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Zimbabwe restricts aid agencies, reports say
HARARE, Zimbabwe (CNN) -- Less than a week after lifting a ban on aid agencies, Zimbabwe's government has imposed harsh restrictions on humanitarian groups operating in the country, according to reports Tuesday in the government-controlled media.
According to The Herald newspaper, all aid agencies will have to submit to the government details of their humanitarian programs and funding, as well as their areas and modes of operation.
"Government has introduced new reporting mechanisms for private voluntary organizations and non-governmental organizations ... that will see them constantly indicating to the parent ministry their programs, areas and modes of operations," according to the state-controlled daily.
On Friday, Harare lifted a ban on aid agencies that had been imposed ahead of the June 27 presidential runoff. President Robert Mugabe's government accused some of the aid agencies of siding with the political opposition.
There was no immediate comment from the aid agencies operating in Zimbabwe about the reports. But the new restrictions are likely to further impede the flow of aid to Zimbabwe at a time that the country desperately needs it.
Aid agencies estimate that nearly a third of Zimbabwe's 13 million people could face acute starvation and malnutrition by the end of the year.
Once a prosperous and an exporting country of agricultural products, Zimbabwe now depends on food handouts.
The country's economic collapse is largely blamed on Mugabe's chaotic land reform program, which severely destroyed commercial agriculture since 2000. HARARE, Zimbabwe (CNN) -- Less than a week after lifting a ban on aid agencies, Zimbabwe's government has imposed harsh restricti... more -
Pirates seize French nationals off Somalia
PARIS, France (CNN) -- Two French citizens have been abducted by pirates from a sailboat off the coast of Somalia, the French foreign ministry announced Wednesday.
"The French minister of European and foreign affairs confirms a sailboat with two French citizens on board was seized by pirates in the Gulf of Aden," a statement from the ministry said.
"France strongly condemns this act of piracy and calls for immediate release of those taken from the boat. Our primary concern is the security of our citizens."
Attacks by pirates have increased dramatically in the waters off Somalia's northern coast in the past year, prompting the U.S. and other coalition warships to widen their patrols in the region.
Three ships were hijacked on August 21 in that area, the "worst number of attacks" in a single day in many years, Capt. Pottengal Mukudan of the International Maritime Bureau told CNN.
The ships attacked that day flew under an Iranian flag, a Japanese flag and a German flag.
On August 19, pirates boarded a Malaysian tanker in the Gulf of Aden, said Noel Chong, head of the International Chamber of Commerce's Piracy Reporting Centre.
After the spate of attacks, the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet in Bahrain announced that it would begin patrolling a newly established shipping corridor in the Gulf of Aden in an attempt to protect international shipping.
Canada announced in August that it was dispatching a warship to the area to protect U.N. aid ships after more than two dozen reported pirate attacks in the region this year. The ship will remain in the region until the end of September, the Canadian defense minister said at the time.
In its statement, the French Foreign Ministry reminded citizens that it has previously warned against "all recreational sailing ... in the Gulf of Aden."
The International Maritime Bureau said in April that 49 pirate attacks on ships were reported in the first three months of 2008, compared with 41 for the same period last year. It recorded 263 pirates attacks last year, up from 239 the year before and the first increase in three years PARIS, France (CNN) -- Two French citizens have been abducted by pirates from a sailboat off the coast of Somalia, the French foreign ... more -
U.S. troops launch helicopter assault in Pakistan
(CNN) -- U.S. military forces landed at a compound in Pakistan to battle targets linked to recent attacks on U.S. troops in Afghanistan, a senior U.S. official confirmed Wednesday.
The official declined to be identified, citing the extreme sensitivity of U.S. forces operating within Pakistan's borders.
The action was an uncommon one for the U.S. military. Generally, NATO forces do not enter Pakistan except when pursuing insurgents in Afghanistan who slipped over the border or, in an extreme case, to pursue a high-value target.
The Pentagon has refused to comment officially on the attack, but several defense officials acknowledged that U.S. military activity had taken place inside Pakistan.
