e.html
3) Afghanistan: The London Conference
http://afghanistan.hmg.gov.uk/en/conference
4) http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/opinions_61101.htm
5) Deutsche Presse-Agentur, January 28, 2010
6) Reuters, January 27, 2010

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3.: Romania prepared to host US anti-ballistic interceptors

Posted by: "arn specter" arnpeace@yahoo.com arnpeace

Thu Feb 4, 2010 7:36 pm (PST)

February 4, 2010
This seems to be a major news breaking story today from the RT in Russia.
http://rt.com/Top_News/2010-02-04/romania.html#
Romania follows Poland now in accepting US plans for Missile Defense in
Eastern Europe despite strong objections by Russia, which may well jeapordize
the current non-proliferation talks between the US and Russia while threatening
stability and security in the region.
Please see the very good interview (Video) with political analyst Vladimir Kozin
and other videos showing missile defense developments in Poland.
arn specter, phila. (arnpeace-Twitter)
----------------------------------------------------------
Romania prepared to host US anti-ballistic interceptors
Published 04 February, 2010, www.rt.com
Romania has announced it is ready to host anti-ballistic interceptors as part of a US missile shield in Eastern Europe.
The move has already been approved by the country´s supreme defense council.
The plan has now been submitted to parliament for its backing. Romania´s President Traian Basescu says Romania was invited by the US to take part in its new missile shield program.
This announcement< however, has not yet been confirmed by the US side.
In September of 2009, president Obama said he intended to revamp the Bush-era plans for a shield in Eastern Europe, instead only placing Patriot missiles in Poland and possibly sea-based systems elsewhere.
Read more
The new strategy proposed by Obama will be much more "formidable, comprehensive and powerful than that suggested by President Bush in 2007," says independent political analyst Vladimir Kozin.If the US chooses to accept the Romanian proposal it could jeopardize US-Russian relations and the START treaty negotiations, says Giulietto Chiesa, Italian politician and former Member of the European Parliament.
"President Medvedev and Prime Minister Putin have already said many times that this will seriously influence the balance of forces in Europe, which means that it will produce a very bad effect on US-Russian relations," Chiesa said.
Watch video
also see; Videos on Missile Defense in Poland, recent US agreements.
----------------------------------------------------------

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4.: U.S. Secures Ground-Based Interceptor Missile Site In Romania

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

Thu Feb 4, 2010 7:39 pm (PST)

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/05/world/europe/05romania.html

New York Times
February 4, 2010

Romanians Accept Plan For Basing Of Missiles

MUNICH: Romania´s top defense body approved an American proposal to base missile interceptors there, the country´s president said Thursday in a hastily arranged announcement.

The president, Traian Basescu, said in a statement that Romania, a former Warsaw Pact member and now part of NATO, was prepared to negotiate with the United States to accept ground-based interceptors as part of an antiballistic missile defense system. He said it could be working by 2015.

While the participation of Poland and the Czech Republic in the missile shield had been well known, the possibility that Romania would join them was not.

Romania made its announcement as Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates was in Turkey for a NATO meeting. He was not immediately available to comment but the White House spokesman, Robert Gibbs, said the announcement was welcomed. "We´re pleased that Romania has agreed to participate in that defense shield," he told reporters in Washington.
....
Mr. Basescu said the proposal accepted by the Supreme Defense Council came from President Obama, whose under secretary of state for arms control and international security, Ellen O. Tauscher, was in Romania.

Mr. Obama abruptly changed course on the proposed antiballistic missile shield in September, focusing on a system designed to shoot down short- and medium-range missiles from Iran.

The original system, proposed by President George W. Bush, would have put a radar installation in the Czech Republic and interceptors in Poland. Russia opposed the plans, arguing that the system, so close to its border, was a security threat.
....
....
Russian leaders still complain that the missile system could upset the cold war balance of power. Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin said in December that the plan was the main obstacle to negotiations on replacing the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty.
....
Nicholas Kulish reported from Munich, and Ellen Barry from Moscow. Helene Cooper contributed reporting from Washington.
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5.: NATO, Pakistani Military Discuss Joint War Strategy

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

Thu Feb 4, 2010 7:42 pm (PST)

http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/Politics/05-Feb-2010/Commander-Nato-Kayani-discuss-US-Afghan-policy

The Nation (Pakistan)
February 5, 2010

Commander Nato, Kayani discuss US Afghan policy

ISLAMABAD: Commander NATO Training Mission - Afghanistan, Lt Gen William B Caldwell Thursday called on the Chief of Army Staff Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.

