6 New Messages
Digest #4602
Messages
Sat Jan 12, 2013 7:00 am (PST) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://www.itar-tass.com/en/
Itar-Tass
January 11, 2013
Military interference in Syria could destabilize the whole region – ambassador
MOSCOW: Military interference in the Syrian crisis could destabilize the whole region, Tunisian Ambassador to Russia Ali Gutali told a news conference in Moscow on Friday.
"Tunisia has taken a stance of principle on the Syrian issue. We want the crisis to be settled peacefully by consensus. Tunisia is opposed to military interference and the imposition of a military solution to the conflict. Such measures could destabilize the whole region,” Gutali emphasized.
The Tunisian ambassador said that Tunisia hadn’t yet recognized the National Coalition of Syrian Opposition Forces. “However, we believe that representatives of the entire spectrum of political forces should join efforts aimed at settling the crisis,” Ali Gutali went on to say.
Asked to comment on a number of media reports that Tunisian citizens were involved in hostilities in Syria, the ambassador replied that Tunisia didn’t have organizations that were recruiting people for participation in military hostilities or terrorist activities in Syria. At the same time, the diplomat noted that there had been incidents when Tunisian youth illegally joined the fighting groups in Syria.
"Tunisia is in a period of transition. Therefore, we still have security problems and difficulties in restoring control on the border. However, the government is doing its best to stand against such incidents,” the Tunisian ambassador said in conclusion.
==============================
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==============================
Itar-Tass
January 11, 2013
Military interference in Syria could destabilize the whole region – ambassador
MOSCOW: Military interference in the Syrian crisis could destabilize the whole region, Tunisian Ambassador to Russia Ali Gutali told a news conference in Moscow on Friday.
"Tunisia has taken a stance of principle on the Syrian issue. We want the crisis to be settled peacefully by consensus. Tunisia is opposed to military interference and the imposition of a military solution to the conflict. Such measures could destabilize the whole region,” Gutali emphasized.
The Tunisian ambassador said that Tunisia hadn’t yet recognized the National Coalition of Syrian Opposition Forces. “However, we believe that representatives of the entire spectrum of political forces should join efforts aimed at settling the crisis,” Ali Gutali went on to say.
Asked to comment on a number of media reports that Tunisian citizens were involved in hostilities in Syria, the ambassador replied that Tunisia didn’t have organizations that were recruiting people for participation in military hostilities or terrorist activities in Syria. At the same time, the diplomat noted that there had been incidents when Tunisian youth illegally joined the fighting groups in Syria.
"Tunisia is in a period of transition. Therefore, we still have security problems and difficulties in restoring control on the border. However, the government is doing its best to stand against such incidents,” the Tunisian ambassador said in conclusion.
==============================
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==============================
Sat Jan 12, 2013 7:00 am (PST) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/o
China Daily
January 11, 2013
US playing strategic arms game
By Hu Yumin*
====
Washington will have 1,500 to 1,800 sea- and air-based first-strike cruise missiles by 2015 and 2,500 to 3,000 by 2020.
The US aims to combine PGS [Prompt Global Strike] with its space and anti-missile technologies to form an integrated defense system, which could render other countries' strategic weapons, including nuclear arms, almost useless.
This could put other countries in a dilemma: they either lose the capability to launch a strategic nuclear counterattack or use nuclear weapons first to avoid devastation.
====
Prompt Global Strike: World Military Superiority Without Nuclear Weapons
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.co
The US could cut its defense spending because of the fiscal cliff. But it would be wrong to assume that such a cut will weaken the US military.
In fact, the US has allocated more funds for the development of Prompt Global Strike, a system that can deliver a precision non-nuclear weapon strike anywhere in the world within 1 hour. The number of such weapons in the US armory will continue to grow, with the Russian Defense Ministry estimating that Washington will have 1,500 to 1,800 sea- and air-based first-strike cruise missiles by 2015 and 2,500 to 3,000 by 2020.
The US aims to combine PGS with its space and anti-missile technologies to form an integrated defense system, which could render other countries' strategic weapons, including nuclear arms, almost useless. It intends to break the global and regional strategic balance, minimize other countries' capability of strategic counterattack during emergencies and squeeze their strategic space.
This could put other countries in a dilemma: they either lose the capability to launch a strategic nuclear counterattack or use nuclear weapons first to avoid devastation.
Russia's army, navy as well as air force still have the capability to deal with any challenge. Moscow's Topol-M missiles are its major strategic nuclear deterrent and the project to deploy them is the most important part of its national armament planning. Russia has a reliable protection system, which also consists of multi-range anti-aircraft missiles to defend against air attacks from even high-precision non-nuclear weapons.