The senior U.S. official said a small number of U.S. helicopters landed troops in the village near Angoor Adda in South Waziristan, where Taliban and al Qaeda fighters have hunkered down over the years.
Local media reports said the troops came out of a chopper and fired on civilians. The U.S. official said there may have been a small number of women and children in the immediate vicinity, but when the mission began "everybody came out firing" from the compound.
He said the U.S. troops specifically attacked three buildings in the compound. They were believed to contain individuals responsible for training and equipping insurgents who have been crossing the border into Afghanistan in increasing numbers in recent months and staging large-scale, high-profile attacks against U.S. and coalition forces.
The official could not say if the troops were going after a specific individual. Officials told CNN there was no indication the target was Osama bin Laden or his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri.
Pakistan's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday lodged a protest against U.S.-led coalition and NATO forces for what it said was a "helicopter-borne ground attack" from Afghanistan into Pakistan, an uncommon tactic in the coalition's fight against militants along the violent border.
The coalition and NATO have been seeking a way to effectively battle militants launching attacks from Pakistan's swath of tribal areas along the border. They have become frustrated with Pakistan over the years, saying it is not being proactive enough against militants, a claim denied by Pakistan -- now in political flux after the resignation of President Pervez Musharraf.
Top U.S. and Pakistani military officials last week met on an aircraft carrier regarding American concerns that Pakistan hasn't been cracking down hard enough on the Taliban.
Several times this year, U.S.-operated drone aircraft launched attacks inside Pakistan
The Pakistani Foreign Ministry described the strike as "a helicopter-borne ground attack supported by air assets based in Afghanistan" and called it a "gross violation of Pakistan territory."
Pakistani officials were still counting the casualties. One local official said the raid left 20 civilians dead. Pakistan military spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas said seven civilians died and others were critically injured. (CNN) -- U.S. military forces landed at a compound in Pakistan to battle targets linked to recent attacks on U.S. troops in Afghanista... more -
US doubts N Korea nuclear claims
There is no evidence to support claims that North Korea has begun rebuilding a nuclear plant, US officials say.
The US state department said the North appeared to be moving equipment out of storage at its Yongbyon plant, but there was no effort to reconstruct it.
Earlier reports from South Korea and Japan had claimed the North was actively rebuilding Yongbyon, breaking an international denuclearisation deal.
Pyongyang had previously warned that it had stopped disabling its facilities.
For years, the North has been locked in discussions over its nuclear ambitions with five other nations - South Korea, the US, China, Russia and Japan.
In June this year, the regime blew up the cooling tower of its Yongbyon facility in a symbolic gesture of its commitment to the process.
But last month Pyongyang was angered by the US refusal to remove it from the list of states that sponsor terrorism, and announced it would halt the disabling process.
On Wednesday reports in Japan, backed up by South Korea's foreign ministry, claimed the North Koreans were actively reconstructing the plant.
But state department spokesman Sean McCormack said it appeared that the North was moving previously stored equipment rather than rebuilding.
He told reporters: "To my knowledge, based on what we know from the folks on the ground, you don't have an effort to reconstruct, reintegrate this equipment back into the Yongbyon facility." There is no evidence to support claims that North Korea has begun rebuilding a nuclear plant, US officials say. ... more -
Cheney in ex-Soviet energy call
US Vice-President Dick Cheney has said the US wants to work with Azerbaijan on additional routes for exporting the region's oil reserves to the West.
He also pledged support for US allies in the former Soviet Union.
A BBC correspondent says the US sees the states as key allies in protecting access to the region's energy supplies.
Mr Cheney - who will also visit Georgia and Ukraine - spoke as US officials revealed President Bush was to announce a $1bn (£0.5bn) aid package to Georgia.
Flanked by Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev, Mr Cheney said: "We've met this evening in the shadow of the recent Russian invasion of Georgia."
He said he was bringing "a clear and simple message for the people of Azerbaijan and the entire region: the United States has a deep and abiding interest in your well-being and security".
