9 New Messages
Digest #4618
Messages
Thu Jan 31, 2013 5:31 am (PST) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
January 30, 2013
Four Patriot batteries operational in Turkey
NATO now has command and control of two Dutch and two German Patriot batteries located in Adana and Kahramanmaras in the south of Turkey. These four Patriot anti-missile systems are now actively defending these locations from missile threats.
Allies have committed to a total of six Patriot batteries to augment Turkey's air defences.The remaining two US Patriot batteries, which are expected to come under NATO command in the coming days, will be located in Gaziantep.
With full operational capability, the NATO Patriots will be capable of defending 3.5 million people in Turkey against missile attacks [sic].
==============================
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==============================
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
January 30, 2013
Four Patriot batteries operational in Turkey
NATO now has command and control of two Dutch and two German Patriot batteries located in Adana and Kahramanmaras in the south of Turkey. These four Patriot anti-missile systems are now actively defending these locations from missile threats.
Allies have committed to a total of six Patriot batteries to augment Turkey's air defences.The remaining two US Patriot batteries, which are expected to come under NATO command in the coming days, will be located in Gaziantep.
With full operational capability, the NATO Patriots will be capable of defending 3.5 million people in Turkey against missile attacks [sic].
==============================
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==============================
Thu Jan 31, 2013 6:15 am (PST) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://en.rian.ru/world/201301
Russian Information Agency Novosti
January 31, 2013
Syria Says Israel Strikes Military Facility
BEIRUT: An Israeli airstrike hit a military research center in Syria on Wednesday, Syrian state news agency SANA reported, citing a statement by the Syrian army’s general command.
“Israeli fighter jets violated our airspace at dawn today and carried out a direct airstrike on our scientific and research center, which works to raise our resistance and self-defense,” the statement reads.
Syrian state TV said two people were killed and five injured in an airstrike on the Jamraya military research center northwest of the capital Damascus.
The building was seriously damaged during the airstrike.
Western media reported earlier on Wednesday that the Israeli military aviation hit targets on the Syrian-Lebanese border.
...
------------------------------
http://news.xinhuanet.com/
Xinhua News Agency
January 31, 2013
Israeli airstrike targeted science facility near Syrian capital: military
DAMASCUS: Israeli war jets sneaked off radars and hit a center for scientific research in a suburb of Syrian capital Damascus at dawn Wednesday, the General Command of the Syrian Military said in a statement.
The military statement, splashed in a thick red news bar on the state-TV, said the Israeli fighter jets penetrated at dawn Wednesday the Syrian airspace and directly struck one of the country's scientific research center located in the Jumraya suburb of the capital.
The attack came after many unsuccessful attempts by the "armed terrorist groups" to capture this site over the past months, the military statement said, hinting that the Israeli air raid played in the hands of the rebels.
It said the facility was responsible for lifting up the level of resistance and self-defense, adding that the attack led to the killing of two workers and the wounding of five others.
The war jets sneaked in from the border region of al-Shaikh Mountain at a law altitude and under the radar and headed toward Jumraya, said the statement, which totally rubbished as unfounded media reports claiming that the airstrike targeted a convoy that was allegedly heading from Syria to Lebanon.
...
Decrying the move as "flagrant intervention" to the Syrian airspace, the military contended that Israel is the driving force and beneficiary of the terrorist acts committed in Syria with the partnership of Qatar and Turkey.
It said that the Israeli move would not dissuade Syria from keeping on supporting the resistance movements, the foremost of which is the Palestinian cause.
While condemning the move, the military statement said nothing about a possible payback for the Israeli aggression.
...
==============================
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==============================
Russian Information Agency Novosti
January 31, 2013
Syria Says Israel Strikes Military Facility
BEIRUT: An Israeli airstrike hit a military research center in Syria on Wednesday, Syrian state news agency SANA reported, citing a statement by the Syrian army’s general command.
“Israeli fighter jets violated our airspace at dawn today and carried out a direct airstrike on our scientific and research center, which works to raise our resistance and self-defense,” the statement reads.
Syrian state TV said two people were killed and five injured in an airstrike on the Jamraya military research center northwest of the capital Damascus.
The building was seriously damaged during the airstrike.
Western media reported earlier on Wednesday that the Israeli military aviation hit targets on the Syrian-Lebanese border.
...
------------------------------
http://news.xinhuanet.com/
Xinhua News Agency
January 31, 2013
Israeli airstrike targeted science facility near Syrian capital: military
DAMASCUS: Israeli war jets sneaked off radars and hit a center for scientific research in a suburb of Syrian capital Damascus at dawn Wednesday, the General Command of the Syrian Military said in a statement.
The military statement, splashed in a thick red news bar on the state-TV, said the Israeli fighter jets penetrated at dawn Wednesday the Syrian airspace and directly struck one of the country's scientific research center located in the Jumraya suburb of the capital.
The attack came after many unsuccessful attempts by the "armed terrorist groups" to capture this site over the past months, the military statement said, hinting that the Israeli air raid played in the hands of the rebels.
It said the facility was responsible for lifting up the level of resistance and self-defense, adding that the attack led to the killing of two workers and the wounding of five others.
The war jets sneaked in from the border region of al-Shaikh Mountain at a law altitude and under the radar and headed toward Jumraya, said the statement, which totally rubbished as unfounded media reports claiming that the airstrike targeted a convoy that was allegedly heading from Syria to Lebanon.
...
Decrying the move as "flagrant intervention" to the Syrian airspace, the military contended that Israel is the driving force and beneficiary of the terrorist acts committed in Syria with the partnership of Qatar and Turkey.
It said that the Israeli move would not dissuade Syria from keeping on supporting the resistance movements, the foremost of which is the Palestinian cause.
While condemning the move, the military statement said nothing about a possible payback for the Israeli aggression.
...
==============================
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==============================
Thu Jan 31, 2013 6:15 am (PST) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://english.ruvr.ru/2013_01
Voice of Russia
January 31, 2013
‘America's Nazi scientists fulfilling dream of ruling the world’ - Bruce Gagnon
Audio at URL above
In an exclusive interview with the Voice of Russia, Bruce Gagnon shares little known facts about the militarization of space by the United States, the development of first strike space drones and the foundation of the US military industrial complex by Nazi scientists bent on victory in World War III. If you thought missile defense and drones were bad, you haven't heard anything yet.
Robles: According to your organization the US Space Command has publicly stated they intent to control space in order to protect US interests and investments. Is space now US territory?
Gagnon: Well, indeed the United States likes to believe that it owns space, and particularly the Space Command, who on their headquarters building in Colorado Springs, just above the doorway they have their logo that reads “Master of Space”. So, I think that it is quite evident that the Space Command does indeed view space as US territory that must be controlled because they clearly understand that all warfare on the earth today is coordinated by space technology and that whoever essentially controls space will control the planet below, in this case on behalf I believe of corporate globalization. And so the Space Command in our thinking has become the military arm of corporate globalization.
And so today the US is developing a whole host of technologies to allow it to fight war from space, through space and in space, controlling not only the Earth but also the pathway on and off the planet Earth, the pathway to other planetary bodies as resources are discovered on other planets: magnesium, cobalt, uranium, gold, water etc.
In a congressional study done back in the 1980s, the Congress gave the Pentagon the mandate to develop the technologies to control the pathway on and off the planet Earth. So, the Space Command sees its role in a very-very robust kind of way.
