Messages In This Digest (14 Messages) Messages - 1.
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Mon Jan 30, 2012 7:05 pm (PST) http://www.kuna. net.kw/ArticleDe tails.aspx? id=2218303& language= en Kuwait News Agency January 30, 2012 NATO, GCC discuss Mideast security BRUSSELS: NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, and the Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Dr Adbullatif Al-Zayani, met here Monday afternoon to discuss a range of issues including developments in the Middle East, the importance of cooperative security and of regular contacts between NATO and the GCC. During the meeting, Rasmussen praised the strong cooperation between NATO and six GCC member states under the framework of the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative (ICI), according to a NATO press release. He highlighted the active and positive role played by the GCC in the recent crisis in Libya. NATO and Partners, including GCC members, enforced the historic resolution of the United Nations Security Council on Libya... Looking ahead, the NATO Secretary General noted that the upcoming NATO Summit in Chicago will provide an opportunity for NATO to underline its interest in stability and security in the Middle East East and North Africa and to enhance political relations and practical cooperation with countries in the region. The GCC chief arrived in Brussels on Sunday for a three-day visit for talks with EU and NATO officials. ============ ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= == Stop NATO e-mail list home page with archives and search engine: http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/stopnato/ messagesStop NATO website and articles: http://rickrozoff. wordpress. com To subscribe for individual e-mails or the daily digest, unsubscribe, and otherwise change subscription status: stopnato-subscribe@ yahoogroups. com ============ ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ==== - 2.
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Mon Jan 30, 2012 7:05 pm (PST) http://en.trend. az/regions/ scaucasus/ azerbaijan/ 1985735.html Trend News Agency January 30, 2012 Romanian ambassador: Azerbaijan - valuable partner of NATO S. Agayeva Baku: Azerbaijan is a valuable partner of NATO, and these relations are developing within the "Partnership for Peace (PfP)" Programme, Romanian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Daniel Cristian Ciobanu said at the opening of the NATO School in Azerbaijan on Monday. "NATO appreciates Azerbaijan's peacekeeping efforts, including in Afghanistan, " Ciobanu said. He said about 30 events aimed at developing relations of the Alliance with Azerbaijan are planned in 2012 as part of NATO-Azerbaijan cooperation. The winter session of the International School NATO-Azerbaijan opened in Baku is attended by about 50 participants from 20 countries, members and partners of NATO. ============ ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= == Stop NATO e-mail list home page with archives and search engine: http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/stopnato/ messagesStop NATO website and articles: http://rickrozoff. wordpress. com To subscribe for individual e-mails or the daily digest, unsubscribe, and otherwise change subscription status: stopnato-subscribe@ yahoogroups. com ============ ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ==== - 3.
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Mon Jan 30, 2012 7:05 pm (PST) http://www.civil. ge/eng/article. php?id=24395Civil Georgia January 30, 2012 Commander of NATO-led Forces in Afghanistan Visits Tbilisi Tbilisi: General John R. Allen, commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, visits Tbilisi to discuss Georgia's "continuing contributions to peace and stability in Afghanistan," the U.S. embassy in Tbilisi said on Monday. Gen. John R. Allen will hold a series of meeting with senior Georgian government and military officials on January 30. He will also visit and address Georgia's 23rd infantry battalion at the Krtsanisi Training Center outside Tbilisi. The battalion is currently undergoing training to prepare for deployment in Afghanistan. Georgia plans to send this year one additional infantry battalion to Afghanistan on top of 936 Georgian soldiers who already serve as part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). As a result, after sending one more battalion – that is 749 soldiers – Georgia will become the largest non-NATO contributor to ASAF with total of 1,685 troops. Georgia has lost twelve of its soliders since joining NATO-led operation in Afghanistan in November, 2009. The Georgian troops in Afghanistan operate without caveats. ============ ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= == Stop NATO e-mail list home page with archives and search engine: http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/stopnato/ messages Stop NATO website and articles: http://rickrozoff. wordpress. comTo subscribe for individual e-mails or the daily digest, unsubscribe, and otherwise change subscription status: stopnato-subscribe@ yahoogroups. com============ ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ==== - 4.
