4 New Messages
Digest #4615
Messages
Mon Jan 28, 2013 6:27 am (PST) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://en.rian.ru/world/201301
Russian Information Agency Novosti
January 27, 2013
US Steps up Mali Involvement
MOSCOW: The United States will intensify its involvement in the military operation in Mali, where the French-led offensive...entered its third week, the Department of Defense said in a statement on Saturday.
The Pentagon said that Defense Secretary Leon Panetta held a phone conversation with French Minister of Defense Jean-Yves Le Drian to inform him that “US Africa Command will support the French military by conducting aerial refueling missions as operations in Mali continue.”
“Secretary Panetta and Minister Le Drian resolved to remain in close contact as aggressive operations against terrorist networks in Mali are ongoing," the statement reads.
US policy prohibits direct military aid to the incumbent Mali government because it has come to power as a result of a coup, not through an election, CNN said.
Mali, a French colony until 1960, has been in turmoil since last March’s military coup, which triggered an uprising of...Tuareg tribes that seized control of the country’s south.
------------------------------
http://english.ruvr.ru/2013_01
Voice of Russia
January 26, 2013
US agrees to refuel French warplanes on Mali mission
The Pentagon has agreed to refuel French warplanes that are currently conducting operations...in Mali, the US military said in a statement on Saturday.
President Barack Obama's administration had previously been asked by France for refueling assistance and outgoing US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has now approved the request, Pentagon spokesman George Little said.
Obama held telephone talks with French President Francois Hollande on Friday in which the two leaders discussed global security concerns and vowed to work together to tackle extremism across North Africa.
...
Following on from Obama and Hollande's discussion, Panetta spoke to French Minister of Defense Jean-Yves Le Drian to discuss US military support "to deny terrorists a safe haven in Mali".
Voice of Russia, AFP
==============================
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==============================
Russian Information Agency Novosti
January 27, 2013
US Steps up Mali Involvement
MOSCOW: The United States will intensify its involvement in the military operation in Mali, where the French-led offensive...entered its third week, the Department of Defense said in a statement on Saturday.
The Pentagon said that Defense Secretary Leon Panetta held a phone conversation with French Minister of Defense Jean-Yves Le Drian to inform him that “US Africa Command will support the French military by conducting aerial refueling missions as operations in Mali continue.”
“Secretary Panetta and Minister Le Drian resolved to remain in close contact as aggressive operations against terrorist networks in Mali are ongoing," the statement reads.
US policy prohibits direct military aid to the incumbent Mali government because it has come to power as a result of a coup, not through an election, CNN said.
Mali, a French colony until 1960, has been in turmoil since last March’s military coup, which triggered an uprising of...Tuareg tribes that seized control of the country’s south.
------------------------------
http://english.ruvr.ru/2013_01
Voice of Russia
January 26, 2013
US agrees to refuel French warplanes on Mali mission
The Pentagon has agreed to refuel French warplanes that are currently conducting operations...in Mali, the US military said in a statement on Saturday.
President Barack Obama's administration had previously been asked by France for refueling assistance and outgoing US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has now approved the request, Pentagon spokesman George Little said.
Obama held telephone talks with French President Francois Hollande on Friday in which the two leaders discussed global security concerns and vowed to work together to tackle extremism across North Africa.
...
Following on from Obama and Hollande's discussion, Panetta spoke to French Minister of Defense Jean-Yves Le Drian to discuss US military support "to deny terrorists a safe haven in Mali".
Voice of Russia, AFP
==============================
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==============================
Mon Jan 28, 2013 6:27 am (PST) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://en.trend.az/regions/sca
Trend News Agency
January 28, 2013
Ambassador: Last year important for expanding NATO-Azerbaijani relations
H. Valiyev
Baku: Last year was one of the most important in the expansion of relations between NATO and Azerbaijan, Ambassador of Romania to Azerbaijan Daniel Cristian Ciobanu said at the forum of Integration of Azerbaijan Youth to Europe Organisation (AGAT).