Robles: Several questions just popped up after what you just said. First one: how do they intend to “control the pathway”, I mean there is not only one pathway off the planet, I mean, how are they going to do that?
Gagnon: Well, in this particular study entitled “Military Space Forces the Next 50 Years”, they talk about the Earth-Moon Gravity Well, that whoever controls the Earth-Moon Gravity Well, essentially with bases on the Moon and armed space stations between, what they said were the L4 and L5 positions in space, they would be able to control these.
And interestingly enough, we know that it was in fact the former Nazi scientists that were brought to the United States following World War II under a program, a secret program, called Operation Paper Clip. These Nazi scientists that ran Hitler’s V1 and V2 rocket programs, they were the first to bring to the Congress of the United States, this idea of having orbiting battle stations controlling the pathway on and off the planet as well as the Earth below.
So, today again there is the whole host of technologies that are being developed by the Space Command. They say at the Pentagon that we are not going to get all of these technologies to work, but through the investment and the research and development in these various technologies, things like “Rods from God”: orbiting battle stations with tungsten-steel rods they would be able to hit targets on the Earth below…
Robles: They call those “Rods from God”?
Gagnon: Yes, they call it “Rods from God”. The new military space plane that is being tested now by the Pentagon, it has shown its ability to stay in orbit for a whole year at a time: an unpiloted space drone essentially. And then with ground stations all over the planet that the United States has established, what they call downlink stations that communicate with US military satellites all over the planet. This whole network has been put into place to really give the US, as they say in one of their planning documents, “control and domination of space”.
Robles: More questions: The space drone that you just mentioned, it is actually...it’s operational right now?
Gagnon: It is called the X37B, it’s been over the past couple of years. The testing program has accelerated and they’ve had three successful launches of it now. Just recently, I believe it was just at the end 2012, was the last of the missions, the third mission actually. But prior to that they had one of them spend a whole year in space.
The role of this X37B, or the military space plane, is somewhat in dispute. Some people believe that it is for surveillance, to spy on various countries, like Russia and China. Or others believe that it is actually a first strike weapons system whose job would be to fly down from orbit, drop an attack on a particular country.
In fact the Space Command annually war games a first strike attack on China set in the year 2016. And in one of the articles, in one of the industry publications, Aviation Week and Space Technology, I read a report about the first weapon that was used in one of these computer war game attacks of China, was this military space plane. So, indeed they are war gaming with it as a first strike weapon.
Robles: Now, you mentioned Nazi scientists a minute ago. I mean, it is not a very widely known fact that after World War II, I believe it was, about 400,000 Nazis found refugee in the United States. Can you tell us a little more on the scientists that were developing these programs and working with the US government? Can you expand on that a little bit?
Gagnon: Under Operation Paper Clip, 1,200 Nazis were brought into the United States, former Nazi intelligence. They were brought in to help create the CIA.
Wernher von Braun, the Nazi scientist that ran the V1 and V2 operations, was brought in. He became one of the leaders of NASA and he built the first successful rockets that were launched by the US military after the Kennedy administration wanted to respond to the Soviet Union’s launch of Sputnik.
Other Nazi scientists were brought in to create US Flight Medicine programs, the MKUltra LSD-drug experiments of the 1960s in the United States, where people were jumping out of windows and killing themselves because they were given drugs.
The people that were running these were the former Nazi scientists who had been doing similar tests on prisoners of war and Jews and other people in concentration camps inside of Germany.
So, the entire military industrial complex was seeded with these top Nazi operatives. And I’ve always maintained that when you do that: “Is there an ideological contamination that comes along with that?” My belief is: indeed there is.
Robles: That’s exactly the point I wanted to make myself.
Gagnon: Major-General Walter Dornberger was the Head of Hitler’s secret Space Development Program. He was brought to the United States to work for Bell Aerospace in New York State after the war.
He testified before the Congress in the 1950s. And I can quote him, he said to the Congress: “Gentlemen, I didn’t come to this country to lose the third world war, I lost two already.” And he again was one of the first to lay out this vision of control of space, giving the US full control of the planet Earth.
Bruce Gagnon is the coordinator for the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space.
==============================
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==============================
Voice of Russia
January 31, 2013
‘America's Nazi scientists fulfilling dream of ruling the world’ - Bruce Gagnon
Audio at URL above
In an exclusive interview with the Voice of Russia, Bruce Gagnon shares little known facts about the militarization of space by the United States, the development of first strike space drones and the foundation of the US military industrial complex by Nazi scientists bent on victory in World War III. If you thought missile defense and drones were bad, you haven't heard anything yet.
Robles: According to your organization the US Space Command has publicly stated they intent to control space in order to protect US interests and investments. Is space now US territory?
Gagnon: Well, indeed the United States likes to believe that it owns space, and particularly the Space Command, who on their headquarters building in Colorado Springs, just above the doorway they have their logo that reads “Master of Space”. So, I think that it is quite evident that the Space Command does indeed view space as US territory that must be controlled because they clearly understand that all warfare on the earth today is coordinated by space technology and that whoever essentially controls space will control the planet below, in this case on behalf I believe of corporate globalization. And so the Space Command in our thinking has become the military arm of corporate globalization.
And so today the US is developing a whole host of technologies to allow it to fight war from space, through space and in space, controlling not only the Earth but also the pathway on and off the planet Earth, the pathway to other planetary bodies as resources are discovered on other planets: magnesium, cobalt, uranium, gold, water etc.
In a congressional study done back in the 1980s, the Congress gave the Pentagon the mandate to develop the technologies to control the pathway on and off the planet Earth. So, the Space Command sees its role in a very-very robust kind of way.
Robles: Several questions just popped up after what you just said. First one: how do they intend to “control the pathway”, I mean there is not only one pathway off the planet, I mean, how are they going to do that?
Gagnon: Well, in this particular study entitled “Military Space Forces the Next 50 Years”, they talk about the Earth-Moon Gravity Well, that whoever controls the Earth-Moon Gravity Well, essentially with bases on the Moon and armed space stations between, what they said were the L4 and L5 positions in space, they would be able to control these.
And interestingly enough, we know that it was in fact the former Nazi scientists that were brought to the United States following World War II under a program, a secret program, called Operation Paper Clip. These Nazi scientists that ran Hitler’s V1 and V2 rocket programs, they were the first to bring to the Congress of the United States, this idea of having orbiting battle stations controlling the pathway on and off the planet as well as the Earth below.
So, today again there is the whole host of technologies that are being developed by the Space Command. They say at the Pentagon that we are not going to get all of these technologies to work, but through the investment and the research and development in these various technologies, things like “Rods from God”: orbiting battle stations with tungsten-steel rods they would be able to hit targets on the Earth below…
Robles: They call those “Rods from God”?
Gagnon: Yes, they call it “Rods from God”. The new military space plane that is being tested now by the Pentagon, it has shown its ability to stay in orbit for a whole year at a time: an unpiloted space drone essentially. And then with ground stations all over the planet that the United States has established, what they call downlink stations that communicate with US military satellites all over the planet. This whole network has been put into place to really give the US, as they say in one of their planning documents, “control and domination of space”.
Robles: More questions: The space drone that you just mentioned, it is actually...it’s operational right now?
Gagnon: It is called the X37B, it’s been over the past couple of years. The testing program has accelerated and they’ve had three successful launches of it now. Just recently, I believe it was just at the end 2012, was the last of the missions, the third mission actually. But prior to that they had one of them spend a whole year in space.