The Russian army has a multi-level firepower system, comprising C-400 and C-400M anti-aircraft missiles, and Thor and Amor anti-aircraft missile launchers, which is regarded as the best anti-aircraft power combination targeting PGS.
Since Russia's strategic weapon system is better than China's in terms of numbers, mobility and protection capabilities, some experts believe that the US army's PGS poses a greater threat to China than Russia.
To many defense experts' surprise, Chinese military experts seem to pay more attention to missile defense while ignoring the precision-guided prompt long-distance strike system. Some experts even say that China faces a difficult choice. On one hand, it is not sure of being able to build an effective protection system. On the other, even if it can build one, it will expose its limited and covert strategic missile launching bases.
During talks on strategic arms reduction, Russia has opposed the US' use of nuclear weapons delivery vehicles for non-nuclear military objectives because it not only helps the US save huge amounts in defense spending, but also boosts its PGS project.
It is highly likely that Russia will stick to its stance at future strategic weapons reduction talks. But the fact is Russia can hardly stop the US from going ahead with its plan. Apart from demanding restrictions on the deployment of the European antimissile system and seeking other nuclear powers' support, Russia does not have the bargaining chips to force the US into accepting its demand.
Major countries know that the advances made in military science and technology have made strategic stability in nuclear and non-nuclear fields highly correlated, especially during the strategic deployment process. And over-dependence on nuclear power, especially during an emergency, can undermine a country's national security.
But since other countries, compared to the US, are at a disadvantage in terms of conventional weapon systems, they have to adopt asymmetric corresponding actions. Global strategic stability depends more on the stability in Europe and Northeast Asia. This is something that the international community should understand and tell the countries that are calling for a "nuclear-free world" not to develop conventional weapons to replace nuclear ones, because it will have serous consequences on international security.
Some insightful people in the US have indeed emphasized the importance of maintaining global strategic stability. In 1967, Robert McNamara, then US secretary of defense, suggested that the former Soviet Union restrict the development of its anti-missile system to avoid escalating tensions. Initially, the Soviet Union opposed the idea but eventually it accepted it because it realized that developing the anti-missile system was destabilizing the world. This led to the 1972 Treaty on the Limitation of Anti-Ballistic Missile Systems between the Soviet Union and the US.
In 1985, when the US began experiments on how to use missiles to destroy low earth orbit satellites, many American senators and scholars said a US-Soviet Union race in this field was dangerous. Since the Soviet Union had unilaterally stopped its anti-satellite experiments in 1983, the US also gave up its tests later.
People who value peace hope that long-distance launching vehicles for precision-guided conventional warheads and missile defense systems will be part of the agenda at the strategic arms reduction talks.
*The author is a senior research fellow with China Arms Control and Disarmament Association.
==============================
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==============================
China Daily
January 11, 2013
US playing strategic arms game
By Hu Yumin*
====
Washington will have 1,500 to 1,800 sea- and air-based first-strike cruise missiles by 2015 and 2,500 to 3,000 by 2020.
The US aims to combine PGS [Prompt Global Strike] with its space and anti-missile technologies to form an integrated defense system, which could render other countries' strategic weapons, including nuclear arms, almost useless.
This could put other countries in a dilemma: they either lose the capability to launch a strategic nuclear counterattack or use nuclear weapons first to avoid devastation.
====
Prompt Global Strike: World Military Superiority Without Nuclear Weapons
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.co
The US could cut its defense spending because of the fiscal cliff. But it would be wrong to assume that such a cut will weaken the US military.
In fact, the US has allocated more funds for the development of Prompt Global Strike, a system that can deliver a precision non-nuclear weapon strike anywhere in the world within 1 hour. The number of such weapons in the US armory will continue to grow, with the Russian Defense Ministry estimating that Washington will have 1,500 to 1,800 sea- and air-based first-strike cruise missiles by 2015 and 2,500 to 3,000 by 2020.
The US aims to combine PGS with its space and anti-missile technologies to form an integrated defense system, which could render other countries' strategic weapons, including nuclear arms, almost useless. It intends to break the global and regional strategic balance, minimize other countries' capability of strategic counterattack during emergencies and squeeze their strategic space.
This could put other countries in a dilemma: they either lose the capability to launch a strategic nuclear counterattack or use nuclear weapons first to avoid devastation.
Russia's army, navy as well as air force still have the capability to deal with any challenge. Moscow's Topol-M missiles are its major strategic nuclear deterrent and the project to deploy them is the most important part of its national armament planning. Russia has a reliable protection system, which also consists of multi-range anti-aircraft missiles to defend against air attacks from even high-precision non-nuclear weapons.
The Russian army has a multi-level firepower system, comprising C-400 and C-400M anti-aircraft missiles, and Thor and Amor anti-aircraft missile launchers, which is regarded as the best anti-aircraft power combination targeting PGS.