But the BBC's Steve Rosenberg, in Moscow, says America's primary concern is not nurturing democracy in the region but rather oil and gas.
Washington wants to benefit from huge energy deposits in the Caspian Sea, but it does not want all the pipelines heading west through Russia.
One Western-sponsored pipeline is already pumping Caspian oil from Azerbaijan through Georgia to Turkey's Mediterranean coast.
There are plans for another pipeline to take natural gas from Azerbaijan and Central Asia and transporting it from Turkey to Austria.
Our correspondent says that, as far as the US and the EU are concerned, the new pipeline is vital if the West is to avoid becoming too energy dependent on Moscow. US Vice-President Dick Cheney has said the US wants to work with Azerbaijan on additional routes for exporting the region's oil r... more -
Troubled Thai PM 'will not quit'
Thailand's beleaguered Prime Minister, Samak Sundaravej, has said he will not resign despite mounting pressure.
In a radio address to the nation, he said he would not bow to the demands of anti-government protesters.
On Tuesday Mr Samak imposed a state of emergency in Bangkok after his supporters and opponents clashed in the capital, leaving one person dead.
Protesters say the government is a front for Thaksin Shinawatra - the former prime minister, now in exile.
"I am not resigning," Mr Samak said, adding that he had a popular mandate to govern.
"These people want the government to quit, but how could I do that if the entire world is watching? It would be embarrassing to do so," he said.
He would not dissolve parliament, he said, adding that he would stay "to preserve democracy and to protect the monarchy".
Mr Samak's comments came shortly after the Thai foreign minister, Tej Bunnag, who was a close adviser to the king, had offered his resignation. Thailand's beleaguered Prime Minister, Samak Sundaravej, has said he will not resign despite mounting pressure. ... more -
Russia's top diplomat to have shield talks in Poland
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will travel to Poland next week for talks on a plan, opposed by Moscow, to station parts of the U.S. missile shield on Polish soil, a foreign ministry spokesman said on Wednesday.
"This visit is planned," spokesman Andrei Nesterenko told reporters at a news briefing. "I am convinced the topic of Poland signing (an agreement on) the U.S. missile shield deployment will be raised," he said.
Lavrov will also discuss with Polish officials the conflict in Georgia and Russia's relations with the European Union, the spokesman said. Poland has been one of the toughest EU critics of the Kremlin's intervention in Georgia.
Nesterenko said the Russian foreign minister was expected to travel to Poland for the talks on September 11. MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will travel to Poland next week for talks on a plan, opposed by Moscow, to s... more -
A month ago I announced I was giving up plastic for the whole of August.
Little did I know that what seemed like a simple, if somewhat extreme, idea would lead me into such intricate areas as whether apples sold loose are more wasteful than those in bags, the environmental pros and cons of a wooden toothbrush and whether bicarbonate of soda is an effective deodorant (it is - at least on the one day I tried it).
My aim was to try to live for a month without buying anything new made from plastic or wrapped in plastic. I was able to keep and use the plastic I already owned but if anything ran out I would have to buy a plastic-free replacement.
Plastics are hugely useful and versatile and the goal of the experiment was not to demonise the material itself.
But disposing of an ever-growing amount of plastic does pose a problem as the UK's recycling infrastructure is not yet geared up to deal with our mixed plastics waste.
This is due to improve in the next couple of years but even so, it looks like we will be landfilling the majority of our plastic waste for a significant time to come.
To find out how much my household - my husband, toddler son and I - usually contribute to this plastic mountain, I kept an audit of a normal month's plastic waste.
It totalled 603 items of which 120 were disposable nappies and most of the rest were food and drink packaging.
So my challenge was to find out whether it was possible to live a normal life without adding to my own plastic waste pile at all.
The short answer was no. I did not manage to eliminate plastic waste in August, however, I did cut it by 80% to 116 items. Little did I know that what seemed like a simple, if somewhat extreme, idea would lead me into such intricate areas as whether apples ... more -
Major ice-shelf loss for Canada
The ice shelves in Canada's High Arctic have lost a colossal area this year, scientists report.