The role of this X37B, or the military space plane, is somewhat in dispute. Some people believe that it is for surveillance, to spy on various countries, like Russia and China. Or others believe that it is actually a first strike weapons system whose job would be to fly down from orbit, drop an attack on a particular country.
In fact the Space Command annually war games a first strike attack on China set in the year 2016. And in one of the articles, in one of the industry publications, Aviation Week and Space Technology, I read a report about the first weapon that was used in one of these computer war game attacks of China, was this military space plane. So, indeed they are war gaming with it as a first strike weapon.
Robles: Now, you mentioned Nazi scientists a minute ago. I mean, it is not a very widely known fact that after World War II, I believe it was, about 400,000 Nazis found refugee in the United States. Can you tell us a little more on the scientists that were developing these programs and working with the US government? Can you expand on that a little bit?
Gagnon: Under Operation Paper Clip, 1,200 Nazis were brought into the United States, former Nazi intelligence. They were brought in to help create the CIA.
Wernher von Braun, the Nazi scientist that ran the V1 and V2 operations, was brought in. He became one of the leaders of NASA and he built the first successful rockets that were launched by the US military after the Kennedy administration wanted to respond to the Soviet Union’s launch of Sputnik.
Other Nazi scientists were brought in to create US Flight Medicine programs, the MKUltra LSD-drug experiments of the 1960s in the United States, where people were jumping out of windows and killing themselves because they were given drugs.
The people that were running these were the former Nazi scientists who had been doing similar tests on prisoners of war and Jews and other people in concentration camps inside of Germany.
So, the entire military industrial complex was seeded with these top Nazi operatives. And I’ve always maintained that when you do that: “Is there an ideological contamination that comes along with that?” My belief is: indeed there is.
Robles: That’s exactly the point I wanted to make myself.
Gagnon: Major-General Walter Dornberger was the Head of Hitler’s secret Space Development Program. He was brought to the United States to work for Bell Aerospace in New York State after the war.
He testified before the Congress in the 1950s. And I can quote him, he said to the Congress: “Gentlemen, I didn’t come to this country to lose the third world war, I lost two already.” And he again was one of the first to lay out this vision of control of space, giving the US full control of the planet Earth.
Bruce Gagnon is the coordinator for the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space.
==============================
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==============================
Thu Jan 31, 2013 6:16 am (PST) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://english.ruvr.ru/2013_01
Voice of Russia
January 28, 2013
‘There is a drone with Assange’s name on it’ – William Blum
John Robles
Assange will be assassinated if freed, expert says. In an exclusive interview with the Voice of Russia, William Blum, an American author, historian, and critic of United States foreign policy spoke about CIA assassinations (one of his areas of expertise) and some of his past work. Mr. Blum is candid in his assessment of CIA assassination plots against such people as Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa. He also has some surprising things to say about Julian Assange and Osama bin Laden.
Robles: Hello Mr. Blum, nice to be speaking with you.You have a very long and interesting history...a lot of things you have written. You wrote a book about the CIA. Can you tell us a little bit about that?
Blum:Well, American interventions carried out via the CIA and all the U.S. military have been my specialty for many-many years. My books emphasize those things. As does my monthly newsletters “The Anti-Empire Report”.
As far as the backlash: the U.S. government doesn’t bother American authors that much, because they know we don’t have that much influence, they can afford to have us write things and point to that as proof of freedom of speech in America. So they don’t care.
Robles: I see. They said that you had exposed more than 200 CIA employees.
Blum: That was in 1969 when I was working for the “Underground Press” in Washington D.C. and I and a colleague we parked our car outside the CIA headquarters in Virginia and for a couple of hours or so, we recorded the license plate numbers of all the cars going into the CIA. And with that information we were able to compile a list of names and addresses of these people, which we published in our underground newspaper.
Robles: That sounds very interesting! You talked about CIA assassination plots, you’re pretty much an expert on that. Can you tell us a little bit about what you know about the plot to remove Hugo Chavez?
Blum: Assassination attempts? That was in 2004, the U.S. government met with the coup plotters both in Venezuela and Washington and these people then carried out a military coup which overthrew Chavez and the people took him to custody, but he was freed after about two days, because of a combination of public outcry and pressure from the remaining members of the military who were not part of the coup. So then he actually had and still has a lot of support in the military. He, himself was a member of it. So a combination of the military and a public outcry forced the coup plotters to abandon their plans and after two days Chavez was released.
Robles: Can you tell us about your book “Rogue State: A Guide to the World’s Only Superpower”? And could you comment on an endorsement you received, at the time, in 2006 by Osama bin Laden?
Blum: It was supposed to be a mini-encyclopedia of all the nefarious things done by the U.S. foreign policy. There’s a chapter on assassination, a chapter on bombings and so on. There are many chapters covering the gross and illegal aspects of U.S. foreign policy. It’s compiled together many things which most Americans, and most people in the world are not aware of.
Individual elements of each of these compilations one could find in some public area or other but to put it together into long tables of information was my contribution and that came out in about 2000. And then in 2006 the Arabic version of the book, the book had many foreign translations, there were two in Arabic and one of those two was read by Osama bin Laden and he, in one of his periodic audio recordings, mentioned that Americans would be well served if they read my book and get a better understanding of their enemy.
And I can only guess that the theme in that book Rogue State which most caught his attention and his sympathy was one chapter dealing with the motivations of anti-American terrorists. Contrary to what we were being taught, and still now to a large extent, were that these people were: just hated America, or they hated Christianity, or they were just crazy, or they were just envious of democracy and our wealth, all of these reasons, but never even a hint that they were acting out of retribution for the decades of very serious military and other infringements upon people in the Middle East. All kinds of bombings and overthrows of governments, supporting dictatorships, supporting Israel,all kinds of things I gave a long list of the American actions which created all these anti-American terrorists, and that is what I am assuming most appealed to bin Laden.
Robles: What do you know about the assassination plot to kill Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa? Before the elections, he is supposed to be assassinated.
Blum: This month you are speaking about?
Robles: Yes sir. Correa made this statement that they had uncovered a plot to assassinate him before...
Blum: I wouldn’t doubt that. I would be surprised if the CIA did not attempt to assassinate him. I mean among other reasons, he’s sheltering Assange! That by itself is reason to assassinate him.
Robles: Are you saying that just the fact that he’s given asylum to Assange, that’s enough for the CIA to assassinate him?
Blum: The CIA attempts to assassinate people for much less reasons than that. Assange is the public enemy №1 in America. The U.S. is obsessed with him and they are afraid that he will be issuing the release of more classified documents so they’d really like to put him out of the way, if they can.
They were all set to invade the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, when the British government was finally talked out of it by their own people: That it would set a terrible precedent, that the U.K. Embassies all over the world would not be safe then. That was the reason that they called off the invasion plan.
They’re very serious about Assange. I mean he has to go. He’s the most marked man in the world.
Robles: You think so? You said he’s enemy number one of the United States.
Blum: As far as being put out of the way? Yeah. I would say that if the US had a choice it would get him out of the way before anyone else.
Robles: So you think it’s pretty credible his fears of being assassinated by the CIA? Yeah?
Blum: There is a drone somewhere with his name on it, and if he walks around in the world and he is not in the midst of a big city, he’s a marked man. There’s a rocket with his name on it inside of a drone with his name on it. So I can not imagine that would not be the case. The CIA has, if you delve as much as I have into the history of assassinations and so on, that is totally expected.
Robles: So as an expert you are saying that it is totally expected?! Wow! Okay
Blum: If he’s walking around free somewhere. Yeah.
