4 New Messages
Digest #4527
Messages
Mon Oct 22, 2012 7:59 pm (PDT) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://en.rian.
Russian Information Agency Novosti
October 22, 2012
Syrian Conflict Part of Mideast 'Geopolitical Game' – Lavrov
====
Lavrov cited some unspecified opposition groups as telling Russia that Western countries urge them to continue the resistance, “to fight for their rights with arms until [President Bashar al-Assad’s] regime falls.”
====
MOSCOW: Some countries are apparently interested in fueling violence in Syria as part of a “geopolitical remapping” of the Middle East, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
“It appears that every time the hope for progress in the Syrian situation arises, somebody attempts to prevent it from calming down and deliberately fuels the continuation of the bloodshed and civil war in Syria,” Lavrov said in an interview with Rossiiskaya Gazeta on Monday.
Lavrov cited some unspecified opposition groups as telling Russia that Western countries urge them to continue the resistance, “to fight for their rights with arms until [President Bashar al-Assad’s] regime falls.”
The minister was especially critical of the terrorist tactics used by the opposition as a wave of attacks targeting senior government officials and pro-Assad forces had recently swept through the country.
The Syrian conflict has claimed up to 30,000 lives since March 2011, according to latest US estimates.
The West and some Arab countries are pushing for Assad’s ouster while Russia and China are trying to prevent outside interference in Syria, saying that the Assad regime and the opposition are both to blame for the bloodshed.
According to Lavrov, the Syrian conflict is “part of geopolitical remapping of the Middle East, where various players attempt to safeguard their interests.”
Assad, who is widely viewed as a close ally of Iran, has been unfairly made “a scapegoat” in this “big geopolitical game,” Lavrov said.
He defended Assad by calling him “a guarantor of the security of national minorities, among them Christians, who have been living in Syria for centuries.”
"By the most conservative estimates our Western partners quote in confidential contacts, he still enjoys support of at least a third of citizens as a man who vowed to prevent Syria's transformation into a state where minorities will be simply unable to live and exist," the Russian minister said.
Lavrov reiterated that foreign “recipes” would never provide a long-lasting and reliable solution to the Syrian conflict, and expressed hope that the visit of UN peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi to Russia next week would help outline steps toward dialogue between warring parties in Syria.
Brahimi, who held talks with Assad in Damascus on Sunday, has urged the Syrian government and the opposition to cease fire for the duration of the Eid al-Adha holiday, which starts on Friday.
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Russian Information Agency Novosti
October 22, 2012
Syrian Conflict Part of Mideast 'Geopolitical Game' – Lavrov
====
Lavrov cited some unspecified opposition groups as telling Russia that Western countries urge them to continue the resistance, “to fight for their rights with arms until [President Bashar al-Assad’s] regime falls.”
====
MOSCOW: Some countries are apparently interested in fueling violence in Syria as part of a “geopolitical remapping” of the Middle East, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
“It appears that every time the hope for progress in the Syrian situation arises, somebody attempts to prevent it from calming down and deliberately fuels the continuation of the bloodshed and civil war in Syria,” Lavrov said in an interview with Rossiiskaya Gazeta on Monday.
Lavrov cited some unspecified opposition groups as telling Russia that Western countries urge them to continue the resistance, “to fight for their rights with arms until [President Bashar al-Assad’s] regime falls.”
The minister was especially critical of the terrorist tactics used by the opposition as a wave of attacks targeting senior government officials and pro-Assad forces had recently swept through the country.
The Syrian conflict has claimed up to 30,000 lives since March 2011, according to latest US estimates.
The West and some Arab countries are pushing for Assad’s ouster while Russia and China are trying to prevent outside interference in Syria, saying that the Assad regime and the opposition are both to blame for the bloodshed.
According to Lavrov, the Syrian conflict is “part of geopolitical remapping of the Middle East, where various players attempt to safeguard their interests.”
Assad, who is widely viewed as a close ally of Iran, has been unfairly made “a scapegoat” in this “big geopolitical game,” Lavrov said.
He defended Assad by calling him “a guarantor of the security of national minorities, among them Christians, who have been living in Syria for centuries.”
"By the most conservative estimates our Western partners quote in confidential contacts, he still enjoys support of at least a third of citizens as a man who vowed to prevent Syria's transformation into a state where minorities will be simply unable to live and exist," the Russian minister said.