The floating tongues of ice attached to Ellesmere Island, which have lasted for thousands of years, have seen almost a quarter of their cover break away.
One of them, the 50 sq km (20 sq miles) Markham shelf, has completely broken off to become floating sea-ice.
Researchers say warm air temperatures and reduced sea-ice conditions in the region have assisted the break-up.
"These substantial calving events underscore the rapidity of changes taking place in the Arctic," said Trent University's Dr Derek Mueller.
"These changes are irreversible under the present climate." The ice shelves in Canada's High Arctic have lost a colossal area this year, scientists report. ... more -
IRA council 'serves no function'
The Independent Monitoring Commission has said the IRA's army council no longer operates and serves no function.
It says the IRA has relinquished the leadership and structures it used during the troubles.
The DUP has said the army council must cease to exist before policing and justice powers can be devolved.
In a report given to the British and Irish governments, the IMC says it does not expect an announcement from the IRA that the army council will disband.
"We are aware of the questions posed about the public disbandment of (Provisional Irish Republican Army's) PIRA's leadership structures," the report said.
"We believe that PIRA has chosen another method of bringing what it describes as its armed struggle to a final close.
"Under PIRA's own rules the army council was the body that directed its military campaign.
"Now that that campaign is well and truly over, the army council by deliberate choice is no longer operational or functional.
"This situation has been brought about by a conscious decision to let it fall into disuse rather than through any other mechanism." The Independent Monitoring Commission has said the IRA's army council no longer operates and serves no function. ... more -
Cyprus rivals begin peace talks
Rival leaders of the divided island of Cyprus are meeting to launch negotiations aimed at reunifying the island after 34 years of division.
Cyprus President Demetris Christofias and rival Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat met at a compound in Nicosia.
Analysts say the talks have a real chance of resolving the dispute, which threatens Turkey's EU membership hopes.
The island has been divided since a Turkish invasion in 1974, triggered by a brief Greek-inspired coup in Nicosia.
Turkey has 35,000 troops in the breakaway Turkish Cypriot north. Rival leaders of the divided island of Cyprus are meeting to launch negotiations aimed at reunifying the island after 34 years of divi... more -
Pakistan PM's motorcade attacked
The prime minister had just arrived in Islamabad
Shots have been fired at the motorcade of Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, although it is not clear if he was in the convoy at the time.
Interior ministry officials said the car was on its way to collect Mr Gilani from Islamabad's airport.
Earlier, his press secretary told the BBC that unidentified gunman fired on Mr Gilani's car as he was travelling from the airport into the city. The prime minister had just arrived in Islamabad ... more -
President Medvedev of Russia offers to help train the Afghan police
Russia is planning to send members of its security forces to train their counterparts in Afghanistan for the first time since the Soviet Union withdrew from the country in 1989, The Times has learnt.
At a meeting with President Karzai in Tajikistan last week President Medvedev offered to send 225 Russian police officers to help to train the Afghan National Police (ANP), according to Afghan officials. Mr Karzai, who met the Russian leader at a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation on Thursday, accepted his offer and the details are being discussed, the officials said.
The Afghan Interior Ministry confirmed that there was a verbal agreement, and an official at the Russian Embassy said that there could be more information later this week.
The number may be tiny compared with the 70,000 or so troops from Nato, the US and its allies now deployed in Afghanistan, some of whom are already training the ANP, but the agreement highlights Russia’s determination to reassert its influence in Central Asia, the Caucasus and other regions that it sees as lying within its strategic “sphere of influence”.
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Read the whole article at link. Russia is planning to send members of its security forces to train their counterparts in Afghanistan for the first time since the Sovi... more -
India Woman Burned To Death In Anti Christian Violence; Churches Destroyed
In another forum I was shocked at the Anti-Christian attitude from posters here in America even.
The title above was confirmed 8/28/2008 by BBC News.
In this century more Christians have died for their faith than in the other nearly 2k years combined. Let that sink in.