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Mon Jan 30, 2012 7:06 pm (PST) http://arabnews. com/opinion/ columns/article5 68711.eceArab News January 30, 2012 A war by other means in Mideast Aijz Z Syed ==== The assassination of Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, deputy director of Natanz nuclear plant, this month is the fourth such killing of top Iranian nuclear scientists over the past year and half. This is not just an act of terror, as Tehran chose to describe it, but a declaration of war. It would have provoked a third World War if the US and the now deceased Soviet Union had attempted something similar against each other's scientists. No other country for that matter would tolerate such attacks on its citizens and national interests. The less said of the United Nations the better...The world body created to protect peace and resolve conflicts hasn't just failed in its raison de'tre — its purpose of existence — it has become a willing tool in the hands of the world powers. The UN has increasingly been acting as handmaiden of the empire, with its institutions like the IAEA offering the fig leaf of legitimacy and at times even aiding in its quest for global hegemony. Abdicating its collective responsibility, the world community stands and stares once again as the coalition of the ever willing cooks up yet another unjust war against another oil-rich Middle East nation. ==== Here's a brief history lesson. At the height of World War II when Hitler's Germany was swallowing one mighty European nation after another without so much as a hiccup, Britain got so desperate for the US help that it resorted to all sorts of tricks to get the Atlantic cousins involved. That old warhorse Churchill is said to have actually dispatched William Stephenson, Britain's master spy and the man who inspired Ian Fleming's James Bond, to the US to try everything from bribing and blackmailing the US senators to creating false-flag situations to force the US into the war against Germany. An unwilling America under a reluctant Roosevelt eventually joined the Great War after Germany invaded the Soviet Union. As this psychological, diplomatic and economic war on Iran heats up, history appears to repeat itself all over again. Israel and its friends in the US establishment appear more desperate than the British had ever been to get Uncle Sam into the breathlessly awaited war with Iran. Desperate nations are as dangerous as desperate, suicidal men. From the Mossad men posing as CIA agents to recruit saboteurs to assassinating top Iranian nuclear scientists that could be blamed on the "Great Satan", Israel has already taken this campaign against the Islamic republic to dangerous levels. Right now tensions between Iran and the West are so thick that even a minor skirmish or misunderstanding could spark a full-blown conflagration. The assassination of Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, deputy director of Natanz nuclear plant, this month is the fourth such killing of top Iranian nuclear scientists over the past year and half. This is not just an act of terror, as Tehran chose to describe it, but a declaration of war. It would have provoked a third World War if the US and the now deceased Soviet Union had attempted something similar against each other's scientists. No other country for that matter would tolerate such attacks on its citizens and national interests. Fortunately or unfortunately, a much sanctioned and politically and economically besieged Iran is perhaps in no position to respond to these flagrant provocations. Israel and the West may not have declared it formally but the war on Iran has already begun — on several fronts. Its economy, already vulnerable thanks to the decades of crippling curbs, has further been brutalized by the latest UN-US sanctions targeting its Central Bank and the crucial oil trade. The European Union, one of Tehran's biggest trading partners and oil importers, has followed suit by banning Iran's oil exports and freezing its financial assets. Goes without saying these actions are going to really hurt Iran considering some 80 percent of its foreign revenue comes from oil exports. With its economy on the brink and sanctions turning the rial into a worthless paper, inflation has hit the roof biting ordinary people. On the political and diplomatic front too, Iran finds itself at the receiving end as it helplessly awaits the approaching D-day. Just as a much sanctioned Iraq did in the run-up to the 2003 invasion. Not a single day passes without the Israeli, American and European politicians and security experts pitching for urgent "action" against Iran. Meanwhile, Washington and Tel Aviv are playing out the good cop-bad cop routine. The Americans raise the specter of a unilateral Israeli attack even as the Zionists raise the bang-Iran rhetoric to a feverish pitch keeping the whole world dancing on the razor's edge. What is most disturbing though is not the perfidy of Israel or the hypocrisy of its protectors but the deafening silence of the international community. The less said of the United Nations the better. It increasingly reminds me of what Matthew Arnold said about Shelley — "an ineffectual angel, beating in the void his luminous wings in vain." The world body created to protect peace and resolve conflicts hasn't just failed in its raison de'tre — its purpose of existence — it has become a willing tool in the hands of the world powers. The UN has increasingly been acting as handmaiden of the empire, with its