Ciobanu reminded the audience that the visit of a NATO Secretary General to Azerbaijan took place last year and [of the] participation of Azerbaijani senior officials at the NATO summit...in Chicago in May.
All these facts indicate the presence of a high level of cooperation between NATO and Azerbaijan, the ambassador said.
Ciobanu noted that special attention should be given to the prevention of threats that might face the countries of Europe, South Caucasus and Caspian region, such as terrorism and security of energy production and transportation.
"There are many issues that need to be addressed in the collaborative approach. NATO attaches great value to Azerbaijan's contribution in this field. As is known, Azerbaijan is involved in operations in Afghanistan, not only through its military forces, but also providing its space for the coalition's cargo transits which is highly appreciated by NATO," Ciobanu said.
------------------------------
http://en.apa.az/news/186756
Azeri Press Agency
January 28, 2013
Head of NATO Energy Security Section to visit Azerbaijan
Victoria Dementeva
Baku: Michael Rühle, head of the Energy Security Section in NATO's Emerging Security Challenges Division, will visit Azerbaijan.
The NATO International School of Azerbaijan (NISA) told APA that Michael Rühle will attend the NISA winter session in Baku on February 4-9 during his visit.
The main topic of the session will be threats against security in the Caspian region.
Michael Rühle is expected to meet several officials during the visit. He will also visit Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy.
==============================
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==============================
Trend News Agency
January 28, 2013
Ambassador: Last year important for expanding NATO-Azerbaijani relations
H. Valiyev
Baku: Last year was one of the most important in the expansion of relations between NATO and Azerbaijan, Ambassador of Romania to Azerbaijan Daniel Cristian Ciobanu said at the forum of Integration of Azerbaijan Youth to Europe Organisation (AGAT).
Ciobanu reminded the audience that the visit of a NATO Secretary General to Azerbaijan took place last year and [of the] participation of Azerbaijani senior officials at the NATO summit...in Chicago in May.
All these facts indicate the presence of a high level of cooperation between NATO and Azerbaijan, the ambassador said.
Ciobanu noted that special attention should be given to the prevention of threats that might face the countries of Europe, South Caucasus and Caspian region, such as terrorism and security of energy production and transportation.
"There are many issues that need to be addressed in the collaborative approach. NATO attaches great value to Azerbaijan's contribution in this field. As is known, Azerbaijan is involved in operations in Afghanistan, not only through its military forces, but also providing its space for the coalition's cargo transits which is highly appreciated by NATO," Ciobanu said.
------------------------------
http://en.apa.az/news/186756
Azeri Press Agency
January 28, 2013
Head of NATO Energy Security Section to visit Azerbaijan
Victoria Dementeva
Baku: Michael Rühle, head of the Energy Security Section in NATO's Emerging Security Challenges Division, will visit Azerbaijan.
The NATO International School of Azerbaijan (NISA) told APA that Michael Rühle will attend the NISA winter session in Baku on February 4-9 during his visit.
The main topic of the session will be threats against security in the Caspian region.
Michael Rühle is expected to meet several officials during the visit. He will also visit Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy.
==============================
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==============================
Mon Jan 28, 2013 6:27 am (PST) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://en.rian.ru/military_new
Russian Information Agency Novosti
January 28, 2013
French Air Force to Take Over Policing Baltic Air in May
RIGA: The French Air Force will take over from Denmark the mission of policing Baltic airspace in May, the Latvian Defense Ministry said on Monday.
Danish F-16 fighters will be replaced by French Mirage 2000C fighters.
France has previously participated in three missions: in 2007, 2010 and 2011.
Since March 2004, when the Baltic States joined NATO, the round-the-clock mission to police the airspace of the Baltic States has been conducted on a three to four-month rotation basis from Lithuania's First Air Base in Zokniai, near the northern city of Šiauliai.