Since Russia's strategic weapon system is better than China's in terms of numbers, mobility and protection capabilities, some experts believe that the US army's PGS poses a greater threat to China than Russia.
To many defense experts' surprise, Chinese military experts seem to pay more attention to missile defense while ignoring the precision-guided prompt long-distance strike system. Some experts even say that China faces a difficult choice. On one hand, it is not sure of being able to build an effective protection system. On the other, even if it can build one, it will expose its limited and covert strategic missile launching bases.
During talks on strategic arms reduction, Russia has opposed the US' use of nuclear weapons delivery vehicles for non-nuclear military objectives because it not only helps the US save huge amounts in defense spending, but also boosts its PGS project.
It is highly likely that Russia will stick to its stance at future strategic weapons reduction talks. But the fact is Russia can hardly stop the US from going ahead with its plan. Apart from demanding restrictions on the deployment of the European antimissile system and seeking other nuclear powers' support, Russia does not have the bargaining chips to force the US into accepting its demand.
Major countries know that the advances made in military science and technology have made strategic stability in nuclear and non-nuclear fields highly correlated, especially during the strategic deployment process. And over-dependence on nuclear power, especially during an emergency, can undermine a country's national security.
But since other countries, compared to the US, are at a disadvantage in terms of conventional weapon systems, they have to adopt asymmetric corresponding actions. Global strategic stability depends more on the stability in Europe and Northeast Asia. This is something that the international community should understand and tell the countries that are calling for a "nuclear-free world" not to develop conventional weapons to replace nuclear ones, because it will have serous consequences on international security.
Some insightful people in the US have indeed emphasized the importance of maintaining global strategic stability. In 1967, Robert McNamara, then US secretary of defense, suggested that the former Soviet Union restrict the development of its anti-missile system to avoid escalating tensions. Initially, the Soviet Union opposed the idea but eventually it accepted it because it realized that developing the anti-missile system was destabilizing the world. This led to the 1972 Treaty on the Limitation of Anti-Ballistic Missile Systems between the Soviet Union and the US.
In 1985, when the US began experiments on how to use missiles to destroy low earth orbit satellites, many American senators and scholars said a US-Soviet Union race in this field was dangerous. Since the Soviet Union had unilaterally stopped its anti-satellite experiments in 1983, the US also gave up its tests later.
People who value peace hope that long-distance launching vehicles for precision-guided conventional warheads and missile defense systems will be part of the agenda at the strategic arms reduction talks.
*The author is a senior research fellow with China Arms Control and Disarmament Association.
==============================
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Stop NATO website and articles:
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.co
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==============================
Sat Jan 12, 2013 7:00 am (PST) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://www.china.org.cn/world/
Shanghai Daily
January 11, 2013
Japan scrambles jets to Diaoyu Islands
Japan scrambled fighter jets yesterday to head off a number of Chinese military planes near the Diaoyu Islands, on the same day that China pledged to guard its maritime rights from being violated by Japan and two other countries.
The Chinese planes were spotted on Japanese military radar north of the islands, the Fuji TV network reported, quoting Japanese government officials.
They did not "violate territorial airspace" but flew inside Japan's "air defense identification zone," the report said.
The Japanese defense ministry press office did not confirm the report.
The Chinese planes were gone by the time F-15 jet fighters from an airbase on Okinawa reached the area, the report said.
Chinese ships and planes have been seen off the islands many times since September when Japan is said to have bought them from a so-called private owner.
On Wednesday, the Sankei Shimbun newspaper said the number of Chinese military planes nearing Japanese territory had increased since September.
The paper said Japan's air force had scrambled fighter jets to intercept Chinese military aircraft numerous times over the past few months. Japanses defense officials said they could not confirm the report.
F-15s were sent to head off Chinese state-owned - but not military - planes four times in December, including an occasion when "Japanese airspace" was breached, the defense ministry has said. They were also mobilized once last week, it said.
Meanwhile, Japan is today expected to approve a huge stimulus package aimed at breathing life into its flagging economy.
Around 180 billion yen (US$2.1 billion) of the total 20 trillion yen set to be announced is expected to be allocated to military spending.
A defense ministry spokesman said the cash would be used to buy missiles, helicopters and to refurbish fighter jets.
Yesterday, China said it would "steadfastly" oppose any infringement on the country's sovereignty over territorial waters by Japan, Vietnam and the Philippines.
The country will continue regular patrols over its territorial waters off the Diaoyu Islands and the South China Sea, Liu Caigui, director of the State Oceanic Administration, told a national maritime conference.
"Faced with a sharper and more complicated situation, we will take more responsibilities to steadfastly maintain the country's maritime rights and interests," Liu said.