According to ISPR, Lt Gen William B Caldwell remained with the Chief of Army Staff for some time and discussed matters of professional interest.

It was reliably learnt that issues including the current security situation in Afghanistan, new US strategy for Afghanistan and regional security came under discussion.

Sources said that both also exchanged views on the issues relating to relations between Pakistan Army and NATO, the training of Pakistan´s Army officers by the NATO as well as the joint offensive planned by the US, NATO and ANA against insurgents in the Helmand province of Afghanistan.

Talking to the visiting dignitary, Chief of Army Staff Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani underscored the need that Pakistan Army should also be taken on board ahead of launching any offensive.

General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani sought adequate measures by the multinational forces in Afghanistan to ensure that no terrorist or extremist sneaks into Pakistan during the Helmand operation.
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6.: NATO Solicits Morocco's Assistance For Afghan War

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

Thu Feb 4, 2010 7:43 pm (PST)

http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/WTARC/2010/af_morocco0086_02_04.asp

World Tribune
February 4, 2010

NATO plans expanded ties with Morocco

LONDON: NATO plans to expand cooperation with Morocco.

Officials said NATO has been discussing proposals to bolster cooperation with the North African state. They said the Western alliance has sent delegations to meet Morocco's military and intelligence community.

"Our relations are very positive," NATO deputy secretary-general Claudio Bisogniero said.

Morocco was expected to expand cooperation with NATO in 2010, officials said. They cited the prospect of Morocco's contribution to Operation Active Endeavor, meant to foil insurgency threats in the Mediterranean. They said the intelligence exchange with Brussels would also intensify, particularly regarding the Al Qaida Organization in the Islamic Maghreb.

On Jan. 25, Bisogniero visited Morocco to discuss an expansion of cooperation. During his visit, he met Interior Minister Jaeb Cherkaoui, Chief of Staff Gen. Mohammed Ben Ani and key parliamentarians in a discussion of such issues as counter-insurgency, particularly the Al Qaida threat.

"There is significant collaboration in many fields," Bisogniero said.

During a NATO seminar in Rabat, Bisogniero cited areas of cooperation between Morocco and the alliance. He identified them as strategic dialogue, military training, counter-insurgency and crisis management.

Morocco has been a member of NATO's Mediterranean Dialogue since its inception in 1994. Over the last two years, Rabat has worked with NATO in maritime and other operations....

"Morocco is resolutely and pragmatically committed to promoting NATO's Mediterranean dialogue," Bisogniero said.

Officials said Rabat has also been contributing to NATO peacekeeping missions, including those in Bosnia and Kosovo. They said Rabat was also approached for help in NATO's stabilization campaign in Afghanistan.
....
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7.: Commentary: When Israel Joins NATO

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

Thu Feb 4, 2010 7:47 pm (PST)

http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2010/984/op2.htm

Al-Ahram Weekly
February 4-10, 2010

When Israel joins NATO
If Israel succeeds in joining NATO, its regional belligerency would be backed by the collective strength of the entire alliance. Before that happens, will the Arabs react, asks Galal Nassar

Israel wants to be a member of NATO. It no longer looks down its nose at military alliances. It no longer wants to stay away from Western military arrangements. It wants in.

A majority of Israelis believe NATO membership would boost Israel's security as well as NATO's strategic power. Interestingly enough, there has been no Arab reaction to Israel's desire to join NATO, no Arab attempt to block the move, and no preparations to deal with its consequences.

Israel and NATO have grown closer over the past decade or so. In 2000, NATO expanded its Mediterranean Dialogue through talks with seven countries from the Middle East and North Africa; namely, Egypt, Israel, Algeria, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia and Mauritania. In 2004, NATO- Mediterranean talks were held under the name Partnership for Peace. Six new countries were included in the new dialogue: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Israel, in particular, was eager to use every opportunity the Partnership for Peace had to offer.