A usual deployment consists of four fighter aircraft and between 50 and 100 support personnel.
------------------------------
http://news.err.ee/politics/ba
Estonian Public Broadcasting
January 18, 2013
Hungary to Take Part in Baltic Air Policing
Visiting Estonia on Friday, the Hungarian defense minister, Csaba Hende, announced that his country's fighter jets will begin participating in NATO's Baltic air policing mission in the second half of 2015.
In a statement, Estonian Defense Minister Urmas Reinsalu said: "The flying of our allies' fighters in our skies is the most direct sign of NATO presence.“
Hende also met with Estonian Commander in Chief Riho Terras, discussing Hungary's potential involvement in NATO's Tallinn-based cyber-defense center.
While in Tallinn, the minister visited the cyber-defense center, as well as the War of Independence Victory Column and the Seaplane Harbor museum.
He will depart from Estonia this evening.
==============================
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http://groups.yahoo.com/group/
Stop NATO website and articles:
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.co
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==============================
Russian Information Agency Novosti
January 28, 2013
French Air Force to Take Over Policing Baltic Air in May
RIGA: The French Air Force will take over from Denmark the mission of policing Baltic airspace in May, the Latvian Defense Ministry said on Monday.
Danish F-16 fighters will be replaced by French Mirage 2000C fighters.
France has previously participated in three missions: in 2007, 2010 and 2011.
Since March 2004, when the Baltic States joined NATO, the round-the-clock mission to police the airspace of the Baltic States has been conducted on a three to four-month rotation basis from Lithuania's First Air Base in Zokniai, near the northern city of Šiauliai.
A usual deployment consists of four fighter aircraft and between 50 and 100 support personnel.
------------------------------
http://news.err.ee/politics/ba
Estonian Public Broadcasting
January 18, 2013
Hungary to Take Part in Baltic Air Policing
Visiting Estonia on Friday, the Hungarian defense minister, Csaba Hende, announced that his country's fighter jets will begin participating in NATO's Baltic air policing mission in the second half of 2015.
In a statement, Estonian Defense Minister Urmas Reinsalu said: "The flying of our allies' fighters in our skies is the most direct sign of NATO presence.“
Hende also met with Estonian Commander in Chief Riho Terras, discussing Hungary's potential involvement in NATO's Tallinn-based cyber-defense center.
While in Tallinn, the minister visited the cyber-defense center, as well as the War of Independence Victory Column and the Seaplane Harbor museum.
He will depart from Estonia this evening.
==============================
Stop NATO e-mail list home page with archives and search engine:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/
Stop NATO website and articles:
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.co
To subscribe for individual e-mails or the daily digest, unsubscribe, and otherwise change subscription status:
stopnato-subscribe@yahoogroups
==============================
Mon Jan 28, 2013 7:05 pm (PST) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://english.ruvr.ru/2013_01
Voice of Russia
January 28, 2013
The US did not set up US/AFRICA Command as a social service agency - Rozoff
John Robles
Audio at URL above
Regular Voice of Russia contributor Rick Rozoff discusses Syrian defenses and how they are preventing a Western invasion, Russian-Syrian cooperation, the pretext of the war on terror to invade countries which he says was part of phase 2 of the US/NATO global expansion, other pretexts used to justify military expansion, the ties between al-Qaeda and the US and the massive expansion by US/NATO into the African continent which will, in effect, bring all of Africa under US/NATO control.
There’ve been reports that Russian anti-aircraft and defensive systems are the only thing stopping a US invasion of Syria. How much credence would you give to those reports?
I think that’s a very plausible contention. And that in fact over the decades, during the Soviet period and in the post-Soviet period, that Russia has maintained military-to-military ties with the government in Syria and has, as is the Russian policy, provided strictly defensive weapons to an ally, to a client state, to Syria.