------------------------------
http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/w
China Daily
January 12, 2013
Japanese jets 'disturb routine island patrols'
By Zhang Yunbi and Zhao Shengnan
The Defense Ministry on Friday criticized Japanese fighter jets that disturbed routine patrols by Chinese aircraft over the East China Sea amid lingering tensions over the Diaoyu Islands.
Tokyo also ramped up its hardline stance as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Friday there was "no room for negotiation" on the row.
Analysts said Tokyo is now keen to test Beijing's bottom line by flaring up military confrontation, and to seek more bargaining chips for future talks.
China's Ministry of National Defense said on Friday China sent two J-10 fighters to the East China Sea after a Y-8 transport aircraft was closely followed by two Japanese F-15 fighters when patrolling the East China Sea on Thursday.
Japan's military aircraft have been "increasingly" active in closely scouting Chinese aircraft and have expanded their activity zone, which the ministry said is the root reason for bilateral security disputes on the sea and in the sky.
Cao Weidong, a researcher at the Naval Military Studies Research Institute, said Tokyo's decision to take the initiative to dispatch F-15 fighter jets is a risky move that is "increasing the possibility of a drastic escalation.
"Sending military aircraft to a disputed area is viewed as a provocation, and Beijing was forced to respond for defensive purposes," Cao said.
Bilateral relations, including trade, have suffered since Tokyo's illegal "purchase" of China's Diaoyu Islands in September and masses of Chinese took to the streets to protest the move.
Tokyo has ramped up approaches to intimidate regular patrols around the islands by Chinese Marine Surveillance ships.
Tension over the East China Sea was fueled in December when eight Japanese F-15 fight jets attempted to hold down a Chinese aircraft, which was on a routine patrol.
Japanese Prime Minister Abe on Friday claimed that China has deliberately targeted Japanese companies as part of a strategy to confront Japan over the countries' territorial row.
Gao Hong, an expert on Japanese studies from the Institute of Japanese Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said Beijing has not resorted to economic sanctions, but Tokyo is eager to "find a scapegoat"
when explaining to Japanese entrepreneurs who have suffered a lot in China.
"Japan's provocation gave rise to the Chinese public's spontaneous boycott, and public opinion deserves respect," Gao said.
Gao said Abe's tough words of "no room" for territorial negotiation are to test Beijing's bottom line.
"And his hostility against China is intended to polish his image and gain more domestic support," Gao said.
Takehiko Yamamoto, a professor at Waseda University in Japan, told AFP that "perhaps the undercurrent of the message was that China is a necessary partner for Japan's growth strategy to climb out of deflation".
In addition to his vow of no change in his position to resolutely "protect the water and territory", Abe also reiterated on Friday that he wants to improve Japan-China ties on the basis of "strategic mutually beneficial relations".
Abe had posed as a hardliner on disputes before his landslide election victory in December, yet after retaking the premiership, he also mentioned "strategic mutually beneficial relations" several times.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said Japan has pushed bilateral relations into a difficult situation, and it should "show sincerity, face up to reality" and work with China for a proper resolution.
==============================
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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==============================
Shanghai Daily
January 11, 2013
Japan scrambles jets to Diaoyu Islands
Japan scrambled fighter jets yesterday to head off a number of Chinese military planes near the Diaoyu Islands, on the same day that China pledged to guard its maritime rights from being violated by Japan and two other countries.
The Chinese planes were spotted on Japanese military radar north of the islands, the Fuji TV network reported, quoting Japanese government officials.
They did not "violate territorial airspace" but flew inside Japan's "air defense identification zone," the report said.
The Japanese defense ministry press office did not confirm the report.
The Chinese planes were gone by the time F-15 jet fighters from an airbase on Okinawa reached the area, the report said.
Chinese ships and planes have been seen off the islands many times since September when Japan is said to have bought them from a so-called private owner.
On Wednesday, the Sankei Shimbun newspaper said the number of Chinese military planes nearing Japanese territory had increased since September.
The paper said Japan's air force had scrambled fighter jets to intercept Chinese military aircraft numerous times over the past few months. Japanses defense officials said they could not confirm the report.
F-15s were sent to head off Chinese state-owned - but not military - planes four times in December, including an occasion when "Japanese airspace" was breached, the defense ministry has said. They were also mobilized once last week, it said.
Meanwhile, Japan is today expected to approve a huge stimulus package aimed at breathing life into its flagging economy.
Around 180 billion yen (US$2.1 billion) of the total 20 trillion yen set to be announced is expected to be allocated to military spending.
A defense ministry spokesman said the cash would be used to buy missiles, helicopters and to refurbish fighter jets.
Yesterday, China said it would "steadfastly" oppose any infringement on the country's sovereignty over territorial waters by Japan, Vietnam and the Philippines.