institutions like the IAEA offering the fig leaf of legitimacy and at times even aiding in its quest for global hegemony. But then what's new? It's a familiar and much repeated history. What is most disturbing though is the shameful capitulation of the rest of the world in the face of this continuing tyranny and obfuscation. Abdicating its collective responsibility, the world community stands and stares once again as the coalition of the ever willing cooks up yet another unjust war against another oil-rich Middle East nation. That said, Iran's leaders aren't exactly doing their people any service by forever obsessing over nuclear power at the expense of everything else. What is Iran itself doing to end its pariah status? How about building bridges with its Arab neighbors and addressing their apprehensions that are as much a result of Western propaganda as they are of its own rhetoric? Right now, Tehran needs all the friends and allies it could get. Meanwhile the world community must do everything to prevent a war with unimaginably catastrophic consequences for the Middle East and the world. ============ ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= == Stop NATO e-mail list home page with archives and search engine: http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/stopnato/ messagesStop NATO website and articles: http://rickrozoff. wordpress. comTo subscribe for individual e-mails or the daily digest, unsubscribe, and otherwise change subscription status: stopnato-subscribe@ yahoogroups. com============ ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ==== - 5.
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Mon Jan 30, 2012 7:06 pm (PST) http://www.thefront ierpost.com/ ?p=109937Frontier Post January 30, 2012 US soldiers' egregious conduct Posted on Mohammad Jamil It has become a habit of some national and international media persons, a few HRs [human rights] activists and so-called civil society members to criticize and malign Pak Army/ISI for any incident related to human rights. On the contrary, they keep mum over the excesses of American and NATO forces in Afghanistan and elsewhere. In a video clip on www.youtube. com, US soldiers are shown desecrating the dead bodies of Taliban fighters in Afghanistan by urinating on them, which is the worst example of gross misconduct and human rights violation. But this is not the first incident of US soldiers' egregious behavior. On 13th May 2006 msnbc.com stated that U.S. military troops with severe psychological problems were sent to Iraq or kept in combat, even when superiors had been aware of signs of mental illness. In Afghanistan, wedding parties were bombed not less than five times since 2002. Quoting an Afghan defence spokesman, CNN stated on 1st July 2002 that at least 20 people were killed and more than 60 injured in Afghanistan when a U.S. plane dropped a bomb on a wedding party as celebrants fired into the air. On 5th November 2008, The Telegraph carried a report that Afghan officials confirmed there had been many casualties in an attack in the southern province of Kandahar. Villagers in Wech Baghtu said 37 people had died, including 23 children and 10 women, after planes flattened houses shortly after US troops had fought Taliban insurgents. America has been engaged in wars since 1950s – from the Korean War to the Vietnam War to Iraq and the Afghanistan War. American soldiers have been perpetrating excesses on people in the occupied territories. On 28th October 2009, a 26-year-old Fort Carson soldier was supposed to return to Afghanistan, but he intentionally shot himself in the shoulder to avoid deployment. On 5th November 2009, a 39-year-old US Army psychiatrist, who had faced repeated harassment for his ethnicity and faith from his fellow soldiers, shot dead 13 people at the Soldier Readiness Center military base in Fort Hood, Texas. He was opposed to the war and upset about his impending deployment to Afghanistan. This tragedy once again showed how the very individuals that are trained to help victims of PTSD are themselves losing their own mental balance. After achieving independence, the American founding fathers earned laurels for being pioneers of democracy, democratic traditions, freedom and human values, but barring a few honourable exceptions their successors have not had a commendable track record; their actions were contrary to the principles they 'cherished'. In the past, the US resorted to unilateral use of force ostensibly to promote democracy in Haiti, Nicaragua and elsewhere in Latin America. It had intervened forcibly to change regimes, restore order and preach democracy elsewhere. There is a long list of excesses by the American armed forces, and this is one of the reasons that today the US is hated in most countries of the world. Though the US administration conveyed an impression that interrogation abuses at Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib were merely the work of a few rogue elements, former US president Bush promoted one of the authors of the infamous legal memos, proving such abuses emanated from White House policy. Aside from torturing prisoners, there was a report regarding the use of white phosphorous in the Iraqi city of Fallujah in November 2007, later confirmed by a US military spokesman. Researchers report that the rate of PTSD and other mental difficulties tied to war may be as high as 35 per cent. The Hartford Courant, citing records obtained under the federal Freedom of Information Act and more than 100 interviews of