And that I’m sure anyone in the know about this thing wouldn’t be talking about it. But I think it is a safe assumption that Syria has an integrated air defense system that is substantially more advanced and effective than anything that countries that have been in recent years the victims of US-NATO military onslaughts have had. For example Libya and certainly Afghanistan, Iraq after over a decade of sanctions, and perhaps even Yugoslavia. So, one of the factors, as you mention, that may have already prevented more reckless, provocative military action by Western powers against Syria is the fact that Syria has the ability to protect itself.
As you are aware of, and this has been mentioned by the Russian officials, is the deployment of the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 interceptors in southeastern Turkey may in fact, in part, be to effectively enforce a no-fly zone over the border land,the area on the other side of the Syrian border, to prevent aircraft as well as cruise missiles or other theater missiles, from being used in that area and as such may be preparatory to plans to cripple or neutralize the Syrian air defense system on a more ambitious scale. That’s certainly a possibility.
While reflecting on developments in Syria, and even more so developments by outside players meddling in internal affairs in Syria, and I’m talking of course about the United States and its NATO allies and their allies in the Gulf Cooperation Council, that is the monarchies and sheikhdoms in the Persian Gulf, we have to recall that Russia does have its only military facility in the entire Mediterranean in Tartus, in Syria, and that, effecting as the West and its Persian Gulf allies intend to regime change in Damascus would inevitably lead to the eviction of Russian naval forces, or their ability to use the facility in Tartus.
We also have to recall that Syria is the only Arab country currently that has particularly close state-to-state relations with Russia, as it does with Iran, same category, and that with the displacement or the replacement of the government in Damascus we will see the entire Mediterranean Sea Basin turned into a Pentagon-NATO stronghold, with no - Libya being knocked out last year and Lebanon presumably going the way of Syria - so that Russian strategic interests in the Mediterranean would be seriously hurt with the overthrow of the government in Syria and its replacement by a US puppet regime.
Can you give a prediction, more or less, or see where things are going in Africa?
Yes, along with the so-called pivot to the Asia-Pacific region, which is meant to create an alliance based on the model of NATO by the US and several of its NATO allies, like Britain and France, who are past colonial powers in the East Asia and the Asia-Pacific region as a whole, to encircle and contain China much as NATO expansion in Europe is aimed to do vis-à-vis Russia, we are also seeing the increased military focus on Africa by the United States, on the entire continent, following in the wake of the creation of the US Africa Command. The latest, and in terms of the number of countries included, the largest, overseas US regional military command in history.
And because nations like China, Russia, India and others are reaching out to Africa for trade, economic and natural resource purposes, we are seeing the US increasingly intensifying its military presence and activity on the continent. A recent article many of your listeners may be aware of documents the United States is to deploy, initially at least, limited contingents of military forces to 35 nations in Africa. Depending on how one counts them there are 54 members of the African Union, so that’s a pretty sizeable percentage of the total number of countries in Africa. And that’s in addition of course to the US-NATO war against Libya in North Africa last year.
So, what exactly are they going to be doing in these 35 countries?
Most of what we’re talking about will be covert activities. The official explanation is “fighting al-Qaeda forces in Africa”. I cannot believe there are 35 nations in Africa that are threatened by al-Qaeda in Africa or anything like it.
That’s been the whole pretext of this global expansion and this global war on terror. When is this going to stop? How is this going to stop? I mean: how can they just keep doing this over and over? Invade country after country after country on the same fantasy pretext? I mean, no one is ever going to be able to stop this until we all become slaves or what?
You are raising a very interesting question, particularly as it seems to be a real drum beat for military intervention in Mali, in northwest Africa, and again, ostensibly to combat al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.
I mean they created al-Qaeda, for Christ’s sake!
Yes, that’s the irony that I think needs to be emphasized, is the fact that while the US and its NATO allies are actively supporting al-Qaeda and al-Qaeda-linked foreign fighters and terrorists against governments in Libya and Syria and who knows where else tomorrow, they are using the pretext of fighting al-Qaeda to introduce military forces into Africa, throughout the continent of Africa indeed. So, I think we can take that at face value that this is a charade, this is a pretense.