On 24 February 2005, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer became NATO's first secretary-general to visit Israel. In the following month, NATO and Israel held their first joint military drills in the Red Sea. Within weeks, a flotilla of six NATO ships called on the Israeli port of Eilat. Israel (and Jordan) also took part for the first time in joint military drills held within the Partnership for Peace programme in Macedonia in the former Yugoslavia in February 2005.

According to the UK-based Jane's military magazine, Israel's "geopolitical position" provided NATO with a foreign base to defend the West, while NATO's military and economic might enhanced the security and economic potential of the "host country".

In June 2005, Israel participated in submarine manoeuvres off the coast of Taranto, Italy. At the time, US sources said that Israel was seeking to widen the "scope of its strategic alliance" with NATO in preparation for full membership in NATO. Israeli ground forces also took part in NATO drills lasting two weeks and a half in Ukraine. In 2006, Israel told NATO that it wanted to participate in "active operational efforts" conducted by NATO in the Mediterranean as part of the campaign to "confront terrorism".

Soon after, Israel hosted and took part in three military drills with NATO and attended a conference for NATO air force commanders. The Wall Street Journal reported closer links between NATO and Israel. It cited Uzi Arad, founder of the Atlantic Forum of Israel, as saying that Israel would benefit from NATO's membership. The Washington Post, meanwhile, argued that many countries in Europe supported Israel's membership but were waiting for Washington to suggest such a move.

Washington's view on the matter became clear in March 2006 when James Jones, then chief NATO commander in Europe, said that the deployment of NATO AWACS aircraft in Israel was a "clear signal to Iran". In May 2006, eight NATO navy pieces arrived in Haifa to demonstrate "the growing cooperation" between Israel and NATO.

In late June 2006, the House of Representative's Committee on Foreign Affairs unanimously passed a decision calling for closer Israeli-NATO ties. Consequently, Israel and NATO agreed on a long-term plan to cooperate in 27 spots around the world. Israel thus became the first non- European country and the first Middle Eastern country to cooperate with NATO on that crucial a level.

Two months after the end of the 2006 war in Lebanon, a seminar on NATO-Israel relations was held in Herzliya. Attending the seminar was then Israeli foreign minister Tzipi Livni who said that Israel would have preferred NATO to "do the job that Israel did in Lebanon". She added that Israel wished to take part in NATO's regional and local initiatives. NATO Deputy Secretary-General Alessandro Risso responded by noting that the stationing of an Israeli liaison officer at the NATO headquarters in Naples was a sign of the "vital cooperation" between NATO and Israel.

By the end of 2006, Israel was granted a "partnership agreement" with NATO that had more substance than any agreement NATO had held so far with a non- European country. Still, many in Israel and the West kept calling for full Israeli membership in NATO. One Russian political analyst, Eduard Sorokin, warned that Washington was using Israel's potential membership of NATO as a way of keeping Arab countries on their toes. According to the NATO Charter, any attack on a NATO member is considered as an attack on all members. Thus any future conflict between Israel and its neighbours may trigger a broader regional conflict and potentially a world war, Sorokin concluded.

The Jerusalem Post said that Israel's closer links with NATO were crucial in the case of "future confrontation with Iran" (1 April 2008). In fact, Netanyahu wanted Israel to join NATO even before coming into office for a second time as prime minister. He has since made Israel's membership of NATO a central piece in his policy.

On 13 January 2009, the Jerusalem Post reported that Israel was launching a "diplomatic initiative" aimed to influence former US secretary of state Madeleine Albright's review of NATO's policy. In January 2009, Israeli officials met with Albright in Oslo to discuss NATO's new strategy. During the meeting, the Israelis expressed a desire for closer links with NATO and asked for a place at top-level NATO meetings.

In Washington, some have said that once Israel is accepted as a full NATO member, NATO should take over security missions in the West Bank and Gaza. This view is not so far fetched considering the fact that President Mahmoud Abbas once said that it wouldn't be a bad idea if the Americans were to negotiate with Israel on behalf of the Palestinians.

James Jones, the US national security adviser who had been NATO commander in Europe from 2003 to 2005, is said to be busy putting together a plan for controlling the occupied Palestinian territories on behalf of Israel. The plan is said to involve actual policing of Palestinian areas.