Lavrov reiterated that foreign “recipes” would never provide a long-lasting and reliable solution to the Syrian conflict, and expressed hope that the visit of UN peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi to Russia next week would help outline steps toward dialogue between warring parties in Syria.
Brahimi, who held talks with Assad in Damascus on Sunday, has urged the Syrian government and the opposition to cease fire for the duration of the Eid al-Adha holiday, which starts on Friday.
============
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Stop NATO website and articles:
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============
Mon Oct 22, 2012 7:59 pm (PDT) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://www.globalti
Global Times
October 22, 2012
African nations can no longer afford to be France’s garden
Antoine Roger Lokongo
====
The West in general and France in particular cannot do without Africa, especially now that the global financial crisis caused by the corruption of the Western financial system is threatening the economic viability of many NATO countries.
Some authors have seen France's traditional African policy as being equivalent to the US Monroe Doctrine. Though different in their purposes, both doctrines justify, mainly through historical and geographical arguments, the exclusive control by a nation over what they regard as their "private backyard" (arrière-cours)
The way forward for Africa is to be united and to follow the South American model...If Africa can follow a similar model, it can escape the constraints of colonialism, whether French, British, Portuguese, or US, and carve its own destiny.
====
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) was recently the site of choice for the 14th Summit Meeting of La Francophonie Heads of State and Governments held in Kinshasa in mid-October.
"La Francophonie" stands for a wide network of institutions and projects aimed at developing the political, economic and cultural links between France and its former colonies, through training support, academic and students exchanges, promotion of the French language, cultural exhibitions, subsidies and so on.
So why the choice of the DRC at this particular time? France fears losing a big francophone country should it veer toward the British-led Commonwealth camp, and the arrival of China in the DRC sends shivers down the West's spine.
The DRC's importance also stems from its geopolitical and strategic position at the heart of the continent; its fertile land, benign climate, natural tourist attractions and, particularly, its mineral resources.
The West in general and France in particular cannot do without Africa, especially now that the global financial crisis caused by the corruption of the Western financial system is threatening the economic viability of many NATO countries.
Former French president Jacques Chirac acknowledged that "without Africa, France will slide down into the rank of a third [world] power." Chirac's predecessor François Mitterand already prophesied in 1957 that "Without Africa, France will have no history in the 21st century."
Africa is criticially important for France. One French scholar, Xavier Renou, suggests several reasons: maintaining an international status independent of US and Chinese influences, securing permanent access to strategic resources, and benefiting from a monopolistic situation. To attain these objectives and maintain its power over its former colonies, France has to pursue a global policy that is economic, political and cultural.
However, in the 21st century, Africa does not need the remnant frameworks of colonialism. Africa should turn its back on La Francophonie in particular.
France does not respect Africa. Former French president Nicholas Sarkozy went as far as insulting Africa, when in a speech in Dakar, the capital of Senegal, he said: "Africa has no history" and "the African man has not fully entered into history."
Some authors have seen France's traditional African policy as being equivalent to the US Monroe Doctrine. Though different in their purposes, both doctrines justify, mainly through historical and geographical arguments, the exclusive control by a nation over what they regard as their "private backyard" (arrière-cours)
This is reflected in a number of French expressions used to describe Francophone African countries, such as domaine réservé (private domain), chasse-gardée (exclusive hunting ground) and pré-carré (natural preserve), which prescribe the backyard as being "off limits" to other great powers.
That is why the presence at the helm of France's former colonies of an independent, principled, and experienced leadership is regarded as an obstacle as such. The installation of weak, dependent and inexperienced pawns who can be guided along to deliver the country to Western powers on a platter is being pursued to this day.
Moreover, the "special relationship" that France seeks to build with African countries is far more focused on France's national interests than African ones.
If you look at the economic integration among countries that share the Communauté Financière d'Afrique franc as a common currency, you will notice that the French Treasury holds billions of dollars owned by the African states of the francophone nations of West and Central Africa in its own accounts.
The francophone states deposit the equivalent of 85 percent of their annual reserves in these accounts as a matter of post-colonial agreements, and have never been given an accounting of how much the French are holding on their behalf, in what have these funds been invested, and what profit or loss there have been.
In fact these countries require the permission of France before they sign any contract with China.