We should also of course, since we talked about earlier the fact that the US has pivoted to the Asia-Pacific region after having subjugated the Greater Middle East, that somebody is playing off an old script, if you will, when they come up with these sorts of bogus excuses, because that really belongs to phase 2, if you will, of post-Cold War global US military expansion, so they need a new scriptwriter in the State Department and the Pentagon.
Regarding?
The reason why they are increasing military forces in Africa. We know for example that last year the Obama administration announced the deployment of special operations, special forces troops to four countries in Central Africa to fight the Lord’s Resistance Army. And they were going to Uganda, the Central African Republic, Congo, South Sudan. So, in that case it is clearly not al-Qaeda. The US military forces have been involved in counter-insurgency operations in Mali for several years and not against al-Qaeda but against ethnic Tuaregs.
So, they’ll use whatever excuse I guess is at hand, you know, fighting pirates in the Horn of Africa, or pirates in the Gulf of Guinea, or the Lord’s Resistance Army in Central Africa, but at the end of the day the US did not setup the US-Africa Command as a social service agency. They set it up as the scaffolding for increased US military activities in Africa. And what we’ve seen with the confirmation of the fact that the Pentagon is going to deploy new military forces to 35 nations, is that the US is intent on establishing a permanent military presence throughout the length and breadth of Africa.
Voice of Russia
January 28, 2013
The US did not set up US/AFRICA Command as a social service agency - Rozoff
John Robles
Audio at URL above
Regular Voice of Russia contributor Rick Rozoff discusses Syrian defenses and how they are preventing a Western invasion, Russian-Syrian cooperation, the pretext of the war on terror to invade countries which he says was part of phase 2 of the US/NATO global expansion, other pretexts used to justify military expansion, the ties between al-Qaeda and the US and the massive expansion by US/NATO into the African continent which will, in effect, bring all of Africa under US/NATO control.
There’ve been reports that Russian anti-aircraft and defensive systems are the only thing stopping a US invasion of Syria. How much credence would you give to those reports?
I think that’s a very plausible contention. And that in fact over the decades, during the Soviet period and in the post-Soviet period, that Russia has maintained military-to-military ties with the government in Syria and has, as is the Russian policy, provided strictly defensive weapons to an ally, to a client state, to Syria.
And that I’m sure anyone in the know about this thing wouldn’t be talking about it. But I think it is a safe assumption that Syria has an integrated air defense system that is substantially more advanced and effective than anything that countries that have been in recent years the victims of US-NATO military onslaughts have had. For example Libya and certainly Afghanistan, Iraq after over a decade of sanctions, and perhaps even Yugoslavia. So, one of the factors, as you mention, that may have already prevented more reckless, provocative military action by Western powers against Syria is the fact that Syria has the ability to protect itself.
As you are aware of, and this has been mentioned by the Russian officials, is the deployment of the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 interceptors in southeastern Turkey may in fact, in part, be to effectively enforce a no-fly zone over the border land,the area on the other side of the Syrian border, to prevent aircraft as well as cruise missiles or other theater missiles, from being used in that area and as such may be preparatory to plans to cripple or neutralize the Syrian air defense system on a more ambitious scale. That’s certainly a possibility.
While reflecting on developments in Syria, and even more so developments by outside players meddling in internal affairs in Syria, and I’m talking of course about the United States and its NATO allies and their allies in the Gulf Cooperation Council, that is the monarchies and sheikhdoms in the Persian Gulf, we have to recall that Russia does have its only military facility in the entire Mediterranean in Tartus, in Syria, and that, effecting as the West and its Persian Gulf allies intend to regime change in Damascus would inevitably lead to the eviction of Russian naval forces, or their ability to use the facility in Tartus.