Before Operation Cast Lead was launched in Gaza, NATO was already exchanging intelligence with Israel, sharing security expertise, and organising military drills. Israel and NATO also cooperated in non-proliferation programmes. Former NATO chief Scheffer visited Israel in the midst of Israel's offensive on Gaza. And NATO officials were at the time of the opinion that cooperation with Israel was essential for their organisation.

We know everything we need to know about NATO-Israel cooperation. What we don't know is what Arab leaders intend to do about it.
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8.: New NATO Member Albania Switches To Western Military Helicopters

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

Thu Feb 4, 2010 7:52 pm (PST)

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSLDE6101NI20100204?type=marketsNews

Reuters
February 4, 2010

Albania buying 5 Eurocopters for 78 mln euros

TIRANA: Albania will buy five helicopters from Eurocopter for 78.6 million euros over four years to upgrade its fleet to the standards of NATO, which it joined in April last year.

Parliament is set to approve the contract late on Thursday after the Defence Ministry asked that it speed up the approval to replace its Soviet and Chinese-made helicopter fleet that dates back to the 1960s.

"The approval of this contract by parliament is absolutely indispensable because the helicopter fleet is an important asset at the national level," the government asked parliament in a report seen by Reuters. "For the armed forces, this will be probably for a long time the project of the biggest financial value."

Eurocopter, a unit of EADS, will supply Albania with five AS 532 AL Cougar helicopters - one of the military versions of the Super PUMA helicopters - for use in its military, search and rescue operations and the transport of VIPs.

Albania has allocated two percent of its GDP to the armed forces for a decade now as it aimed to become a member of NATO with new equipment to conform to its participation in NATO operations.

Albania's fleet consists of Soviet and Chinese single-engine helicopters produced in 1965-1970 that have limited operational and technical qualities, cannot fly at night and cannot operate with NATO forces.

As soon as the ruling Democratic Party of Prime Minister Sali Berisha came to power in 2005, it grounded the air force's fleet of airplanes, including the cigar-shaped MIG 19 and MIG 21 fighter jets, and sent them to scrapyards and museums.

Albania's future air fleet is largely to consist of helicopters because they are suitable to its mountainous terrain.
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9.: U.S. Urges NATO To Focus On Afghan War, Missile Shield

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

Thu Feb 4, 2010 8:08 pm (PST)

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=us-to-urge-nato-to-focus-on-afghanistan-missile-defense-2010-02-04

Bloomberg News
February 4, 2010

US to urge NATO focus on Afghanistan, missile defense

ISTANBUL: U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates will urge European allies at a meeting in Turkey to inject more funding into NATO with a focus on Afghanistan and priorities such as missile defense, officials said.

Gates arrived in Istanbul Tuesday for a meeting with his 27 fellow defense ministers in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which leads 43 nations fighting the war in Afghanistan....

Gates will urge allies to "contribute their forces in this cause in as timely a manner as possible," Geoff Morrell, a Pentagon spokesman, told reporters on the way to Istanbul. He´s concerned the alliance spends too much on outdated programs, Morrell said.

President Barack Obama is calling for more troops in Afghanistan to supplement the additional 30,000 U.S. soldiers he authorized in December. U.S. allies have so far committed about 9,000 troops in support of Obama´s new strategy....

Obama´s increase will bring the number of U.S. forces in Afghanistan to about 100,000 by the end of this year, alongside almost 50,000 from other nations.

NATO´s desire to get involved with a planned U.S. missile defense system...will also require more money from members, who should fund the missile command and control backbone for the system, another U.S. official told reporters on condition of anonymity.

New Priorities

Afghanistan and missile defense are examples of the new priorities that Gates wants NATO to focus on. The alliance...is due to develop a new "strategic concept" by the time its heads of state meet later this year.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said last week that she will send 500 additional German troops to Afghanistan, bowing to U.S. pressure to widen a mission that most Germans oppose....