Robles: Sure. I see. I see. Hey Bill thank you very much! I really appreciate you speaking with me!
Closing
End of Part 1
William Blum is the author of several books on US foreign policy. He also sends out a monthly newsletter called “The Anti-Empire Report”
==============================
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
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==============================
Voice of Russia
January 28, 2013
‘There is a drone with Assange’s name on it’ – William Blum
John Robles
Assange will be assassinated if freed, expert says. In an exclusive interview with the Voice of Russia, William Blum, an American author, historian, and critic of United States foreign policy spoke about CIA assassinations (one of his areas of expertise) and some of his past work. Mr. Blum is candid in his assessment of CIA assassination plots against such people as Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa. He also has some surprising things to say about Julian Assange and Osama bin Laden.
Robles: Hello Mr. Blum, nice to be speaking with you.You have a very long and interesting history...a lot of things you have written. You wrote a book about the CIA. Can you tell us a little bit about that?
Blum:Well, American interventions carried out via the CIA and all the U.S. military have been my specialty for many-many years. My books emphasize those things. As does my monthly newsletters “The Anti-Empire Report”.
As far as the backlash: the U.S. government doesn’t bother American authors that much, because they know we don’t have that much influence, they can afford to have us write things and point to that as proof of freedom of speech in America. So they don’t care.
Robles: I see. They said that you had exposed more than 200 CIA employees.
Blum: That was in 1969 when I was working for the “Underground Press” in Washington D.C. and I and a colleague we parked our car outside the CIA headquarters in Virginia and for a couple of hours or so, we recorded the license plate numbers of all the cars going into the CIA. And with that information we were able to compile a list of names and addresses of these people, which we published in our underground newspaper.
Robles: That sounds very interesting! You talked about CIA assassination plots, you’re pretty much an expert on that. Can you tell us a little bit about what you know about the plot to remove Hugo Chavez?
Blum: Assassination attempts? That was in 2004, the U.S. government met with the coup plotters both in Venezuela and Washington and these people then carried out a military coup which overthrew Chavez and the people took him to custody, but he was freed after about two days, because of a combination of public outcry and pressure from the remaining members of the military who were not part of the coup. So then he actually had and still has a lot of support in the military. He, himself was a member of it. So a combination of the military and a public outcry forced the coup plotters to abandon their plans and after two days Chavez was released.
Robles: Can you tell us about your book “Rogue State: A Guide to the World’s Only Superpower”? And could you comment on an endorsement you received, at the time, in 2006 by Osama bin Laden?
Blum: It was supposed to be a mini-encyclopedia of all the nefarious things done by the U.S. foreign policy. There’s a chapter on assassination, a chapter on bombings and so on. There are many chapters covering the gross and illegal aspects of U.S. foreign policy. It’s compiled together many things which most Americans, and most people in the world are not aware of.
Individual elements of each of these compilations one could find in some public area or other but to put it together into long tables of information was my contribution and that came out in about 2000. And then in 2006 the Arabic version of the book, the book had many foreign translations, there were two in Arabic and one of those two was read by Osama bin Laden and he, in one of his periodic audio recordings, mentioned that Americans would be well served if they read my book and get a better understanding of their enemy.
And I can only guess that the theme in that book Rogue State which most caught his attention and his sympathy was one chapter dealing with the motivations of anti-American terrorists. Contrary to what we were being taught, and still now to a large extent, were that these people were: just hated America, or they hated Christianity, or they were just crazy, or they were just envious of democracy and our wealth, all of these reasons, but never even a hint that they were acting out of retribution for the decades of very serious military and other infringements upon people in the Middle East. All kinds of bombings and overthrows of governments, supporting dictatorships, supporting Israel,all kinds of things I gave a long list of the American actions which created all these anti-American terrorists, and that is what I am assuming most appealed to bin Laden.
Robles: What do you know about the assassination plot to kill Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa? Before the elections, he is supposed to be assassinated.
Blum: This month you are speaking about?
Robles: Yes sir. Correa made this statement that they had uncovered a plot to assassinate him before...
Blum: I wouldn’t doubt that. I would be surprised if the CIA did not attempt to assassinate him. I mean among other reasons, he’s sheltering Assange! That by itself is reason to assassinate him.
Robles: Are you saying that just the fact that he’s given asylum to Assange, that’s enough for the CIA to assassinate him?
Blum: The CIA attempts to assassinate people for much less reasons than that. Assange is the public enemy №1 in America. The U.S. is obsessed with him and they are afraid that he will be issuing the release of more classified documents so they’d really like to put him out of the way, if they can.
They were all set to invade the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, when the British government was finally talked out of it by their own people: That it would set a terrible precedent, that the U.K. Embassies all over the world would not be safe then. That was the reason that they called off the invasion plan.
They’re very serious about Assange. I mean he has to go. He’s the most marked man in the world.
Robles: You think so? You said he’s enemy number one of the United States.
Blum: As far as being put out of the way? Yeah. I would say that if the US had a choice it would get him out of the way before anyone else.
Robles: So you think it’s pretty credible his fears of being assassinated by the CIA? Yeah?
Blum: There is a drone somewhere with his name on it, and if he walks around in the world and he is not in the midst of a big city, he’s a marked man. There’s a rocket with his name on it inside of a drone with his name on it. So I can not imagine that would not be the case. The CIA has, if you delve as much as I have into the history of assassinations and so on, that is totally expected.
Robles: So as an expert you are saying that it is totally expected?! Wow! Okay
Blum: If he’s walking around free somewhere. Yeah.
Robles: Sure. I see. I see. Hey Bill thank you very much! I really appreciate you speaking with me!
Closing
End of Part 1
William Blum is the author of several books on US foreign policy. He also sends out a monthly newsletter called “The Anti-Empire Report”
==============================
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==============================
Thu Jan 31, 2013 3:03 pm (PST) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://www.defense.gov/news/ne
U.S. Department of Defense
January 30, 2013
Special Ops Command South Presses for Increased Engagement
By Donna Miles
====
“On any given day, I have over 300 people deployed downrange to Central and South America, including members of every service’s special operations force and their civil affairs and military information support teams,” he said. “SOC South is engaged 365 [days a year], 24/7.”
Mulholland cited Colombia as the shining example of what capacity building can achieve.
SOC South’s special operators help partner military and police forces...then embed with them to help them plan and conduct actual missions.
“I’m pushing them out to Honduras, to Colombia, to Peru, and increasing their level of engagement..."
====
WASHINGTON: Despite dwindling resources and a national defense focus on the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific, the commander of Special Operations Command South is committed to not only maintaining, but increasing engagements in Central and South America and the Caribbean.
Regular, sustained engagement is key to SOC South’s core mission: building partner capacity...Army Brig. Gen. Sean P. Mulholland told American Forces Press Service while here for an annual Special Operations and Low-intensity Conflict Symposium and Exhibition.
“On any given day, I have over 300 people deployed downrange to Central and South America, including members of every service’s special operations force and their civil affairs and military information support teams,” he said. “SOC South is engaged 365 [days a year], 24/7.”
A Green Beret who has served most of his career within Latin America, Mulholland said he’s convinced that persistent engagement establishes a level of credibility and trust simply not possible through traditional training and exercise programs. “Building partner capacity is planting seeds” that require nurturing over time, he said.
...
Since assuming command in October, Mulholland has made a concerted effort to promote these contacts, all governed by the host nation’s requests, in collaboration with the U.S. embassy country team and at the direction of U.S. Southern Command.