The country will continue regular patrols over its territorial waters off the Diaoyu Islands and the South China Sea, Liu Caigui, director of the State Oceanic Administration, told a national maritime conference.
"Faced with a sharper and more complicated situation, we will take more responsibilities to steadfastly maintain the country's maritime rights and interests," Liu said.
------------------------------
http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/w
China Daily
January 12, 2013
Japanese jets 'disturb routine island patrols'
By Zhang Yunbi and Zhao Shengnan
The Defense Ministry on Friday criticized Japanese fighter jets that disturbed routine patrols by Chinese aircraft over the East China Sea amid lingering tensions over the Diaoyu Islands.
Tokyo also ramped up its hardline stance as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Friday there was "no room for negotiation" on the row.
Analysts said Tokyo is now keen to test Beijing's bottom line by flaring up military confrontation, and to seek more bargaining chips for future talks.
China's Ministry of National Defense said on Friday China sent two J-10 fighters to the East China Sea after a Y-8 transport aircraft was closely followed by two Japanese F-15 fighters when patrolling the East China Sea on Thursday.
Japan's military aircraft have been "increasingly" active in closely scouting Chinese aircraft and have expanded their activity zone, which the ministry said is the root reason for bilateral security disputes on the sea and in the sky.
Cao Weidong, a researcher at the Naval Military Studies Research Institute, said Tokyo's decision to take the initiative to dispatch F-15 fighter jets is a risky move that is "increasing the possibility of a drastic escalation.
"Sending military aircraft to a disputed area is viewed as a provocation, and Beijing was forced to respond for defensive purposes," Cao said.
Bilateral relations, including trade, have suffered since Tokyo's illegal "purchase" of China's Diaoyu Islands in September and masses of Chinese took to the streets to protest the move.
Tokyo has ramped up approaches to intimidate regular patrols around the islands by Chinese Marine Surveillance ships.
Tension over the East China Sea was fueled in December when eight Japanese F-15 fight jets attempted to hold down a Chinese aircraft, which was on a routine patrol.
Japanese Prime Minister Abe on Friday claimed that China has deliberately targeted Japanese companies as part of a strategy to confront Japan over the countries' territorial row.
Gao Hong, an expert on Japanese studies from the Institute of Japanese Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said Beijing has not resorted to economic sanctions, but Tokyo is eager to "find a scapegoat"
when explaining to Japanese entrepreneurs who have suffered a lot in China.
"Japan's provocation gave rise to the Chinese public's spontaneous boycott, and public opinion deserves respect," Gao said.
Gao said Abe's tough words of "no room" for territorial negotiation are to test Beijing's bottom line.
"And his hostility against China is intended to polish his image and gain more domestic support," Gao said.
Takehiko Yamamoto, a professor at Waseda University in Japan, told AFP that "perhaps the undercurrent of the message was that China is a necessary partner for Japan's growth strategy to climb out of deflation".
In addition to his vow of no change in his position to resolutely "protect the water and territory", Abe also reiterated on Friday that he wants to improve Japan-China ties on the basis of "strategic mutually beneficial relations".
Abe had posed as a hardliner on disputes before his landslide election victory in December, yet after retaking the premiership, he also mentioned "strategic mutually beneficial relations" several times.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said Japan has pushed bilateral relations into a difficult situation, and it should "show sincerity, face up to reality" and work with China for a proper resolution.
==============================
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http://rickrozoff.wordpress.co
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==============================
Sat Jan 12, 2013 7:00 am (PST) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://news.xinhuanet.com/
Xinhua News Agency
January 12, 2013
French president summons war cabinet on Saturday afternoon
PARIS: French President Francois Hollande will summon a special meeting of the defence council at 3.p.m. (1500GMT) Saturday, local media reported.
The war cabinet meeting is to convene as French military operation continues in Mali to back the government forces against Islamist rebels' offensive.
One French pilot has been killed in the fighting in Mali, said the French minister of defense on Saturday's press conference.
------------------------------
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20130
Russian Information Agency Novosti
January 12, 2013
Mali Crackdown Should be UN/Africa-Led – Kremlin Envoy
MOSCOW: The ongoing military operation against the Islamist insurgency in Mali, which was recently joined by French forces, should be led by either the United Nations or countries of the region, the Kremlin’s envoy to Africa said on Saturday.
“The situation in Mali is understandable, but I believe that any military operation in Africa can and should be flying the flags of the UN and the African Union,” Mikhail Margelov said.
“Nobody but the Africans can and should be solving the continent’s problems,” Margelov, who sits on the upper chamber of the Russian parliament, the Federation Council, told RIA Novosti.
France deployed earlier this week a military forces to aid Mali’s government, whose army had been retreating before the attack of armed groups with ties to Al-Qaida.