The U.S. aims to increase the size of the Afghan army and police, which together now number 195,000, to 243,000 by December and 305,600 by October 2011.
....
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10.: NATO DM Meeting Recruits More French Military Trainers

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

Fri Feb 5, 2010 5:26 am (PST)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/05/AR2010020500965.html

Associated Press
February 5, 2010

France: 80 more military trainers for Afghanistan

PARIS: France says it's planning to send another 80 military trainers to Afghanistan.

A ministry spokesman says French Defense Minister Herve Morin told his counterparts of the plans at a NATO meeting in Istanbul.

Ministry spokesman Laurent Teisseire said Friday the trainers are meant to work at military schools and with Operational Mentor and Liaison Teams. OMLTs assist Afghan troops - notably in the hunt for insurgents.

It is the first firm offer from France since U.S. President Barack Obama's appeal for more allied combat troops last year. French President Nicolas Sarkozy has said he was willing to send more trainers but gave no figure.

The trainers will join about 3,500 French troops currently serving in the Afghan theater.
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11.: New U.S. Envoy Encourages Serbia's NATO Membership

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

Fri Feb 5, 2010 5:31 am (PST)

http://glassrbije.org/E/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9902&Itemid=26

Radio Serbia
February 5, 2010

Warlick: NATO´s door open for Serbia

The new U.S. ambassador in Belgrade, Mary Warlick, has announced that the door of NATO membership is open to Serbia, stressing that Serbia is the one to decide if it wants to join the alliance.

In an interview with Beta news agency, Warlick said that "the United States fully supports the European and Euro-Atlantic aspirations of Serbia and is doing all it can to facilitate Belgrade's efforts in this direction."

She would not specify any deadlines for the admission, stressing that after the positive steps last year, including the application for admission, Serbia is heading in a good direction and the date of full-fledged membership will depend on Serbia´s intentions and aspirations.
....
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
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12.: NATO Warships Dock At Tunisian Port

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

Fri Feb 5, 2010 5:32 am (PST)

http://www.tap.info.tn/en/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5725&Itemid=27

Agence Tunis Afrique Presse
February 4, 2010

NATO naval unit docks La Goulette port

Tunis: A naval unit of the second North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) group comprising four vessels docked, on Thursday morning, the La Goulette port for a three-day stop.

The four ships belong to the Greek, Italian, Spanish and Turkish navies.

In a meeting with the press, held onboard of the Greek vessel, Commander Steve Chick underlined that the fleet´s stop, in a peace mission in the Mediterranean, is part of the friendship and co-operation relations binding Tunisia and NATO, and in accordance with the "Mediterranean Dialogue" launched since 1994.

The dialogue, the Greek Commander pointed out, is aimed to serve regional security and stability.

In this connection, the Commander underlined that the Tunisian navy has always demonstrated notable professionalism, which represents a very convincing argument to further boost co-operation and partnership between the two sides.
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13.: U.S. Missiles In Romania Threaten Russia: Analyst

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

Fri Feb 5, 2010 5:39 am (PST)

http://en.rian.ru/mlitary_news/20100205/157780962.html

Russian Information Agency Novosti
February 5, 2010

U.S. missiles in Romania would threaten Russia - analyst

-"Russia must warn Romania that if the elements of the U.S. missile shield are placed in the country they will become a target of Russia's preventive missile strikes."
-[W]ith ship-based SM-3s in the North, Black and Mediterranean seas, and mobile land-based SM-3s in Central Europe the western borders of Russia would be surrounded by U.S. missile interceptors by 2015.

Moscow: U.S. plans to place elements of its global missile shield in Romania pose a real threat to Russia's national security, a Russian military analyst said on Friday.

Romanian President Traian Basescu said on Thursday his country was ready to host U.S. medium-range interceptor missiles to counter a potential ballistic missile attack, but stressed that they would not be directed at Russia.

"We are talking about the placement of the land-based Aegis system in Romania by 2015 which uses the new Standard Missile interceptor, SM-3. This weaponry, without a doubt, could significantly reduce Russia's deterrent capability," said Col. (Ret.) Igor Korotchenko, editor-in-chief of the National Defense magazine.

He said SM-3 missiles would be able to intercept Russian ballistic missiles shortly after launch and on their initial flight trajectory.

"Russia must warn Romania that if the elements of the U.S. missile shield are placed in the country they will become a target of Russia's preventive missile strikes," Korotchenko said.