The way forward for Africa is to be united and to follow the South American model. South American countries are succeeding exactly because they have reached their own consensus.
In the past decade, for the first time in 500 years, South America has taken successful steps to free itself from Western domination.
The region has moved toward integration, and has begun to address some of the terrible internal problems of societies ruled by mostly Europeanized elites, tiny islands of extreme wealth in a sea of misery. Some nations have also rid themselves of US military bases and of IMF controls.
If Africa can follow a similar model, it can escape the constraints of colonialism, whether French, British, Portuguese, or US, and carve its own destiny.
The author is a native of the Democratic Republic of Congo, a journalist, and currently a PhD candidate at the Center for African Studies, Peking University.
============
Stop NATO e-mail list home page with archives and search engine:
http://groups.
Stop NATO website and articles:
http://rickrozoff.
To subscribe for individual e-mails or the daily digest, unsubscribe, and otherwise change subscription status:
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============
Global Times
October 22, 2012
African nations can no longer afford to be France’s garden
Antoine Roger Lokongo
====
The West in general and France in particular cannot do without Africa, especially now that the global financial crisis caused by the corruption of the Western financial system is threatening the economic viability of many NATO countries.
Some authors have seen France's traditional African policy as being equivalent to the US Monroe Doctrine. Though different in their purposes, both doctrines justify, mainly through historical and geographical arguments, the exclusive control by a nation over what they regard as their "private backyard" (arrière-cours)
The way forward for Africa is to be united and to follow the South American model...If Africa can follow a similar model, it can escape the constraints of colonialism, whether French, British, Portuguese, or US, and carve its own destiny.
====
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) was recently the site of choice for the 14th Summit Meeting of La Francophonie Heads of State and Governments held in Kinshasa in mid-October.
"La Francophonie" stands for a wide network of institutions and projects aimed at developing the political, economic and cultural links between France and its former colonies, through training support, academic and students exchanges, promotion of the French language, cultural exhibitions, subsidies and so on.
So why the choice of the DRC at this particular time? France fears losing a big francophone country should it veer toward the British-led Commonwealth camp, and the arrival of China in the DRC sends shivers down the West's spine.
The DRC's importance also stems from its geopolitical and strategic position at the heart of the continent; its fertile land, benign climate, natural tourist attractions and, particularly, its mineral resources.
The West in general and France in particular cannot do without Africa, especially now that the global financial crisis caused by the corruption of the Western financial system is threatening the economic viability of many NATO countries.
Former French president Jacques Chirac acknowledged that "without Africa, France will slide down into the rank of a third [world] power." Chirac's predecessor François Mitterand already prophesied in 1957 that "Without Africa, France will have no history in the 21st century."
Africa is criticially important for France. One French scholar, Xavier Renou, suggests several reasons: maintaining an international status independent of US and Chinese influences, securing permanent access to strategic resources, and benefiting from a monopolistic situation. To attain these objectives and maintain its power over its former colonies, France has to pursue a global policy that is economic, political and cultural.
However, in the 21st century, Africa does not need the remnant frameworks of colonialism. Africa should turn its back on La Francophonie in particular.
France does not respect Africa. Former French president Nicholas Sarkozy went as far as insulting Africa, when in a speech in Dakar, the capital of Senegal, he said: "Africa has no history" and "the African man has not fully entered into history."
Some authors have seen France's traditional African policy as being equivalent to the US Monroe Doctrine. Though different in their purposes, both doctrines justify, mainly through historical and geographical arguments, the exclusive control by a nation over what they regard as their "private backyard" (arrière-cours)
This is reflected in a number of French expressions used to describe Francophone African countries, such as domaine réservé (private domain), chasse-gardée (exclusive hunting ground) and pré-carré (natural preserve), which prescribe the backyard as being "off limits" to other great powers.
That is why the presence at the helm of France's former colonies of an independent, principled, and experienced leadership is regarded as an obstacle as such. The installation of weak, dependent and inexperienced pawns who can be guided along to deliver the country to Western powers on a platter is being pursued to this day.
Moreover, the "special relationship" that France seeks to build with African countries is far more focused on France's national interests than African ones.
If you look at the economic integration among countries that share the Communauté Financière d'Afrique franc as a common currency, you will notice that the French Treasury holds billions of dollars owned by the African states of the francophone nations of West and Central Africa in its own accounts.