First of all. These people were only Jesus Freaks in the light that they died for their faith. Most did not own a bible, although that is a cherished and protected item that some, not many house churches have access to. They often share bibles among many. In most of the countries owning a Bible is punishable by death or indefinite imprisonment.
Now think about that for one moment. Death for owning a Bible. We cannot comprehend that here in the United States. This is common especially under "Islamic States" where Islam is the mandatory religion. And is also common in communist and we are seeing other governments doing the same.
These people lived in fear and knowing that death is often the consequence of believing in God and Jesus.
Did they go around making condescending comments? Hell no . Did they quietly worship in secret? Yes.
So before the politically correct brainwashes and blinds you to the plight of even Christians around the world...
Below are examples of stuff that happened THIS WEEK.
(sorry to take up space, but this is continued below.) In another forum I was shocked at the Anti-Christian attitude from posters here in America even. ... more -
OSC: Russia- Iran Alliance?
(Pictured above - Russia's S-400 SAMs)
The USG Open Source Center translates an article from the Russian press proposing a strategic alliance between Russia and Iran.
By Juan Cole
Pundit on Possible Russia-Iran Alliance To Counter 'Unfriendly' US Moves
Article by Radzhab Safarov, General Director of the Russian Center for Iranian Studies: "Iranian Trump Card. Russia Can Take Control of Persian Gulf"
Vremya Novostey
Friday, August 29, 2008
Document Type: OSC Translated Text
The recognition of South Ossetia's and Abkhazia's independence by Russia is a timely step to protect these republics from new Georgian aggression. However, taking into account the United States' plans to expedite Georgia's and Ukraine's accession to the NATO military-political bloc, the situation near the Russian border remains alarming. At the same time Moscow has a lot of possibilities to take balanced counter measures to the United States' and entire NATO's unfriendly plans. In particular, Russia can rely on those countries that effectively oppose the United States' and their satellites' expansion. Only collective efforts can help to create a situation which would, if not eliminate then at least reduce the risk of the Cold War's transformation into local and global conflicts.
For instance, Moscow could strengthen its military-technical ties with Syria and launch negotiations on the reestablishment of its military presence in Cuba. However, the most serious step which the United States and especially Israel fear (incidentally, Israel supplied arms to Georgia) is hypothetical revision of Russia's foreign policy with regard to Iran. A strategic alliance presuming the signing of a new large-scale military political treaty with Iran could change the entire geopolitical picture of the contemporary world.
New allied relations may result in the deployment of at least two military bases in strategic regions of Iran. One military base could be deployed in the north of the country in the Iranian province of Eastern Azerbaijan and the other one in the south, on the Island of Qeshm in the Persian Gulf. Due to the base in Iran's Eastern Azerbaijan Russia would be able to monitor military activities in the Republic of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey and share this information with Iran.
The deployment of a military base on the Island of Qeshm would allow Russia to monitor the United States' and NATO's activities in the Persian Gulf zone, Iraq and other Arab states. With the help of special equipment Russia could effectively monitor whois sailing toward this sea bottleneck, from where, and with what cargo on board to enter the World Ocean or to return.
For the first time ever Russia will have a possibility to stop suspicious vessels and ships and inspect their cargo, which the Americans have been cynically doing in that zone for many decades. In exchange for the deployment of its military bases Russia could help the Iranians to deploy modern air defense and missile defense systems along the perimeter of its borders. Tehran, for instance, needs Russia's modern S-400 SAMs.
(continued below) (Pictured above - Russia's S-400 SAMs) ... more -
Putin accuses US of staging Georgia conflict
Gareth Porter: The US is going to use a double standard to condemn Russia.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin accused the US of staging the Georgian conflict. His statements echo two articles pointing to Senator John McCain's foreign policy adviser, Randy Scheunemann, in which conservative politician Pat Buchanan calls Sheunemann " a dual loyalist, a foreign agent whose assignment is to get America committed to spilling the blood of her sons for client regimes who have made this moral mercenary a rich man." Gareth Porter also states that The US is going to use a double standard to condemn Russia."