...
Mulholland cited Colombia as the shining example of what capacity building can achieve.
Historically, the FARC - Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia - ran rampant in Colombia...But 25 years ago, the Colombian police force was corrupt and the military forces were in disarray.
Today, thanks to strong Colombian leadership and persistent U.S. support and engagement, Colombia has capable, highly respected security forces. In addition to securing their own country, they are now training other regional militaries.
...
Other success stories can be found in Brazil, which has long stood as a strong example in the region, and increasingly in Panama, Guatemala and El Salvador.
Mulholland acknowledged concerns about Honduras, where constrained resources limit its special operators’ ability to reach ungoverned sections of the country...
“The problem is that the activity is not persistent,” Mulholland said, noting that’s a problem SOC South alone can’t fix.
“Mobility is a big challenge in Honduras, and if you can’t get to the show in these ungoverned spaces, then that is a big issue,” he said.
Mulholland recognized that no matter how much he tries to expand engagements, he’ll never have the assets to keep up with demand. So he seeks out opportunities to partner in countries interested in “training, not just for training’s sake, but to go operational.”
SOC South’s special operators help partner military and police forces...then embed with them to help them plan and conduct actual missions.
...
This forms a bond simply not possible through traditional schoolhouse training and short-duration exercises, he said.
...
It’s a formula that’s been tested and proven over time, even while wartime requirements in Iraq and Afghanistan tapped some of SOC South’s personnel and equipment. At one point, for example, Mulholland was serving as commander of the 7th Special Forces Group that focused on Latin America and the Caribbean when he was deployed for a year to Regional Command North in Afghanistan.
...
Meanwhile, Mulholland has made a concerted effort to rebuild capabilities that have eroded during the past decade of conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan. He’s pressing to increase Spanish-language proficiency across the command, speaking only in Spanish to his staff and offering Spanish classes for spouses.
In addition, he’s limiting the time SOC South members spend at their headquarters at Homestead Air Reserve Base in Florida.
“I’m pushing them out to Honduras, to Colombia, to Peru, and increasing their level of engagement without breaking their backs,” Mulholland said.
“In these times of reducing resources, we need to push out as much as we can,” he said. “We can’t take on this protracted tortoise mentality, saying we don’t have enough money or resources. Instead, I am going to do everything I can to get more people out there.
...
==============================
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==============================
U.S. Department of Defense
January 30, 2013
Special Ops Command South Presses for Increased Engagement
By Donna Miles
====
“On any given day, I have over 300 people deployed downrange to Central and South America, including members of every service’s special operations force and their civil affairs and military information support teams,” he said. “SOC South is engaged 365 [days a year], 24/7.”
Mulholland cited Colombia as the shining example of what capacity building can achieve.
SOC South’s special operators help partner military and police forces...then embed with them to help them plan and conduct actual missions.
“I’m pushing them out to Honduras, to Colombia, to Peru, and increasing their level of engagement..."
====
WASHINGTON: Despite dwindling resources and a national defense focus on the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific, the commander of Special Operations Command South is committed to not only maintaining, but increasing engagements in Central and South America and the Caribbean.
Regular, sustained engagement is key to SOC South’s core mission: building partner capacity...Army Brig. Gen. Sean P. Mulholland told American Forces Press Service while here for an annual Special Operations and Low-intensity Conflict Symposium and Exhibition.
“On any given day, I have over 300 people deployed downrange to Central and South America, including members of every service’s special operations force and their civil affairs and military information support teams,” he said. “SOC South is engaged 365 [days a year], 24/7.”
A Green Beret who has served most of his career within Latin America, Mulholland said he’s convinced that persistent engagement establishes a level of credibility and trust simply not possible through traditional training and exercise programs. “Building partner capacity is planting seeds” that require nurturing over time, he said.
...
Since assuming command in October, Mulholland has made a concerted effort to promote these contacts, all governed by the host nation’s requests, in collaboration with the U.S. embassy country team and at the direction of U.S. Southern Command.
...
Mulholland cited Colombia as the shining example of what capacity building can achieve.
Historically, the FARC - Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia - ran rampant in Colombia...But 25 years ago, the Colombian police force was corrupt and the military forces were in disarray.
Today, thanks to strong Colombian leadership and persistent U.S. support and engagement, Colombia has capable, highly respected security forces. In addition to securing their own country, they are now training other regional militaries.
...
Other success stories can be found in Brazil, which has long stood as a strong example in the region, and increasingly in Panama, Guatemala and El Salvador.
Mulholland acknowledged concerns about Honduras, where constrained resources limit its special operators’ ability to reach ungoverned sections of the country...
“The problem is that the activity is not persistent,” Mulholland said, noting that’s a problem SOC South alone can’t fix.
“Mobility is a big challenge in Honduras, and if you can’t get to the show in these ungoverned spaces, then that is a big issue,” he said.
Mulholland recognized that no matter how much he tries to expand engagements, he’ll never have the assets to keep up with demand. So he seeks out opportunities to partner in countries interested in “training, not just for training’s sake, but to go operational.”
SOC South’s special operators help partner military and police forces...then embed with them to help them plan and conduct actual missions.
...
This forms a bond simply not possible through traditional schoolhouse training and short-duration exercises, he said.
...
It’s a formula that’s been tested and proven over time, even while wartime requirements in Iraq and Afghanistan tapped some of SOC South’s personnel and equipment. At one point, for example, Mulholland was serving as commander of the 7th Special Forces Group that focused on Latin America and the Caribbean when he was deployed for a year to Regional Command North in Afghanistan.
...
Meanwhile, Mulholland has made a concerted effort to rebuild capabilities that have eroded during the past decade of conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan. He’s pressing to increase Spanish-language proficiency across the command, speaking only in Spanish to his staff and offering Spanish classes for spouses.
In addition, he’s limiting the time SOC South members spend at their headquarters at Homestead Air Reserve Base in Florida.
“I’m pushing them out to Honduras, to Colombia, to Peru, and increasing their level of engagement without breaking their backs,” Mulholland said.
“In these times of reducing resources, we need to push out as much as we can,” he said. “We can’t take on this protracted tortoise mentality, saying we don’t have enough money or resources. Instead, I am going to do everything I can to get more people out there.
...
==============================
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==============================
Thu Jan 31, 2013 3:03 pm (PST) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://www.defense.gov/news/ne
U.S. Department of Defense
January 29, 2013
Air Force Continues Support to France in Mali
By Claudette Roulo
WASHINGTON: The U.S. Air Force continues to back French air operations in Mali through refueling efforts, logistical movements, troop transport and information sharing, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said today.
“Since French operations began Jan. 11, the U.S. has been sharing intelligence with the French,” Little told reporters. The United States has provided airlift support to the French army since Jan. 21, he added, and began refueling support for French air operations Jan. 27.
As of Jan. 27, the U.S. Air Force had flown 17 C-17 sorties, moving more than 391 tons of equipment and supplies and nearly 500 French personnel into Bamako, Little said.
One refueling mission has been conducted so far, Little said, when a KC-135 Stratotanker provided about 33,000 pounds of fuel to French fighter aircraft. More refueling missions are expected to take place today, he added, noting that the United States is in constant consultation with France on their operations in Mali.
Following a phone call between Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta and his French counterpart, the United States also has agreed to support the international effort by providing airlift to countries in the region, including Chad and Togo, Little said.
Further French requests for assistance will be reviewed, Little said...