families and military personnel, reported numerous cases in which the military failed to follow its own regulations in screening, treating and evacuating mentally unfit troops from Iraq. Vera Sharav, president of the Alliance for Human Research Protection, said: "I can't imagine something more irresponsible than putting a soldier suffering from stress on (antidepressants) , when you know these drugs can cause people to become suicidal and homicidal." A psychiatrist summed up the excesses perpetrated by soldiers under stress: "Your mind and mental state can have a profound affect on your physical body, your spiritual experience, and your over-all quality of life. The mind, the body, and the spirit are all inextricably interconnected. When one is affected, the other two suffer. We can live a healthy lifestyle and perform our spiritual duties, but if the mind is not healthy the other two cannot make up for the lack, and we are not truly holistically healthy or healed". In April 2011, Rolling Stone magazine and the German newsweekly Der Spiegel published photos of American soldiers committing grisly acts against Afghan civilians. The rogue soldiers, who formed a "kill team," murdered innocent civilians for sport, posing for photos with some of their victims. Some "kill team" members also kept gruesome souvenirs, such as fingers and skulls of the men and boys they killed. On 23rd March 2011, American army specialist Jeremy Morlock, 23, was sentenced for 24 years after he pleaded guilty in a US military court on 23rd March. He had admitted he was part of a "kill team" that deliberately murdered Afghan civilians for sport between January and May last year. Yet the US State Department had the audacity to release a report on global human rights' violations in other countries. About China, the report stated that it had stepped up restrictions on lawyers, activists, Internet access and journalists, and tightened controls on civil society. China in a quid pro quo told the US to quit as human rights judge, as it is beset by violence, racism and torture, and has no right or moral authority to condemn other governments' human rights problems. ============ ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= == Stop NATO e-mail list home page with archives and search engine: http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/stopnato/ messages Stop NATO website and articles: http://rickrozoff. wordpress. comTo subscribe for individual e-mails or the daily digest, unsubscribe, and otherwise change subscription status: stopnato-subscribe@ yahoogroups. com============ ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ==== - 6.
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Mon Jan 30, 2012 7:11 pm (PST) http://rickrozoff. wordpress. com/2012/ 01/31/romain- rolland-message- to-america- on-the-will- to-conquer- the-world/ Romain Rolland: Message to America on the will to conquer the world Romain Rolland From Message to America (1926) Translated by K.S. ShelvankarThe Anglo-Saxon temperament of America is proud and strong, whole-hearted in its likes and its ideas, with assurance and obstinacy. It has a singular inaptitude – which strikes all of us, Europeans – to understand the mentality of other races, to enter into their psychology (and their physiology), to "size up" their spirit, their passions, their peculiar needs. It tends to believe that what is true for itself, that whatever is the Good for her, should be so for all other nations in the world. And if the latter do not judge of the matter the same way, it is they who are mistaken, and America has the right to impose it on them, in its own interests and in the interests of the world. Such a conception leads to the will to conquer the world, under cover of a narrow moralism, wedded (without its knowledge) to natural instincts of greed and domination.Nothing is more formidable. The more the United States are called upon to act in the world, the more it is their duty to understand the true nature, the true needs, the true ideas of the other peoples of the world; for the duty of the strong is to aid the less strong realise itself and not oppress it, by compelling it to be false to its spirit. It would be a disaster for all humanity if one race, one nation, one State, however lofty it may be, were to impose the rigid and monotonous uniformity of its own personality upon the splendid variety of the universe. I add that disaster would recoil on the people who exercise this blind oppression: for the irresistible forces of oppressed nature would take their revenge upon them.It is then essential that at this hour of history there should be – not outside of America (as advisers they would be suspect there), but in the heart of the United States itself – clear-sighted and courageous citizens who would be as beacons to their people, who would compel them to know themselves, their greatnesses and their weaknesses, their virtues and their defects, and to know the different individualities, the complementary qualities of other races. ============ ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ==Stop NATO e-mail list home page with archives and search engine: http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/stopnato/ messagesStop NATO website and articles: http://rickrozoff. wordpress. comTo subscribe for individual e-mails or the daily digest, unsubscribe, and otherwise change subscription status: stopnato-subscribe@ yahoogroups. com============ ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ==== - 7.