The French intervention allowed Mali’s government on Friday to recapture the strategic town of Konna in the country’s central region, taken by Islamists earlier this week, BBC reported.
...
Mali, a French colony until 1960, is in turmoil since last March’s military coup, which triggered an uprising of separatist Tuareg tribes that seized control of the country’s south.
The Tuaregs were soon suppressed by the better armed Al-Qaida affiliates who overtook control of the northern region, imposing Sharia law and destroying historical heritage sites in Timbuktu, and later started a southward advance.
On Friday, France also staged a separate military operation on the other side of Africa, trying to break out its secret agent Denis Allex, held since 2009 by al-Shabab, Al-Qaida’s allies in Somali, BBC said, citing French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian.
Unlike the Mali attack, the Somali raid failed, with French commandos repelled, at least one of them missing and Allex’s faith unclear, the report said.
==============================
Stop NATO e-mail list home page with archives and search engine:
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==============================
Xinhua News Agency
January 12, 2013
French president summons war cabinet on Saturday afternoon
PARIS: French President Francois Hollande will summon a special meeting of the defence council at 3.p.m. (1500GMT) Saturday, local media reported.
The war cabinet meeting is to convene as French military operation continues in Mali to back the government forces against Islamist rebels' offensive.
One French pilot has been killed in the fighting in Mali, said the French minister of defense on Saturday's press conference.
------------------------------
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20130
Russian Information Agency Novosti
January 12, 2013
Mali Crackdown Should be UN/Africa-Led – Kremlin Envoy
MOSCOW: The ongoing military operation against the Islamist insurgency in Mali, which was recently joined by French forces, should be led by either the United Nations or countries of the region, the Kremlin’s envoy to Africa said on Saturday.
“The situation in Mali is understandable, but I believe that any military operation in Africa can and should be flying the flags of the UN and the African Union,” Mikhail Margelov said.
“Nobody but the Africans can and should be solving the continent’s problems,” Margelov, who sits on the upper chamber of the Russian parliament, the Federation Council, told RIA Novosti.
France deployed earlier this week a military forces to aid Mali’s government, whose army had been retreating before the attack of armed groups with ties to Al-Qaida.
The French intervention allowed Mali’s government on Friday to recapture the strategic town of Konna in the country’s central region, taken by Islamists earlier this week, BBC reported.
...
Mali, a French colony until 1960, is in turmoil since last March’s military coup, which triggered an uprising of separatist Tuareg tribes that seized control of the country’s south.
The Tuaregs were soon suppressed by the better armed Al-Qaida affiliates who overtook control of the northern region, imposing Sharia law and destroying historical heritage sites in Timbuktu, and later started a southward advance.
On Friday, France also staged a separate military operation on the other side of Africa, trying to break out its secret agent Denis Allex, held since 2009 by al-Shabab, Al-Qaida’s allies in Somali, BBC said, citing French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian.
Unlike the Mali attack, the Somali raid failed, with French commandos repelled, at least one of them missing and Allex’s faith unclear, the report said.
==============================
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http://groups.yahoo.com/group/
Stop NATO website and articles:
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==============================
Sat Jan 12, 2013 8:21 am (PST) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://www.gazzettadelsud.it/n
Gazzetta del Sud
January 11, 2013
Sicily blocks construction of US defense satellite base
Protestors clash with police as construction 'rushed'
Palermo The region of Sicily on Friday moved to suspend US defense plans to construct a satellite communications system on the Italian island after activists blocked construction crews. The move, announced by Sicily Governor Rosario Crocetta, came after protestors blocked trucks and cranes overnight in the town of Niscemi and later clashed with police near an American military base.
Builders at the site, which is part of a global satellite defense network called the Mobile User Objective System (MUOS), had allegedly rushed construction in recent days, according to the Sicily governor. "The regional government finds this sudden rush to complete the project truly extraordinary," said Crocetta. Opponents to the project say it will be an environmental nuisance and threatens world peace. Other bases participating in MUOS are in Australia, Hawaii and Virginia.
------------------------------
http://english.ruvr.ru/2013_01
Voice of Russia
January 12, 2013
Sicily’s governor halts US sat deployment
Sicily Governor Rosario Crocetta has halted the deployment of the US satellite communications system (Mobile User Objective System) in the region.
The move came after protestors blocked the deployment in the town of Niscemi and later clashed with police near an American military base.
The governor of the autonomous region wants more research on how the system affects health and environment.
Voice of Russia, TASS
==============================
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==============================
Gazzetta del Sud
January 11, 2013
Sicily blocks construction of US defense satellite base
Protestors clash with police as construction 'rushed'
Palermo The region of Sicily on Friday moved to suspend US defense plans to construct a satellite communications system on the Italian island after activists blocked construction crews. The move, announced by Sicily Governor Rosario Crocetta, came after protestors blocked trucks and cranes overnight in the town of Niscemi and later clashed with police near an American military base.