==============================
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==============================
U.S. Department of Defense
January 29, 2013
Air Force Continues Support to France in Mali
By Claudette Roulo
WASHINGTON: The U.S. Air Force continues to back French air operations in Mali through refueling efforts, logistical movements, troop transport and information sharing, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said today.
“Since French operations began Jan. 11, the U.S. has been sharing intelligence with the French,” Little told reporters. The United States has provided airlift support to the French army since Jan. 21, he added, and began refueling support for French air operations Jan. 27.
As of Jan. 27, the U.S. Air Force had flown 17 C-17 sorties, moving more than 391 tons of equipment and supplies and nearly 500 French personnel into Bamako, Little said.
One refueling mission has been conducted so far, Little said, when a KC-135 Stratotanker provided about 33,000 pounds of fuel to French fighter aircraft. More refueling missions are expected to take place today, he added, noting that the United States is in constant consultation with France on their operations in Mali.
Following a phone call between Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta and his French counterpart, the United States also has agreed to support the international effort by providing airlift to countries in the region, including Chad and Togo, Little said.
Further French requests for assistance will be reviewed, Little said...
==============================
Stop NATO e-mail list home page with archives and search engine:
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==============================
Thu Jan 31, 2013 7:27 pm (PST) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://www.civil.ge/eng/
Civil Georgia
January 31, 2013
Deputy Defense Minister, Deputy Chief of Army Staff Visit Israel
Tbilisi: Georgian Deputy Defense Minister Zaza Broladze and deputy chief of army staff Col. Vladimer Chachibaia are visiting Israel, the Ministry of Defense said on Thursday.
The MoD says that the purpose of the visit is to “deepen business relations” and “to plan joint projects” with Israeli “partners” of the Georgian state-owned military industrial enterprise Delta. The MoD does not specify who the partners are.
The MoD said that Delta, which employs about 2,000 people, “produces firearms, mortars, armored and infantry combat vehicles, artillery systems, universal combat modules; soldiers’ gear and uniforms, optical equipment, munitions, combat control systems and other military equipment.”
------------------------------
http://en.trend.az/regions/sca
Trend News Agency
January 31, 2013
Georgia to intensify relations with Israel in defence production
N. Kirtskhalia
Tbilisi: Georgia is going to win the support of Israel on the issue of development of a military, industrial complex.
To this end, Georgia's Deputy Defence Minister, Zaza Broladze, and Deputy Chief of the Joint Staff of the Georgian Armed Forces, Vladimir Chachibaya, are on a visit to Israel, the Ministry of Defence of Georgia told Trend on Thursday.
According to authorities, during the meetings in Tel Aviv the Georgian side intends to strengthen relations with its Israeli partners at the Delta production enterprise producing weapons.
Previously, Israeli experts have assisted the Georgian side in producing the modernised Su-25 equipped with a special technique and apparatus produced in Israel.
Currently, Delta produces BTR, BMP, anti-aircraft guns and various types of firearms, mortars, universal military modules, coveralls and optical devices. The company employs 2000 people.
Recently, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili spoke about the new government's plans to close the plant. However, Broladze responded by stating that this is not provided in any plans, on the contrary production of military equipment will be carried out incrementally.
------------------------------
http://www.mod.gov.ge/en/news/
Ministry of Defence of Georgia
January 31, 2013
Levan Dolidze held meetings in the NATO HQs
First Deputy Defence Minister Levan Dolidze is paying an official visit to Brussels. Today, MoD delegation members held meetings with Alexander Vershbow, NATO Deputy Secretary-General and James Appathurai, Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security Policy and NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia.
The sides discussed the progress of reforms in the MoD. The sides also talked about farther enhancement of NATO-Georgia cooperation and future perspectives.
“We have talked about using that mechanism effectively which is a main instrument in NATO-Georgia relationship. The discussions have also referred to planning of joint events in future, which will farther determine the NATO-Georgia partnership perspectives. We discussed all the effective mechanisms, which will promote Georgia`s interoperability with NATO and enhancement of future cooperation”, stated Levan Dolidze.
Today, Defence Ministry Delegation has also met with Frank Boland, NATO Defence Policy and Planning Director and Amb Huseyin Dirioz, NATO Assistant secretary General for Defence Policy and Planning.
Within the frames of a three-day visit in NATO HQs, the Georgian delegation will make a report for the representatives of NATO member countries. The Georgian side will brief the audience about its vision regarding the ongoing defence reforms, as well as about the measures which will insure GAF`s interoperability with NATO.
------------------------------
http://en.trend.az/regions/sca
Trend News Agency
January 30, 2013
Georgia considers draft Annual National Program for cooperation with NATO
N. Kirtskhalia
Tbilisi: The Annual National Program is a special opportunity for the country to become a member of NATO, head of the NATO liaison office in Georgia, William Lahue, said.
On Wednesday, Georgia considered the initial draft of the national program for 2013 in a meeting attended by representatives of various departments, diplomatic corps and experts.
"Today, discussions over the draft National Program for 2013, coordinated by the office of the Minister for European Integration, are being held with the support of NATO. NATO liaison offices as well as the Alliance itself fully support these efforts. This is a special opportunity for the country to become a member of NATO," Lahue said.
In turn, Georgia's Deputy State Minister for European Integration, Davit Dondua expressed his hope concerning the fact of the current program receiving positive evaluation, just like previous programs.
"The Annual National Program is a comprehensive document. This includes all of the reforms conducted by Georgian leadership for democratic reconstruction of the country. This applies to both political and legal, as well as defense aspects, external policy and security," Dondua said.
------------------------------
http://en.trend.az/regions/sca
Trend News Agency
January 25, 2013
U.S. to help Georgia in construction of military recuperation centre
N. Kirtskhalia
Tbilisi: The Georgian Defence Ministry will open a military recuperation centre in Tbilisi with the support of the U.S.
The centre will be established with the assistance of the Georgian-American cooperation office in the military area and will become fully operational next year, the Georgian Defence Ministry told Trend on Friday.
The U.S. side will provide technical equipment for the centre and staff training.
A group of experts from the U.S. European Command Headquarters is already in Georgia and will take part in the establishment of the medical amputation centre.
According to the Georgian Defence Ministry, 20 Georgian servicemen are undergoing a rehabilitation course in the United States.
==============================
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:
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==============================
Civil Georgia
January 31, 2013
Deputy Defense Minister, Deputy Chief of Army Staff Visit Israel
Tbilisi: Georgian Deputy Defense Minister Zaza Broladze and deputy chief of army staff Col. Vladimer Chachibaia are visiting Israel, the Ministry of Defense said on Thursday.
The MoD says that the purpose of the visit is to “deepen business relations” and “to plan joint projects” with Israeli “partners” of the Georgian state-owned military industrial enterprise Delta. The MoD does not specify who the partners are.
The MoD said that Delta, which employs about 2,000 people, “produces firearms, mortars, armored and infantry combat vehicles, artillery systems, universal combat modules; soldiers’ gear and uniforms, optical equipment, munitions, combat control systems and other military equipment.”
------------------------------
http://en.trend.az/regions/sca
Trend News Agency
January 31, 2013
Georgia to intensify relations with Israel in defence production
N. Kirtskhalia
Tbilisi: Georgia is going to win the support of Israel on the issue of development of a military, industrial complex.
To this end, Georgia's Deputy Defence Minister, Zaza Broladze, and Deputy Chief of the Joint Staff of the Georgian Armed Forces, Vladimir Chachibaya, are on a visit to Israel, the Ministry of Defence of Georgia told Trend on Thursday.