The francophone states deposit the equivalent of 85 percent of their annual reserves in these accounts as a matter of post-colonial agreements, and have never been given an accounting of how much the French are holding on their behalf, in what have these funds been invested, and what profit or loss there have been.
In fact these countries require the permission of France before they sign any contract with China.
The way forward for Africa is to be united and to follow the South American model. South American countries are succeeding exactly because they have reached their own consensus.
In the past decade, for the first time in 500 years, South America has taken successful steps to free itself from Western domination.
The region has moved toward integration, and has begun to address some of the terrible internal problems of societies ruled by mostly Europeanized elites, tiny islands of extreme wealth in a sea of misery. Some nations have also rid themselves of US military bases and of IMF controls.
If Africa can follow a similar model, it can escape the constraints of colonialism, whether French, British, Portuguese, or US, and carve its own destiny.
The author is a native of the Democratic Republic of Congo, a journalist, and currently a PhD candidate at the Center for African Studies, Peking University.
============
Stop NATO e-mail list home page with archives and search engine:
http://groups.
Stop NATO website and articles:
http://rickrozoff.
To subscribe for individual e-mails or the daily digest, unsubscribe, and otherwise change subscription status:
stopnato-subscribe@
============
Mon Oct 22, 2012 7:59 pm (PDT) . Posted by:
"ANTIC.org-SNN" minimaks
... During the discussion today, described as "exceptionally open", the two sides "confirmed the harmonization of planned activities related to the preservation of Serbia's sovereignty and territorial integrity in Kosovo and Metohija", the statement also said.
"Serbia will under no circumstances give up on its military neutrality proscribed by the Declaration of the Serbian parliament, and in line with this stance it would like to build partnership relations on equal footing with all friendly states in the world," the statement concluded.
<http://www.b92.
Serbia and Russia "to promote defense cooperation"
Source: Tanjug
BELGRADE -- Serbian Assistant Defense Minister Miroslav Jovanović met on Thursday with members of the Russian Defense Attache Office headed by Valery Volkov.
They discussed "promotion of defense cooperation"
The officials agreed that the defense cooperation "should be taken to the level of general relations in all other areas of cooperation between Serbia and Russia".
They highlighted the need for considerable promotion of military, military-economic, and military-medical cooperation through better planning and realization of annual plans of the military cooperation.
The participants of the meeting said that it was necessary to continue military cooperation in the field of education, with greater presence of Russian officers in Serbia's military educational institutions.
The meeting also addressed other aspects of cooperation in the defense sector, stressing the interest in organizing joint activities at the highest level, the Defense Ministry said.
During the discussion today, described as "exceptionally open", the two sides "confirmed the harmonization of planned activities related to the preservation of Serbia's sovereignty and territorial integrity in Kosovo and Metohija", the statement also said.
"Serbia will under no circumstances give up on its military neutrality proscribed by the Declaration of the Serbian parliament, and in line with this stance it would like to build partnership relations on equal footing with all friendly states in the world," the statement concluded.
* <http://www.b92.
18 <http://www.b92.
Mon Oct 22, 2012 7:59 pm (PDT) . Posted by:
"Blue Pilgrim" bluepilgrim1
http://rt.com/
Bani Walid civilians bombed with gas – RT source
Published: 22 October, 2012, 14:41
Edited: 22 October, 2012, 20:53
Pro-government militias intercept food, fuel and
medicine and use grad rockets and gas weapons
against Bani Walid, a man whose family remains in
the town told RT. He claims the daily shelling of
the town is Misrata militias’ attempt to eliminate it.
Several hundreds of Bani Walid natives marched to
the seat of the national parliament in Tripoli on
Sunday to protest the assault on their home town,
which has been continuing for over two weeks. The
protesters demanded a peaceful solution to “the
tribal war that is happening in the town.” The
demonstrators, however, failed to enter the
parliament, being dispersed by guards firing rounds into the air.
[...]
Weapons of "mass destruction" -- chemical weapons
-- used by the forces which the US/NATO put into
power -- and also used as the excuse to destroy
Iraq, Libya, and attacks on Syria. So who are the
lying terrorists? Who is the evil empire? Who is
it who destroys democracy? It's the US and NATO.