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Mon Jan 30, 2012 7:40 pm (PST) http://www.marketwa tch.com/story/ general-dynamics -awarded- contract- by-aerojet- for-standard- missile-3- control-actuator s-2012-01- 30 General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems January 30, 2012 General Dynamics Awarded Contract by Aerojet for Standard Missile-3 Control Actuators ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems has received a contract for the design and production of electromagnetic control actuators for Aerojet's Throttleable Divert and Attitude Control System (TDACS) in support of the Standard Missile 3 (SM-3) Block IIA missile interceptor. General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems is a business unit of General Dynamics. The SM-3 Block IIA missile is the latest element of the Missile Defense Agency's Phased Adaptive Approach to regional missile defense. It is a ship-based missile, carried aboard Aegis-equipped ships, with expanded range and capability over previous Block IA and Block IB missiles. General Dynamics will design and produce actuators for the SM-3 Block IIA that provide pintle movement for control of the SM-3's kinetic warhead's TDACS...The company will leverage the design and manufacturing processes successfully developed under the Standard Missile Block IB program in developing and producing the new actuators. "Our ultra-high-bandwidt h and high-power-density actuators have proven to be key performance enablers for the Block IB and IIA advanced variants of the SM-3 missile, and we look forward to continuing our support on this vital program," said Rich Schroeder, general manager of General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems' Healdsburg Operations. ============ ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= == Stop NATO e-mail list home page with archives and search engine: http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/stopnato/ messages Stop NATO website and articles: http://rickrozoff. wordpress. comTo subscribe for individual e-mails or the daily digest, unsubscribe, and otherwise change subscription status: stopnato-subscribe@ yahoogroups. com============ ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ==== - 8.
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Mon Jan 30, 2012 7:41 pm (PST) http://www.marketwa tch.com/story/ lockheed- martin-receives- 921-million- contract- for-production- of-combat- proven-pac- 3-missiles- 2012-01-30 Lockheed Martin January 30, 2012 Lockheed Martin Receives $921 Million Contract for Production of Combat-Proven PAC-3 Missiles DALLAS: Lockheed Martin received contracts totaling $921 million from the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command for hardware and services associated with the combat-proven Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) Missile Segment program. The contract includes Fiscal Year 2012 (FY12) missile and command launch system production for the U.S. Army and a follow-on sale of the PAC-3 Missile Segment to Taiwan. In 2009, Taiwan became the fifth international customer for the PAC-3 Missile Segment. The contract includes production of hit-to-kill PAC-3 Missiles, launcher modification kits, spares and other equipment, as well as program management and services. Production of all equipment will take place at Lockheed Martin manufacturing facilities in Dallas and Lufkin, Texas; Chelmsford, Mass.; and Ocala, Fla., as well as the PAC-3 All-Up Round facility in Camden, Ark. Deliveries will begin in the first half of 2013. "Demand remains strong from the U.S. and our global partners for the combat-proven PAC-3 Missile," said Mike Trotsky, vice president of air & missile defense programs at Lockheed Martin's Missiles and Fire Control business... Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor on the PAC-3 Missile Segment upgrade to the Patriot air defense system. The PAC-3 Missile Segment upgrade consists of the PAC-3 Missile, a highly agile hit-to-kill interceptor, the PAC-3 Missile canisters (each of which hold four PAC-3 Missiles, with four canisters per launcher), a fire solution computer and an enhanced launcher electronics system and launcher support hardware. ... ============ ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= == Stop NATO e-mail list home page with archives and search engine: http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/stopnato/ messages Stop NATO website and articles: http://rickrozoff. wordpress. comTo subscribe for individual e-mails or the daily digest, unsubscribe, and otherwise change subscription status: stopnato-subscribe@ yahoogroups. com============ ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ==== - 9.