According to authorities, during the meetings in Tel Aviv the Georgian side intends to strengthen relations with its Israeli partners at the Delta production enterprise producing weapons.
Previously, Israeli experts have assisted the Georgian side in producing the modernised Su-25 equipped with a special technique and apparatus produced in Israel.
Currently, Delta produces BTR, BMP, anti-aircraft guns and various types of firearms, mortars, universal military modules, coveralls and optical devices. The company employs 2000 people.
Recently, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili spoke about the new government's plans to close the plant. However, Broladze responded by stating that this is not provided in any plans, on the contrary production of military equipment will be carried out incrementally.
------------------------------
http://www.mod.gov.ge/en/news/
Ministry of Defence of Georgia
January 31, 2013
Levan Dolidze held meetings in the NATO HQs
First Deputy Defence Minister Levan Dolidze is paying an official visit to Brussels. Today, MoD delegation members held meetings with Alexander Vershbow, NATO Deputy Secretary-General and James Appathurai, Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security Policy and NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia.
The sides discussed the progress of reforms in the MoD. The sides also talked about farther enhancement of NATO-Georgia cooperation and future perspectives.
“We have talked about using that mechanism effectively which is a main instrument in NATO-Georgia relationship. The discussions have also referred to planning of joint events in future, which will farther determine the NATO-Georgia partnership perspectives. We discussed all the effective mechanisms, which will promote Georgia`s interoperability with NATO and enhancement of future cooperation”, stated Levan Dolidze.
Today, Defence Ministry Delegation has also met with Frank Boland, NATO Defence Policy and Planning Director and Amb Huseyin Dirioz, NATO Assistant secretary General for Defence Policy and Planning.
Within the frames of a three-day visit in NATO HQs, the Georgian delegation will make a report for the representatives of NATO member countries. The Georgian side will brief the audience about its vision regarding the ongoing defence reforms, as well as about the measures which will insure GAF`s interoperability with NATO.
------------------------------
http://en.trend.az/regions/sca
Trend News Agency
January 30, 2013
Georgia considers draft Annual National Program for cooperation with NATO
N. Kirtskhalia
Tbilisi: The Annual National Program is a special opportunity for the country to become a member of NATO, head of the NATO liaison office in Georgia, William Lahue, said.
On Wednesday, Georgia considered the initial draft of the national program for 2013 in a meeting attended by representatives of various departments, diplomatic corps and experts.
"Today, discussions over the draft National Program for 2013, coordinated by the office of the Minister for European Integration, are being held with the support of NATO. NATO liaison offices as well as the Alliance itself fully support these efforts. This is a special opportunity for the country to become a member of NATO," Lahue said.
In turn, Georgia's Deputy State Minister for European Integration, Davit Dondua expressed his hope concerning the fact of the current program receiving positive evaluation, just like previous programs.
"The Annual National Program is a comprehensive document. This includes all of the reforms conducted by Georgian leadership for democratic reconstruction of the country. This applies to both political and legal, as well as defense aspects, external policy and security," Dondua said.
------------------------------
http://en.trend.az/regions/sca
Trend News Agency
January 25, 2013
U.S. to help Georgia in construction of military recuperation centre
N. Kirtskhalia
Tbilisi: The Georgian Defence Ministry will open a military recuperation centre in Tbilisi with the support of the U.S.
The centre will be established with the assistance of the Georgian-American cooperation office in the military area and will become fully operational next year, the Georgian Defence Ministry told Trend on Friday.
The U.S. side will provide technical equipment for the centre and staff training.
A group of experts from the U.S. European Command Headquarters is already in Georgia and will take part in the establishment of the medical amputation centre.
According to the Georgian Defence Ministry, 20 Georgian servicemen are undergoing a rehabilitation course in the United States.
==============================
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
==============================
Thu Jan 31, 2013 7:54 pm (PST) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://english.ruvr.ru/2013_01
Voice of Russia
January 31, 2013
The Srebrenica massacre was a gigantic political fraud - exclusive interview
John Robles
Audio at URL above
Renowned author Dr. Edward Herman spoke with the Voice of Russia regarding the facts surrounding the Srebrenica Massacre, the pretext for the "humanitarian" invasion of the former Yugoslavia, and takes apart the "official" version that has always been promoted by the West. Dr. Herman reveals that there were in fact multiple massacres at Srebrenica, and that the killing of Bosnian-Muslim soldiers at Srebrenica (the West's pretext) was in response to the killing of over 2,000 Serb civilians, mostly women and children, at the location.
Robles: My first question is about “The Srebrenica massacre” and the way that the establishment manipulated the media. Can you tell us, or give us some insights, on that?
Herman: The Srebrenica massacre, actually I always put it in quote marks, because actually there were lots of massacres in the Srebrenica area, the one before July 1995 there were vast numbers of Serbs killed by Muslim, Bosnian Muslim, forces who went out of Srebrenica.
One estimate is that there were more than 150 Serbs villages that were totally wiped out and one study gives actually gives the names of 2,383 Serb civilians who were killed between 1992 and July, 1995. So then we’d call that “the first Srebrenica massacre”. Then in July 1995…
Robles: Just to be very clear, these were Serbs, that were being killed.
Herman: Yes! We’re talking about 2,383 Serb civilians killed before July 1995. And the Bosnian Serb Army took over Srebrenica in July, 1995, and there were deaths and executions after that. That’s what’s called in the West “the Srebrenica massacre”, but, in fact, that’s really mainly a political construct.
The numbers executed there were probably in the order of between 500 and 1,000. In other words, less than half of the number of Serbs civilians killed before July, 1995.
And the Western claim is that 8,000 men and boys were executed in the quote Srebrenica massacre, but notice these were men, always men, all men, they were all soldiers, whereas those 2,383 civilians killed included very large numbers of women and children.
We’re talking about the execution in the second massacre of essentially army people. And of course they had never proved that there were 7,000 or 8,000, even men and boys killed. The bodies in the graves added up to something like 2,500.
A lot of those bodies were combat deaths. One of the beauties of the Western propaganda system is that all the bodies they found after July, 1995, they count as executed, even though we know very well that a large number were killed in combat.
Reminder
Herman: Also another important fact about the Srebrenica massacre is that all those killings of Serbs took place coming out of an area that was supposed to be a “safe haven”. Srebrenica was a safe place, a safe haven. It was supposed to be demilitarized, but it never was.
So the Bosnian Muslim soldiers would come out to Srebrenica and they would kill Serb civilians. This is all completely ignored in the Western media. It’s as if the Serbs came in July and started to kill arbitrarily.
In fact, the U.N. military in that area, a French offical name Phillip Movion, was asked by the Yugoslav tribunal, “Why the Serbs did it?”
He said he’s absolutely convinced that they did it because of what the commander of Srebrenica’s Bosnian Muslims did to the Serbs before July 1995.
This is the UN Army head, but you won’t see that in the Western press!
In other words, the first massacre is what led to the lesser second massacre of namely military aged people.
The whole business of the Srebrenica massacre is a gigantic political fraud. There was a massacre, but it was a responsive vengeance massacre, women and children were not killed.
One of the features of the “quote” Srebrenica massacre, that is the second one, is that 20,000 Srebrenica women and children were bussed to safety by the Serb army. Women and children were not killed, only military aged people and a very large fraction of those that did die, died in combat.