Builders at the site, which is part of a global satellite defense network called the Mobile User Objective System (MUOS), had allegedly rushed construction in recent days, according to the Sicily governor. "The regional government finds this sudden rush to complete the project truly extraordinary," said Crocetta. Opponents to the project say it will be an environmental nuisance and threatens world peace. Other bases participating in MUOS are in Australia, Hawaii and Virginia.
------------------------------
http://english.ruvr.ru/2013_01
Voice of Russia
January 12, 2013
Sicily’s governor halts US sat deployment
Sicily Governor Rosario Crocetta has halted the deployment of the US satellite communications system (Mobile User Objective System) in the region.
The move came after protestors blocked the deployment in the town of Niscemi and later clashed with police near an American military base.
The governor of the autonomous region wants more research on how the system affects health and environment.
Voice of Russia, TASS
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Sat Jan 12, 2013 6:05 pm (PST) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://www.china.org.cn/
China.org.cn
January 12, 2013
Why the US should rein in Japan
By Zhao Jinglun
U.S. Says Disputed Islands Covered by Japan Defense Treaty
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/
====
Now the U.S. is aiding and abetting the Japanese right wing in its fight with China over the Diaoyu Islands (the Americans turned over the administration of those islands to Japan in the first place). It declares Article Five of U.S.-Japan Security Pact applies to the disputed islands.
[T]he Japanese government is reportedly considering permitting its self defense forces' F-15J fighters to fire tracer bullets as warning shots at Chinese surveillance planes which are found in disputed airspace.
That brings war closer. Tracers are live bullets just as lethal as any other type of bullets.
Since the end of Cold War and the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the aim of America's global strategy has been to prevent the rise, in Europe or Asia, of another power that can challenge its hegemony.
====
As the Chinese saying goes: "A person's ill intent is known to all." The Obama administration wants to use its key Asian ally to counterbalance China.
But there is another Chinese saying: "To rear a tiger is to invite disaster." Even though Barack Obama was born after Pearl Harbor and the Bataan Death March, he certainly knows the treachery and extreme cruelty of Japanese militarism.
It is exactly the intent of superhawk Shinzo Abe, Japan's new prime minister, to revive Japanese militarism. Upon the LDP's landslide win in last month's election, Abe was quoted as saying: "We have returned the government to a party that can stoutly sing 'Kimigayo' (whose lyrics praise the emperor)...and truly been able to take a first step to 'take back Japan.'"
What does he mean by "take back Japan?" He wants to turn Japan from a defeated aggressor in the anti-fascist war to a "normal nation", with the right to collective self-defense. During his first term as prime minister in 2006-2007, he upgraded Japan's Defense Agency to full ministry status, and revised a key education law to whitewash Japan's war crimes in government-approved history textbooks used in high schools.
Unlike Germans, who have genuinely repented for their war crimes, the Japanese have never fully dealt with their past. During last month's election campaign, Abe demonstratively visited the Yasukuni Shrine, which houses memorial tablets to fourteen Class A war criminals, six of them were sentenced to death by hanging at the Tokyo Trials for their crimes, which included the Bataan Death March.
Abe has repeatedly called for upgrading Japan's Self Defense Force to a full national defense force by revising the country's pacifist constitution, imposed on Japan in 1947 by none other than the United States.
Now the U.S. is aiding and abetting the Japanese right wing in its fight with China over the Diaoyu Islands (the Americans turned over the administration of those islands to Japan in the first place). It declares Article Five of U.S.-Japan Security Pact applies to the disputed islands. That fateful act emboldens Japan's right wing government to pursue an even more dangerous course of action.
Last December, when China carried out its first air patrol over Diaoyu Islands, Japan scrambled eight F-15 fighters to intercept unarmed Y-12 twin turboprop aircraft.
As China's patrolling of the waters off the disputed islands becomes increasingly regular this year, in retaliation to Japan's "nationalization" of the Diaoyu Islands, the Japanese government is reportedly considering permitting its self defense forces' F-15J fighters to fire tracer bullets as warning shots at Chinese surveillance planes which are found in disputed airspace.
That brings war closer. Tracers are live bullets just as lethal as any other type of bullets. China will never fire the first shot. But it will certainly shoot back when attacked. Is that what the U.S. wants?
Thus, the U.S. faces a dilemma. Its policy of enabling Japan to counterbalance China is a double-edged sword. Since the end of Cold War and the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the aim of America's global strategy has been to prevent the rise, in Europe or Asia, of another power that can challenge its hegemony. Retiring Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wondered aloud: what happens when an established power (the U.S.) and a rising power (China) meet? The obvious answer is to work out a new-type of relationship among great powers. Both the U.S. and China understand that "a good China-U.S. relationship makes both side winners, while a confrontational one makes both sides losers."