Last year U.S. President Barack Obama scrapped plans for Poland and the Czech Republic to host missile shield elements to counter possible strikes from Iran. The missile shield plans infuriated Russia.

However, Washington has announced a new scheme for a more flexible system, with a combination of land- and sea-based interceptors, to be deployed in Central Europe by 2015.

U.S. Vice-President Joseph Biden visited Romania, Poland, and the Czech Republic last October to promote the new missile shield plan.

Warsaw and Prague have already expressed their support of the revamped U.S. strategy.

Korotchenko said that with ship-based SM-3s in the North, Black and Mediterranean seas, and mobile land-based SM-3s in Central Europe the western borders of Russia would be surrounded by U.S. missile interceptors by 2015.
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14.: Russia Demands Answers From U.S. On Romania Missile Plans

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

Fri Feb 5, 2010 5:43 am (PST)

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20100205/157782569.html

Russian Information Agency Novosti
February 5, 2010

Moscow wants answers from U.S. on Romania missile shield plan

BERLIN: Moscow is waiting for clarification from the United States over its plans to deploy missile defense elements in Romania, the Russian foreign minister said Friday.

Romanian President Traian Basescu said on Thursday his country had approved a U.S. plan to deploy interceptor missiles as part of a missile shield to protect Europe.

"We expect the United States to provide an exhaustive explanation, taking into account the fact that the Black Sea regime is regulated by the Montreux Convention," Sergei Lavrov said.

He said Russia acted on the assumption that "there is an agreement between the two presidents on the joint study of common threats, with the participation of the European Union."

"When we understand that we have a common understanding of possible threats, it will be possible to say what measures could be taken in response," the minister said.

A U.S. State Department official said the facilities were due to become operational by 2015 and were aimed at defending against "current and emerging ballistic missile threats from Iran."

U.S. President Barack Obama scrapped plans last year for Poland and the Czech Republic to host missile shield elements to counter possible strikes from Iran. The plans had infuriated Russia.

Washington then announced a new scheme for a more flexible system, with a combination of land- and sea-based interceptors, to be deployed in Central Europe by 2015.

U.S. Vice-President Joseph Biden visited Romania, Poland, and the Czech Republic last October to promote the new missile shield plan.

Warsaw and Prague have already expressed their support for the revamped U.S. strategy.
===========================
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15.: Black Sea To China Border: Holbrooke To Visit Georgia For Afghan War

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

Fri Feb 5, 2010 5:45 am (PST)

http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=21956

Civil Georgia
February 5, 2010

Holbrooke to Visit Georgia

Tbilisi: U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, will be in Tbilisi "shortly" to discuss Georgia´s cooperation with and contribution to NATO-led forces in Afghanistan, James Steinberg, the U.S. deputy secretary of state, said in Tbilisi on February 5.

Speaking with journalists before his departure from Georgia, Steinberg said that during his meeting with President Saakashvili, the latter "mentioned" his offer to the United States to use the Georgian territory for armaments supply route to Afghanistan.

"I indicated him that it really was something that needed to be discussed with the Pentagon... and encouraged him to talk with relevant people in Pentagon," Steinberg said.

It was reported late last month that the U.S. Department of Defense was aware of the Georgian President´s offer, but had not yet substantially explored it.

Steinberg also said the U.S. was grateful for Georgia´s commitment to support operations in Afghanistan. Georgia sent a company-size unit to Afghanistan to contribute NATO-led forces and in addition it plans to send a battalion-size force this spring.

During his brief stay in Tbilisi, the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State met with four opposition leaders and President Saakashvili on February 5, before leaving for Germany to participate in the Munich security conference.

"I was particularly pleased to come at this time, when we are now able to complete our promise and commitment of USD 1 billion assistance to Georgia....We are now in the position to move forward the last tranche of that commitment," he said.
....
"We have a strong commitment to Georgia´s future as sovereign, independent and democratic state," Steinberg said.