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Mon Jan 30, 2012 8:10 pm (PST) http://times. am/?l=en& p=4259Times.am (Armenia) January 30, 2012 US held discussions with Azerbaijan about its relations with Iran: Is the USA looking for a platform? Edited by RR U.S. charge d'affaires to Azerbaijan Adam Sterling announced that the U.S. understands Azerbaijani special position on Iran due to the geographical location, he said while commenting on the sanctions imposed on Iran. According to Azeri Press Agency, the diplomat said Iran-related issues are always discussed in bilateral meetings. "We constantly discuss it during the talks with Azerbaijan," he said. Today Russian Kommersant wrote that the Georgian and U.S. presidents will discuss the possibility of the use of Georgian territory for attacking Iran. The source referred to experts who confirmed that events related to Iran will be the main theme of the Georgian and American presidents. Some of them also noted that Georgia will be unable to refuse the the U.S. offer even it wants to refuse it. This information makes us think that maybe the U.S. plans an attack against Iran and is looking for a platform in the region. Armenia is considered to be Iranian ally and it is not seriously expected to provide any assistance against Iran. Georgia is more reliable for the U.S. and negotiations with the Azerbaijani side on Iranian-Azerbaijani relations are held, as we know from the quote by the American official. At the same time the Islamic Republic News Agency reports that Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi advised European and U.S. officials to interact with Iran instead of resorting to sanctions and pressures. Salehi made the remark here on Monday while talking to the Turkish TRT television news channel. ... ------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- - http://en.apa. az/news.php? id=164658 Azeri Press Agency January 30, 2012 US charge d'affaires: We understand Azerbaijan's special position on Iran Viktoria Dementyeva Baku: "We understand Azerbaijan's special position on Iran due to the geographical location," U.S. charge d'affaires to Azerbaijan Adam Sterling said while commenting on the sanctions imposed on Iran, APA reports. The diplomat said the Iran issue is always discussed in bilateral meetings. "We constantly discuss it during the talks with Azerbaijan," he said. ------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- - http://www.civil. ge/eng/article. php?id=24400Civil Georgia January 31, 2012 Saakashvili: 'Results from Talks with Obama Exceeded Our Expectations' Tbilisi: President Saakashvili said "concrete results" of his meeting with President Obama "exceeded our expectations." "I am very impressed and satisfied by the results of this meeting," he said in remarks made separately for Georgian journalists after leaving the White House, following his talks with the U.S. President on January 30. He said it was the most fruitful talks he had ever had in the Oval Office. Saakashvili met twice with President Obama's predecessor, George W. Bush, at the White House – first in July, 2006 and then in March 2008. In his remarks outside the White House, Saakashvili emphasized what he called "elevating" defense cooperation with the U.S. "on a new level". "We are talking about elevating cooperation in the defense sphere to a new level; if in previous years we were talking only about anti-terrorism operations and our participation in peacekeeping operations in Iraq or Afghanistan, now we are talking about cooperating with the United States on developing Georgia's self-defense capabilities. We will continue working on these issues; very concrete meetings have been planned and this is a new, higher level of our cooperation on the military and security issues," Saakashvili said. ============ ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= == Stop NATO e-mail list home page with archives and search engine: http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/stopnato/ messages Stop NATO website and articles: http://rickrozoff. wordpress. comTo subscribe for individual e-mails or the daily digest, unsubscribe, and otherwise change subscription status: stopnato-subscribe@ yahoogroups. com ============ ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ==== - 10.