We also have to recall that Syria is the only Arab country currently that has particularly close state-to-state relations with Russia, as it does with Iran, same category, and that with the displacement or the replacement of the government in Damascus we will see the entire Mediterranean Sea Basin turned into a Pentagon-NATO stronghold, with no - Libya being knocked out last year and Lebanon presumably going the way of Syria - so that Russian strategic interests in the Mediterranean would be seriously hurt with the overthrow of the government in Syria and its replacement by a US puppet regime.
Can you give a prediction, more or less, or see where things are going in Africa?
Yes, along with the so-called pivot to the Asia-Pacific region, which is meant to create an alliance based on the model of NATO by the US and several of its NATO allies, like Britain and France, who are past colonial powers in the East Asia and the Asia-Pacific region as a whole, to encircle and contain China much as NATO expansion in Europe is aimed to do vis-à-vis Russia, we are also seeing the increased military focus on Africa by the United States, on the entire continent, following in the wake of the creation of the US Africa Command. The latest, and in terms of the number of countries included, the largest, overseas US regional military command in history.
And because nations like China, Russia, India and others are reaching out to Africa for trade, economic and natural resource purposes, we are seeing the US increasingly intensifying its military presence and activity on the continent. A recent article many of your listeners may be aware of documents the United States is to deploy, initially at least, limited contingents of military forces to 35 nations in Africa. Depending on how one counts them there are 54 members of the African Union, so that’s a pretty sizeable percentage of the total number of countries in Africa. And that’s in addition of course to the US-NATO war against Libya in North Africa last year.
So, what exactly are they going to be doing in these 35 countries?
Most of what we’re talking about will be covert activities. The official explanation is “fighting al-Qaeda forces in Africa”. I cannot believe there are 35 nations in Africa that are threatened by al-Qaeda in Africa or anything like it.
That’s been the whole pretext of this global expansion and this global war on terror. When is this going to stop? How is this going to stop? I mean: how can they just keep doing this over and over? Invade country after country after country on the same fantasy pretext? I mean, no one is ever going to be able to stop this until we all become slaves or what?
You are raising a very interesting question, particularly as it seems to be a real drum beat for military intervention in Mali, in northwest Africa, and again, ostensibly to combat al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.
I mean they created al-Qaeda, for Christ’s sake!
Yes, that’s the irony that I think needs to be emphasized, is the fact that while the US and its NATO allies are actively supporting al-Qaeda and al-Qaeda-linked foreign fighters and terrorists against governments in Libya and Syria and who knows where else tomorrow, they are using the pretext of fighting al-Qaeda to introduce military forces into Africa, throughout the continent of Africa indeed. So, I think we can take that at face value that this is a charade, this is a pretense.
We should also of course, since we talked about earlier the fact that the US has pivoted to the Asia-Pacific region after having subjugated the Greater Middle East, that somebody is playing off an old script, if you will, when they come up with these sorts of bogus excuses, because that really belongs to phase 2, if you will, of post-Cold War global US military expansion, so they need a new scriptwriter in the State Department and the Pentagon.
Regarding?
The reason why they are increasing military forces in Africa. We know for example that last year the Obama administration announced the deployment of special operations, special forces troops to four countries in Central Africa to fight the Lord’s Resistance Army. And they were going to Uganda, the Central African Republic, Congo, South Sudan. So, in that case it is clearly not al-Qaeda. The US military forces have been involved in counter-insurgency operations in Mali for several years and not against al-Qaeda but against ethnic Tuaregs.
So, they’ll use whatever excuse I guess is at hand, you know, fighting pirates in the Horn of Africa, or pirates in the Gulf of Guinea, or the Lord’s Resistance Army in Central Africa, but at the end of the day the US did not setup the US-Africa Command as a social service agency. They set it up as the scaffolding for increased US military activities in Africa. And what we’ve seen with the confirmation of the fact that the Pentagon is going to deploy new military forces to 35 nations, is that the US is intent on establishing a permanent military presence throughout the length and breadth of Africa.