Steinberg, who arrived in Tbilisi from Yerevan, also said that he had discussed regional security issues with the Georgian President. He was accompanied by Philip Gordon, assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs.
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16.: Russia: U.S. Tactical Nuclear Arms Must Be Withdrawn From Europe

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

Fri Feb 5, 2010 5:51 am (PST)

http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=14789557&PageNum=0

Itar-Tass
February 4, 2010

Russia says US tactical nukes must be withdrawn from Europe - FM

MOSCOW: US tactical nuclear arms should be withdrawn from Europe, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko said on Thursday.

"Issues of further nuclear disarmament, including tactical nuclear arms, should not be addressed as such, but only in close relation with other types of weapons, including conventional armed forces in Europe and the ballistic missile defence systems," he said.

Russia is adamant that nuclear arms should be deployed only in the territory of the states possessing such weapons.

"In this context, withdrawal of American tactical weapons from Europe back to the United States would be welcome. It should be accompanied by complete and irreversible demolition of the entire infrastructures supporting the deployment of such weapons in Europe," he noted.

Commenting on the recent article by Swedish and Polish foreign ministers, Karl Bildt and Radoslaw Sikorski, in which they called on Moscow to withdraw tactical nuclear arms from Russian territories bordering on the European Union, the foreign ministry spokesman said that "it would be good if the authors of this article furnished their explanations - namely: if their opinion heralded a shift in the common European position and readiness for a closer, open and comprehensive dialogue on all aspects of European security."
===========================
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17.: Georgia: State Dept Delegation Advances Strategic Partnership

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

Fri Feb 5, 2010 5:56 am (PST)

http://www.today.az/news/georgia/60950.html

Georgia Times
February 5, 2010

U.S. delegation arrived in Tbilisi

This morning James Steinberg, the Deputy Secretary of State, and Phillip Gordon, Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasian Affairs, arrived in Tbilisi.

In the course of the visit to be finished today in the morning, the officials will meet leaders of Georgian parliamentary and non-parliamentary opposition.

Then a meeting with Mikheil Saakashvili, the President of Georgia, will be held, then the guests will head for Munich. A press conference will be held in the airport.

Representatives of the Georgian government say the visit is held in the framework of the Charter on Strategic Partnership, signed in January 2009.

They say the arrival of the guests witnesses the support of Georgia and its government by the U.S. administration.
===========================
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18.: Georgia Offers NATO Bases, Ports, Airfields For Afghan War

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

Fri Feb 5, 2010 5:58 am (PST)

http://en.trend.az/news/politics/foreign/1633405.html

Trend News Agency
February 5, 2010

Georgia to offer services to NATO
N. Kirtzkhalia

Georgia, Tbilisi: Georgia is ready to offer its logistical base and military infrastructure for the peacekeeping operation in Afghanistan.

The issue will be discussed today at the informal meeting of NATO defense ministers and partners in Istanbul.

At the meeting, which will be opened by NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Georgian Defense Minister Bacho Akhalaia will provide information on Georgia's participation in the peacekeeping operation in Afghanistan.

Akhalaia said Georgia once again will offer NATO transit of military cargo by air, and its rail and road infrastructure.
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19.: SCO Considers Admitting Iran And Pakistan

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

Fri Feb 5, 2010 6:17 am (PST)

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9DLFMLG2.htm

Associated Press
February 4, 2010

Security bloc considers adding Iran, Pakistan

BEIJING: The conflict in Afghanistan and expanding its membership to include Iran and Pakistan are key issues facing the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in the coming year, its new head said.

"In the current global context, the top priority is finding a solution to the Afghan issue," Secretary-General Muratbek Sansyzbayevich Imanaliev said during a news conference in Beijing on Wednesday.

The fear is that instability within Afghanistan's borders, where Taliban fighters are challenging the U.S. and NATO-backed government of President Hamid Karzai, could well spill over into neighboring countries.

The SCO is a security grouping dominated by Russia and China that also includes the four Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. It was initially established in 2001 to primarily deal with concerns over terrorism, separatism and extremism.

"All member countries of the SCO are making active contributions to the Afghanistan issue, including economic cooperation and energy support," Imanaliev said.

He said the security bloc is assessing membership applications submitted by Tehran and Islamabad. The group is currently reviewing its criteria for new membership. He did not specify when a decision would be made on their bids.

Discussions on expanding the group's membership is not surprising, although that doesn't mean Iran and Pakistan will soon join, said Niu Jun, a professor at Peking University's School of International Relations.