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Tue Jan 31, 2012 5:38 am (PST) http://www.civil. ge/eng/article. php?id=24399Civil Georgia January 31, 2012 Obama Meets Saakashvili Tbilisi 'Georgia should be extraordinarily proud of the progress it made'; 'Anticipating fair and free elections'; 'Formal transfer of power will solidify reforms'; Exploring 'the possibility of a free trade agreement' with Georgia; 'Georgia sets model of democracy for the region as a whole'; 'Georgia responsible player on the world scene'; U.S. President, Barack Obama, told his Georgian counterpart in Washington on January 30 that Georgia was setting a model of democracy for the region and was now "anticipating fair and free elections," and President Saakashvili said he was leaving the Oval Office "very happy because we basically got what we wanted to get." The U.S. President praised Georgia for "progress that is made in building a sovereign and democratic country", saying that Georgia should be "extraordinarily proud" of that; he also commended personally Saakashvili, saying that "under the President's leadership" Georgia "made enormous strides." "And one of the first things that I did was express my appreciation for the institution- building that's been taking place in Russia – in Georgia [he immediately corrected himself]; the importance of making sure that minorities are respected; the importance of a police and system of rule of law that is being observed," the U.S. President said. "So I want to express my appreciation for the work that's been done in the past, but also anticipating fair and free elections; the formal transfer of power that will be taking place in Georgia, which I think will solidify many of these reforms that have already taken place," President Obama said after talks with President Saakashvili – the first official meeting between the two at the White House. On elections President Saakashvili said in his remarks after the meeting, that this year's parliamentary elections "will mark bringing in another political system, constitution system with more parliamentary government." Saakashvili then added: "As you [referring to President Obama] rightly mentioned next year new President will be elected in Georgia. And that's also important because [we] will move our democracy forward and will generally get much more to a diversified and pluralistic political scene." The U.S. President said that he had discussed with his Georgian counterpart how to further strengthen "already a very strong bilateral relationship", including in economy and added that possibility of free trade agreement with Georgia would be explored. "Georgia has made strides in creating an effective free market system and more progress needs to be made. The United States wants to help in that progress," he said. "What we've agreed to is a high-level dialogue between our two countries about how we can continue to strengthen trade relations between our two countries, including the possibility of a free trade agreement. Obviously, there's a lot of work to be done and there are going to be a lot of options that are going to be explored," he said. President Saakashvili thanked his U.S. counterpart for mentioning "the prospect of a free trade agreement", saying that it would help "to attract lots of additional activity to my country, and basically helping our nation-building process." On defense and security, President Obama said that he thanked the Georgian leader for his country's "extraordinary contributions" to the NATO-led operation in Afghanistan, describing Georgia as "one of the most dedicated contributors outside of NATO to the ISAF effort." "We have talked about how we will continue to strengthen our defense cooperation, and there are a wide range of areas where we are working together. And I reaffirmed to the President and assured him that the United States will continue to support Georgia's aspirations to ultimately become a member of NATO," Obama said. President Saakashvili thanked the Obama administration for, what he called, "elevating our defense cooperation further" and also expressed gratitude to President Obama for "talking about Georgia's self-defense capabilities and developing it." "That's also of course an important message back to my nation," Saakashvili said. President Obama also said that the U.S. appreciated "the model of democracy and transparency" that Georgia was setting not just for itself, but also "for the region as a whole." "And we think that with continued progress over the next several years that a lot of countries will say to themselves that if Georgia can perform these transformations, then we can as well. They've been a responsible player on the world scene and in multilateral for a," the U.S. President said. ============ ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= == Stop NATO e-mail list home page with archives and search engine: http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/stopnato/ messages Stop NATO website and articles: http://rickrozoff. wordpress. comTo subscribe for individual e-mails or the daily digest, unsubscribe, and otherwise change subscription status: stopnato-subscribe@ yahoogroups. com============ ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ==== - 11.
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Tue Jan 31, 2012 5:38 am (PST) http://www.itar- tass.com/ en/c32/330407. htmlItar-Tass January 31, 2012 US and Georgia are to deepen their cooperation TBILISI: Deeper cooperation between Georgia and the United States will be aimed at upgrading the country's defences and ensuring compatibility of the Georgian armed forces with NATO, Georgian Deputy Prime Minister, minister of state for re-integration Eka Tkeshelashvili told Georgian journalists in Washington. Commenting on a meeting of the Georgian and American presidents in the White House on January 30, Ms. Tkeshelashvili said: "Problems of Georgian-American cooperation in the sphere of security were discussed in detail at the meeting. The presidents discussed concrete aspects of the current situation with bilateral cooperation in the sphere of security, as well future prospects in that direction. It was pointed out that cooperation will be deepened with the aim of ensuring compatibility of the Georgian armed forces and NATO as well as upgrading the country's defence potential." According to her information, President Barack Obama said at the meeting that the United States supported Georgia's intention to join NATO. ============ ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= == Stop NATO e-mail list home page with archives and search engine: http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/stopnato/ messagesStop NATO website and articles: http://rickrozoff. wordpress. comTo subscribe for individual e-mails or the daily digest, unsubscribe, and otherwise change subscription status: stopnato-subscribe@ yahoogroups. com============ ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ==== - 12.