So my own estimate, as I said, is that maybe there were 500 to 1,000 executions. Vengeance executions.
Robles: I’m sorry. How many?
Herman: 500 to 1,000 I would say.
Robles: 500 to 1,000.
Herman: Yes. So there was a significant massacre, but put it in its context! This was a war, this was an army that had seen their own civilians massacred on a much larger scale. That is completely suppressed in the West, as if the Serbs came in to Srebrenica and started to kill because of a blood lust! It’s absolutely a fraud!
So, I regard the Srebrenica massacre as a tremendous propaganda triumph. The West wanted to go after Serbia and they avoided peace. They needed this massacre.
Robles: You said, about 2,380 civilians, women and children mainly…
Herman: Serbian women and children, yes.
Robles: … were killed initially. This was the Srebrenica…
Herman: The first massacre between 1992 and July 1995. These were Serb civilians. There were also hundreds of Serb military killed in that period, I am just talking about civilians!
Robles: The civilians, right! And then in retaliation approximately 2,500 Muslim… Bosnian Muslims soldiers were killed.
That’s misleading, because the thrust of the 8,000 claim is that they were executed but those 2000-plus that were killed, a very large fraction were killed in combat.
Robles: In combat. Okay, I see. I see.
Herman: Yes, and the executions were, as I say probably in the order of 500 to 1,000.
Robles: Okay. So those were Bosnian Muslims who were found to be directly responsible for killing massive numbers of Serbian civilians. Right?
Herman: The Serbs actually had lists of Bosnian Muslim soldiers they wanted to get, but I can’t honestly say they were the only ones who were executed. But certainly, a significant number of those executed were on those lists, those vengeance lists.
Edward S. Herman (born April 7, 1925) is an American economist and media analyst with a specialty in corporate and regulatory issues as well as political economy and the media.
He’s a Professor Emeritus of Finance at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He’s also the author of several books, namely “Manufacturing Consent” which he wrote with Noam Chomsky and “The Srebrenica Massacre: Evidence, Context and Politics”.
Voice of Russia
January 31, 2013
The Srebrenica massacre was a gigantic political fraud - exclusive interview
John Robles
Audio at URL above
Renowned author Dr. Edward Herman spoke with the Voice of Russia regarding the facts surrounding the Srebrenica Massacre, the pretext for the "humanitarian" invasion of the former Yugoslavia, and takes apart the "official" version that has always been promoted by the West. Dr. Herman reveals that there were in fact multiple massacres at Srebrenica, and that the killing of Bosnian-Muslim soldiers at Srebrenica (the West's pretext) was in response to the killing of over 2,000 Serb civilians, mostly women and children, at the location.
Robles: My first question is about “The Srebrenica massacre” and the way that the establishment manipulated the media. Can you tell us, or give us some insights, on that?
Herman: The Srebrenica massacre, actually I always put it in quote marks, because actually there were lots of massacres in the Srebrenica area, the one before July 1995 there were vast numbers of Serbs killed by Muslim, Bosnian Muslim, forces who went out of Srebrenica.
One estimate is that there were more than 150 Serbs villages that were totally wiped out and one study gives actually gives the names of 2,383 Serb civilians who were killed between 1992 and July, 1995. So then we’d call that “the first Srebrenica massacre”. Then in July 1995…
Robles: Just to be very clear, these were Serbs, that were being killed.
Herman: Yes! We’re talking about 2,383 Serb civilians killed before July 1995. And the Bosnian Serb Army took over Srebrenica in July, 1995, and there were deaths and executions after that. That’s what’s called in the West “the Srebrenica massacre”, but, in fact, that’s really mainly a political construct.
The numbers executed there were probably in the order of between 500 and 1,000. In other words, less than half of the number of Serbs civilians killed before July, 1995.
And the Western claim is that 8,000 men and boys were executed in the quote Srebrenica massacre, but notice these were men, always men, all men, they were all soldiers, whereas those 2,383 civilians killed included very large numbers of women and children.
We’re talking about the execution in the second massacre of essentially army people. And of course they had never proved that there were 7,000 or 8,000, even men and boys killed. The bodies in the graves added up to something like 2,500.
A lot of those bodies were combat deaths. One of the beauties of the Western propaganda system is that all the bodies they found after July, 1995, they count as executed, even though we know very well that a large number were killed in combat.
Reminder
Herman: Also another important fact about the Srebrenica massacre is that all those killings of Serbs took place coming out of an area that was supposed to be a “safe haven”. Srebrenica was a safe place, a safe haven. It was supposed to be demilitarized, but it never was.
So the Bosnian Muslim soldiers would come out to Srebrenica and they would kill Serb civilians. This is all completely ignored in the Western media. It’s as if the Serbs came in July and started to kill arbitrarily.
In fact, the U.N. military in that area, a French offical name Phillip Movion, was asked by the Yugoslav tribunal, “Why the Serbs did it?”
He said he’s absolutely convinced that they did it because of what the commander of Srebrenica’s Bosnian Muslims did to the Serbs before July 1995.
This is the UN Army head, but you won’t see that in the Western press!
In other words, the first massacre is what led to the lesser second massacre of namely military aged people.
The whole business of the Srebrenica massacre is a gigantic political fraud. There was a massacre, but it was a responsive vengeance massacre, women and children were not killed.
One of the features of the “quote” Srebrenica massacre, that is the second one, is that 20,000 Srebrenica women and children were bussed to safety by the Serb army. Women and children were not killed, only military aged people and a very large fraction of those that did die, died in combat.
So my own estimate, as I said, is that maybe there were 500 to 1,000 executions. Vengeance executions.
Robles: I’m sorry. How many?
Herman: 500 to 1,000 I would say.
Robles: 500 to 1,000.
Herman: Yes. So there was a significant massacre, but put it in its context! This was a war, this was an army that had seen their own civilians massacred on a much larger scale. That is completely suppressed in the West, as if the Serbs came in to Srebrenica and started to kill because of a blood lust! It’s absolutely a fraud!
So, I regard the Srebrenica massacre as a tremendous propaganda triumph. The West wanted to go after Serbia and they avoided peace. They needed this massacre.
Robles: You said, about 2,380 civilians, women and children mainly…
Herman: Serbian women and children, yes.
Robles: … were killed initially. This was the Srebrenica…
Herman: The first massacre between 1992 and July 1995. These were Serb civilians. There were also hundreds of Serb military killed in that period, I am just talking about civilians!
Robles: The civilians, right! And then in retaliation approximately 2,500 Muslim… Bosnian Muslims soldiers were killed.
That’s misleading, because the thrust of the 8,000 claim is that they were executed but those 2000-plus that were killed, a very large fraction were killed in combat.
Robles: In combat. Okay, I see. I see.
Herman: Yes, and the executions were, as I say probably in the order of 500 to 1,000.
Robles: Okay. So those were Bosnian Muslims who were found to be directly responsible for killing massive numbers of Serbian civilians. Right?
Herman: The Serbs actually had lists of Bosnian Muslim soldiers they wanted to get, but I can’t honestly say they were the only ones who were executed. But certainly, a significant number of those executed were on those lists, those vengeance lists.
Edward S. Herman (born April 7, 1925) is an American economist and media analyst with a specialty in corporate and regulatory issues as well as political economy and the media.
He’s a Professor Emeritus of Finance at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He’s also the author of several books, namely “Manufacturing Consent” which he wrote with Noam Chomsky and “The Srebrenica Massacre: Evidence, Context and Politics”.