Niu said he expected there would be lengthy discussions first, especially on Iran, which would be seen as a provocative move.

"If Iran joined, it would drastically change the original function of the SCO, which was dealing with the terrorism threat with cooperation from China's neighboring countries. The joining of Iran would mean that the meaning of SCO has totally changed," he said.

China and Russia also see the group as a way to increase cooperation on financial issues, and consider it a counterweight to U.S. influence in the energy-rich, former Soviet states of Central Asia. Iran's participation would boost that energy cooperation.

Imanaliev said member states are planning to step up cooperation on regional security issues, particularly anti-terrorism efforts, as well economic cooperation.

A summit among the six member nations is planned in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, later this year, though no date has been set.

Another conference on peace settlement in Afghanistan is supposed to take place in Kabul at the end of the year, the official China Daily newspaper reported.
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20.: Israel Sells Poland Drones For Afghan War, Local Use

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

Fri Feb 5, 2010 6:20 am (PST)

http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/WTARC/2010/me_israel0085_02_04.asp

World Tribune
February 4, 2010

Poland buys Israeli UAVs for use in Afghanistan

LONDON - Poland has selected an Israeli tactical unmanned aerial vehicle for operations in Afghanistan.

The Polish Defense Ministry has reached agreement to purchase UAV systems from Israel's Aeronautics Defense Systems. Officials said the UAV would be deployed by the Polish military contingent of NATO in Afghanistan.

"Four UAVs will be delivered to Afghanistan, and the four others will be used for training in Poland," Polish Defense Minister Bogdan Klich said.

In a Feb. 1 news conference, Klich did not identify the Israeli UAV. He said the award to Aeronautics was worth $32 million.

Israel has supplied UAV systems to a range of Western militaries in the NATO stabilization campaign in Afghanistan. They included such platforms as the Heron and Searcher-3 UAVs for such countries as Australia, Canada, France, the Netherlands and Spain.

This marked at least the second Aeronautics project in Afghanistan. In March 2009, Aeronautics signed a $50 million contract to provide Aerostar UAVs to the Royal Netherlands Army. Industry sources said Aerostar was believed to have been selected by Poland as well.

Aerostar, employed by the Israeli military and U.S. Navy, was reported to have an endurance of 12 hours. The platform was said to have a range of 300 kilometers.
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21.: Germany To Supply Taiwan With Military Helicopters

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

Fri Feb 5, 2010 6:24 am (PST)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/feb/05/taiwanese-military-orders-german-helicopters

The Guardian
February 5, 2010

Taiwanese military orders German helicopters
Purchase of up to 20 search-and-rescue helicopters could fray already strained European ties with China

Taiwan's military will buy up to 20 helicopters from a German manufacturer, it was confirmed today, days after Beijing lashed out at a multibillion-dollar US arms deal with the island.

China has yet to respond to news of the agreement, thought to be the first European sale to Taiwan's armed forces since the early 90s.

Taiwan's defence ministry spokesman Martin Yu said the island would buy EC-225 search-and-rescue helicopters. The $111m contract with Eurocopter, a subsidiary of EADS, is for three helicopters, with an option to buy up to 17 more.

The move could fray Sino-European ties, already under strain over trade and currency issues. Yesterday China filed a complaint to the World Trade Organisation over the EU's anti-dumping tariffs on shoes.

The arms deal could also affect Beijing's relations with Taipei, which have improved markedly since President Ma Ying-jeou took office on a platform of improving ties two years ago.
....
The Taiwanese defence ministry said it was not an arms order and the EC-225 is a civilian model. But the Taiwanese armed forces have bought non-military helicopters in the past and customised them with equipment suited to military models.
....
Defense News, which first reported the sale, said the contract would be signed within a few days.

China's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to questions on the helicopter sale. Calls to the Taiwan Affairs Office rang unanswered.

China hit back unusually hard following last week's announcement of the US's $6.4bn arms package, which includes Patriot missiles, naval minesweepers and Black Hawk helicopters. It warned of plans to impose sanctions on US firms that sell weapons to Taiwan and said it was "unavoidable" that co-operation on wider issues would be affected.
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