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Tue Jan 31, 2012 5:39 am (PST) http://www.interfax .com/newsinf. asp?pg=6& id=305565 Interfax January 31, 2012 U.S. military delegation to visit Kyrgyzstan BISHKEK: A delegation from the U.S. Central Command is expected to arrive in Kyrgyzstan on Wednesday to formulate joint plans for 2012, a Kyrgyz Defense Ministry source said. "A delegation from the Unites States Central Command is coming to our country to work out joint plans for 2012," he told Interfax on Tuesday. "The composition [of the delegation] and all of the topics on the talks' agenda will be announced on the same day [Wednesday], " the source said. ============ ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= == Stop NATO e-mail list home page with archives and search engine: http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/stopnato/ messagesStop NATO website and articles: http://rickrozoff. wordpress. com To subscribe for individual e-mails or the daily digest, unsubscribe, and otherwise change subscription status: stopnato-subscribe@ yahoogroups. com ============ ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ==== - 13.
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Tue Jan 31, 2012 5:51 am (PST) http://channel6news online.com/ 2012/01/insurgen ts-kill-nato- soldier-in- southern- afghanistan- 5/ BNO News January 31, 2012 Insurgents kill NATO soldier in southern Afghanistan KABUL: A coalition service member died in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday after he was attacked by insurgents, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said. His nationality was not immediately known. ISAF said one of its service members was killed as a result of an insurgent attack in Afghanistan' s south. But because the multinational force defers the release of specific details to national authorities, other details about the incident were not immediately available. The nationality of the service member was also not immediately disclosed by ISAF. "It is ISAF policy to defer casualty identification procedures to the relevant national authorities, " a brief statement said. Tuesday's death raises the number of coalition troops killed in Afghanistan so far this year to 34, according to official figures. The deadliest incident so far this year happened on January 19 when a NATO helicopter crashed in southern Afghanistan, killing six U.S. Marines. A total of 566 ISAF troops were killed in Afghanistan in 2011, down from 711 in 2010. A majority of the fallen troops were American and were killed in the country's south, which is plagued by IED attacks on troops and civilians. There are currently more than 130,000 ISAF troops in Afghanistan, including some 90,000 U.S. troops and more than 9,500 British soldiers... ============ ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= == Stop NATO e-mail list home page with archives and search engine: http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/stopnato/ messagesStop NATO website and articles: http://rickrozoff. wordpress. comTo subscribe for individual e-mails or the daily digest, unsubscribe, and otherwise change subscription status: stopnato-subscribe@ yahoogroups. com============ ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ==== - 14.
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Tue Jan 31, 2012 5:53 am (PST) http://en.trend. az/news/politics /1986197. htmlTrend News Agency January 31, 2012 NATO, U.S. experts to visit Azerbaijan K. Zarbaliyeva Baku: NATO and the U.S. experts are scheduled to visit Baku on Feb.14. During the visit a review will be made on NATO assistance in reforming the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, including in military training, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry told Trend on Tuesday. The cooperation between Azerbaijan and NATO was laid in 1994, signing a framework document - Partnership for Peace. In April 1996, an official document was signed within the Partnership for Peace Program, which identifies specific areas of cooperation between countries and the alliance. Currently, in accordance with this program, Azerbaijan implements about 50 partnership tasks. On Aug. 3, 2005, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree on approval of an Individual Partnership Action Plan between Azerbaijan and NATO." Now cooperation is carried out in the second phase of the plan. ============ ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= == Stop NATO e-mail list home page with archives and search engine: http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/stopnato/ messages Stop NATO website and articles: http://rickrozoff. wordpress. comTo subscribe for individual e-mails or the daily digest, unsubscribe, and otherwise change subscription status: stopnato-subscribe@ yahoogroups. com============ ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ==== Drive Traffic can help increase your site traffic. Yahoo! Groups Tips for family, kids and living Cat Groups Share pictures & stories about cats. Need to Reply? Click one of the "Reply" links to respond to a specific message in the Daily Digest.  |
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