What is Abe up to? The Japanese right wing wants to use the support of the United States to enhance its own power, not only to check China, but also the U.S. Abe's potential ally, the arch-hawk Shintaro Ishihara, made no secret of his desire to throw the U.S. out of Japan.
It is in America's own interest that it should rein in these Japanese right wing interests.
The author is a columnist with China.org.cn.
China.org.cn
January 12, 2013
Why the US should rein in Japan
By Zhao Jinglun
U.S. Says Disputed Islands Covered by Japan Defense Treaty
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/
====
Now the U.S. is aiding and abetting the Japanese right wing in its fight with China over the Diaoyu Islands (the Americans turned over the administration of those islands to Japan in the first place). It declares Article Five of U.S.-Japan Security Pact applies to the disputed islands.
[T]he Japanese government is reportedly considering permitting its self defense forces' F-15J fighters to fire tracer bullets as warning shots at Chinese surveillance planes which are found in disputed airspace.
That brings war closer. Tracers are live bullets just as lethal as any other type of bullets.
Since the end of Cold War and the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the aim of America's global strategy has been to prevent the rise, in Europe or Asia, of another power that can challenge its hegemony.
====
As the Chinese saying goes: "A person's ill intent is known to all." The Obama administration wants to use its key Asian ally to counterbalance China.
But there is another Chinese saying: "To rear a tiger is to invite disaster." Even though Barack Obama was born after Pearl Harbor and the Bataan Death March, he certainly knows the treachery and extreme cruelty of Japanese militarism.
It is exactly the intent of superhawk Shinzo Abe, Japan's new prime minister, to revive Japanese militarism. Upon the LDP's landslide win in last month's election, Abe was quoted as saying: "We have returned the government to a party that can stoutly sing 'Kimigayo' (whose lyrics praise the emperor)...and truly been able to take a first step to 'take back Japan.'"
What does he mean by "take back Japan?" He wants to turn Japan from a defeated aggressor in the anti-fascist war to a "normal nation", with the right to collective self-defense. During his first term as prime minister in 2006-2007, he upgraded Japan's Defense Agency to full ministry status, and revised a key education law to whitewash Japan's war crimes in government-approved history textbooks used in high schools.
Unlike Germans, who have genuinely repented for their war crimes, the Japanese have never fully dealt with their past. During last month's election campaign, Abe demonstratively visited the Yasukuni Shrine, which houses memorial tablets to fourteen Class A war criminals, six of them were sentenced to death by hanging at the Tokyo Trials for their crimes, which included the Bataan Death March.
Abe has repeatedly called for upgrading Japan's Self Defense Force to a full national defense force by revising the country's pacifist constitution, imposed on Japan in 1947 by none other than the United States.
Now the U.S. is aiding and abetting the Japanese right wing in its fight with China over the Diaoyu Islands (the Americans turned over the administration of those islands to Japan in the first place). It declares Article Five of U.S.-Japan Security Pact applies to the disputed islands. That fateful act emboldens Japan's right wing government to pursue an even more dangerous course of action.
Last December, when China carried out its first air patrol over Diaoyu Islands, Japan scrambled eight F-15 fighters to intercept unarmed Y-12 twin turboprop aircraft.
As China's patrolling of the waters off the disputed islands becomes increasingly regular this year, in retaliation to Japan's "nationalization" of the Diaoyu Islands, the Japanese government is reportedly considering permitting its self defense forces' F-15J fighters to fire tracer bullets as warning shots at Chinese surveillance planes which are found in disputed airspace.
That brings war closer. Tracers are live bullets just as lethal as any other type of bullets. China will never fire the first shot. But it will certainly shoot back when attacked. Is that what the U.S. wants?
Thus, the U.S. faces a dilemma. Its policy of enabling Japan to counterbalance China is a double-edged sword. Since the end of Cold War and the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the aim of America's global strategy has been to prevent the rise, in Europe or Asia, of another power that can challenge its hegemony. Retiring Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wondered aloud: what happens when an established power (the U.S.) and a rising power (China) meet? The obvious answer is to work out a new-type of relationship among great powers. Both the U.S. and China understand that "a good China-U.S. relationship makes both side winners, while a confrontational one makes both sides losers."
What is Abe up to? The Japanese right wing wants to use the support of the United States to enhance its own power, not only to check China, but also the U.S. Abe's potential ally, the arch-hawk Shintaro Ishihara, made no secret of his desire to throw the U.S. out of Japan.
It is in America's own interest that it should rein in these Japanese right wing interests.
The author is a columnist with China.org.cn.