Gareth Porter is a historian and investigative journalist on US foreign and military policy analyst. He writes regularly for Inter Press Service on US policy towards Iraq and Iran. Author of four books, the latest of which is Perils of Dominance: Imbalance of Power and the Road to War in Vietnam. Gareth Porter: The US is going to use a double standard to condemn Russia. ... more -
Russia in Georgia monitors call
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has called for more monitors from Europe's security body the OSCE to be deployed in Georgia, a Kremlin statement said.
It said they would provide "impartial monitoring" of Tbilisi's actions following a war between Georgia and Russia over South Ossetia this month.
Earlier, Mr Medvedev spoke by phone to UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
He said Russia recognised Georgia's regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia because of Tbilisi's aggression.
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also spoke with his German counterpart, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, on Saturday, according to the AFP agency.
The conversations came ahead of an extraordinary EU meeting set to start on Monday, where Russia's recognition of the two territories is likely to be strongly criticised.
The Kremlin statement said Mr Medvedev told Mr Brown that the Georgian aggression "fundamentally altered the conditions in which, during 17 years, attempts were made to the settle the relations between South Ossetia, Abkhazia and Georgia".
The conflict in the region began on 7 August when Georgia tried to retake South Ossetia by force after a series of lower-level clashes.
Russia launched a counter-attack and the Georgian troops were ejected from both South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Russian troops continued their operation, advancing deep inside Georgia's territory.
An EU-brokered ceasefire brought a formal end to the conflict five days later, although each side has accused the other of breaking the agreement.
Russia has since withdrawn the bulk of its force and says the troops left behind are serving as peacekeepers.
Georgia has described them as an occupation force, announcing that it is cutting diplomatic relations with Moscow.
The Kremlin statement said Russia was "in favour of the deployment of additional OSCE [Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe] monitors in the security zone" in Georgia.
Earlier this month, the OSCE decided to increase the number of its military observers by up 100 in Georgia.
The Russian statement also said that Moscow "looks forward to maintaining a constructive dialogue with EU, other international organisations, as well as individual countries".
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This call is putting the ball back into the EU's court - it will be very interesting to see what the EU will do, how it will react. If it refuses, it will betray the real agenda of the US which is manipulating the EU. If it accepts, it will totally defuse the whole situation. One thing is for sure, Georgia isn't anywhere close to becoming a member of NATO. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has called for more monitors from Europe's security body the OSCE to be deployed in Georgia, a ... more -
Russia remains a Black Sea power
by M K Bhadrakumar
If the struggle in the Caucasus was ever over oil and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO's) agenda towards Central Asia, the United States suffered a colossal setback this week. Kazakhstan, the Caspian energy powerhouse and a key Central Asian player, has decided to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Russia over the conflict with Georgia, and Russia's de facto control over two major Black Sea ports has been consolidated.
At a meeting in the Tajik capital Dushanbe on Thursday on the sidelines of the summit meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Kazakh President Nurusultan Nazarbayev told Russian President Dmitry Medvedev that Moscow could count on Astana's support in the present crisis.
In his press conference in Dushanbe, Medvedev underlined that his SCO counterparts, including China, showed understanding of the Russian position. Moscow appears satisfied that the SCO summit also issued a statement on the Caucasus developments, which, inter alia, said, "The leaders of the SCO member states welcome the signing in Moscow of the six principles for regulating the South Ossetia conflict, and support Russia's active role in assisting peace and cooperation in the region." The SCO comprises China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
There were tell-tale signs that something was afoot when the Kazakh Foreign Ministry issued a statement on August 19 hinting at broad understanding for the Russian position. The statement called for an "unbiased and balanced assessment" of events and pointed out that an "attempt [was made] to resolve a complicated ethno-territorial issue by the use of force", which led to "grave consequences". The statement said Astana supported the "way the Russian leadership proposed to resolve the issue" within the framework of the United Nations charter, the Helsinki Final Act of 1975 and international law.
The lengthy statement leaned toward the Russian position but offered a labored explanation for doing so.
Kazakhstan has since stepped out into the thick of the diplomatic sweepstakes and whole-heartedly endorsed the Russian position. This has become a turning point for Russian diplomacy in the post-Soviet space. Nazarbayev said: I am amazed that the West simply ignored the fact that Georgian armed forces attacked the peaceful city of Tskhinvali [in South Ossetia]. Therefore, my assessment is as follows: I think that it originally started with this. And Russia's response could either have been to keep silent or to protect their people and so on. I believe that all subsequent steps taken by Russia have been designed to stop bloodshed of ordinary residents of this long-suffering city. Of course, there are many refugees, many homeless.
Guided by out bilateral agreement on friendship and cooperation between Kazakhstan and Russia, we have provided humanitarian aid: 100 tons have already been sent. We will continue to provide assistance together with you.
Of course, there was loss of life on the Georgian side - war is war. The resolution of the conflict with Georgia has now been shifted to some indeterminate time in the future. We have always had good relations with Georgia. Kazakhstan's companies have made substantial investments there. Of course, those that have done this want stability there. The conditions of the plan that you and [President of France Nicolas] Sarkozy drew up must be implemented, but some have begun to disavow certain points in the plan.
* * * * *
More at link. by M K Bhadrakumar ... more -
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A really rough stretch for Pax American
Whatever hopes the George W Bush administration may have had for using its post-September 11, 2001, "war on terror" to impose a new Pax Americana on Eurasia, and particularly in the unruly areas between the Caucasus and the Khyber Pass, they appear to have gone up in flames - in some cases, literally - over the past two weeks.
Not only has Russia reasserted its influence in the most emphatic way possible by invading and occupying substantial parts of Georgia after Washington's favorite Caucasian, President Mikheil Saakashvili, launched an ill-fated offensive against secessionist South Ossetians.
Bloody attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan also underlined the seriousness of the Pashtun-dominated Taliban insurgencies in both countries and the threats they pose to their increasingly beleaguered and befuddled US-backed governments.
And while US negotiators appear to have made progress in hammering out details of a bilateral military agreement that will permit US combat forces to remain in Iraq at least for another year and a half, signs that the Shi'ite-dominated government of President Nuri al-Maliki may be preparing to move forcefully against the US-backed, predominantly Sunni "Awakening" movement has raised the specter of renewed sectarian civil war.
Meanwhile, any hope of concluding a framework for a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority by the time Bush leaves office less than five months from now appears to have vanished, while efforts at mobilizing greater international diplomatic and economic pressure on Iran to freeze its uranium enrichment program - the administration's top priority before the Georgia crisis - have stalled indefinitely, overwhelmed by the tidal wave of bad news from its neighborhood.
"The list of foreign policy failures this week is breathtaking," noted a statement released on Friday by the National Security Network (NSN), a mainstream group of former high-ranking officials critical of the Bush administration's more-aggressive policies. Prominent New York Times columnist Paul Krugman argued that the Russian move on Georgia, in particular, signaled "the end of the Pax Americana - the era in which the United States more or less maintained a monopoly on the use of military force".
Indeed, Russia's intervention in what it used to call its ''near abroad'' was clearly the most spectacular of the fortnight's developments, both because of its unprecedented use of overwhelming military force against a US ally heavily promoted by Washington for membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and because of the geo-strategic implications of its move for the increasingly-troubled Atlantic alliance and US hopes that Caspian and Central Asian energy resources could be safely transported to the West without transiting either Russia or Iran.
While Russia did not seize control of the Baku-Tbili-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline or approach the area proposed for the Nabucco pipeline further south, its intervention made it abundantly clear that it could have done so if it had wished, a message that is certain to reverberate across gas-hungry Europe. Indeed, investors now may prove considerably less enthusiastic about financing the Nabucco project than before, dealing yet another blow to Washington's regional ambitions.
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Click on the link for the complete article. Whatever hopes the George W Bush administration may have had for using its post-September 11, 2001, "war on terror" to impos... more
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