6 New Messages
Digest #4604
Messages
Mon Jan 14, 2013 6:18 am (PST) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://www.nato.int/cps/en/nat
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
January 14, 2013
Interoperability, capabilities, partnerships top priority for Gen. Paloméros
General Jean-Paul Paloméros said on Monday (14 January) that his top three priorities as Supreme Allied Commander Transformation were to foster Allied interoperability and capabilities and bolstering cooperation with partners.
The General, who took up his post three months ago, said his job was to make sure Allied armed forces are fit to meet the challenges NATO will face after its ISAF mission in Afghanistan is completed at the end of 2014. “NATO needs to continue preparing for future challenges, and that is my remit,” he said.
On his priorities, General Paloméros said that NATO has to maintain the “highest level” of interoperability and availability of forces, and doing so will require continued collective training among Allies. The General added that the use of the NATO Response Force was an excellent tool by which Allied nations can ensure the greatest interoperability. General Paloméros said his command is working on ‘e-learning’ proposals as a training tool for individual soldiers as well.
The General said NATO nations also had to set targets and objectives to make sure they have in place the right capabilities. He said participation in multinational defence projects, such as the Alliance Ground Surveillance programme, were key. “This is a priority for us because it allows us to ensure consistency in development of Alliance capabilities,” he said. “We need to be able to respond efficiently and quickly.”
Partners will also be increasingly important, General Paloméros said. He said NATO had to coordinate and cooperate more closely on security matters with other countries and organisations like Australia, South Korea and the European Union “to draw the maximum benefit of what each of us is doing.”
The General was at NATO headquarters this week preparing for a meeting of the Alliance’s Chiefs of Defence which starts on Wednesday (16 January).
==============================
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
==============================
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
January 14, 2013
Interoperability, capabilities, partnerships top priority for Gen. Paloméros
General Jean-Paul Paloméros said on Monday (14 January) that his top three priorities as Supreme Allied Commander Transformation were to foster Allied interoperability and capabilities and bolstering cooperation with partners.
The General, who took up his post three months ago, said his job was to make sure Allied armed forces are fit to meet the challenges NATO will face after its ISAF mission in Afghanistan is completed at the end of 2014. “NATO needs to continue preparing for future challenges, and that is my remit,” he said.
On his priorities, General Paloméros said that NATO has to maintain the “highest level” of interoperability and availability of forces, and doing so will require continued collective training among Allies. The General added that the use of the NATO Response Force was an excellent tool by which Allied nations can ensure the greatest interoperability. General Paloméros said his command is working on ‘e-learning’ proposals as a training tool for individual soldiers as well.
The General said NATO nations also had to set targets and objectives to make sure they have in place the right capabilities. He said participation in multinational defence projects, such as the Alliance Ground Surveillance programme, were key. “This is a priority for us because it allows us to ensure consistency in development of Alliance capabilities,” he said. “We need to be able to respond efficiently and quickly.”
Partners will also be increasingly important, General Paloméros said. He said NATO had to coordinate and cooperate more closely on security matters with other countries and organisations like Australia, South Korea and the European Union “to draw the maximum benefit of what each of us is doing.”
The General was at NATO headquarters this week preparing for a meeting of the Alliance’s Chiefs of Defence which starts on Wednesday (16 January).
==============================
Stop NATO e-mail list home page with archives and search engine:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/
Stop NATO website and articles:
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.co
To subscribe for individual e-mails or the daily digest, unsubscribe, and otherwise change subscription status:
stopnato-subscribe@yahoogroups
==============================
Mon Jan 14, 2013 6:19 am (PST) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://news.xinhuanet.com/
Xinhua News Agency
January 14, 2013
9 U.S. F-22 fighters deployed in Okinawa
TOKYO: Nine U.S. F-22 stealth fighters were stationed at the U.S. Air Force's Kadena base in Japan's Okinawa for a four-month deployment, local media reported late Monday.
The fighters that arrived at the base Monday were originally based at Langley-Eustis joint air base in the state of Virginia in the United States, Japan's Kyodo News Agency reported.
Three more fighters of this kind are expected to arrive at Kadena shortly for the 7th temporary deployment in the base since 2007, while about 300 servicemen will be also sent to the base, Kyodo said.
Meanwhile, the Japanese Self-Defense Force (SDF) and the U.S. air forces held a five-day joint military drill in an air base at the prefecture of Miyazaki.
The SDF had a war game which joined by Japan's only airborne force on Sunday in Chiba Prefecture focusing on island defense. About 20 aircrafts and 33 armored vehicles, along with some 300 SDF members, participated in the drill.
The SDF planned to exercise a joint military drill with the United States in an island in Okinawa but was canceled for strong opposition from local residents.
------------------------------
http://english.ruvr.ru/2013_01
Voice of Russia
January 14, 2013
US moves stealth fighters to Okinawa base
The first nine stealth fighters arrived Monday at Kadena Air Base on the southern island of Okinawa in Japan, the key US Air Force stronghold in East Asia.
A total of 12 F-22 Raptor fighter jets will be redeployed to the Okinawa air base. The stealth technology used to build these aircraft allows them to slip unnoticed under the radar of enemies and allies alike.
The Pentagon has been regularly sending F-22 Raptors on a several months’ stay in Okinawa since 2007. This time the warplanes flew all the way from their Virginia base amid a heating spat between Japan and China over the disputed Senkaku/ Diaoyu Islands, located 420 km southeast of mainland China in the East China Sea.
China claims the archipelago is occupied by Japan and has several times tried to reassert its sovereignty by sending patrol boats to the area.
The US hasn’t taken either side of the conflict but added its security agreement with Tokyo would force the Pentagon to protect Japanese interests.
Voice of Russia, TASS
==============================
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
==============================
Xinhua News Agency
January 14, 2013
9 U.S. F-22 fighters deployed in Okinawa
TOKYO: Nine U.S. F-22 stealth fighters were stationed at the U.S. Air Force's Kadena base in Japan's Okinawa for a four-month deployment, local media reported late Monday.
The fighters that arrived at the base Monday were originally based at Langley-Eustis joint air base in the state of Virginia in the United States, Japan's Kyodo News Agency reported.
Three more fighters of this kind are expected to arrive at Kadena shortly for the 7th temporary deployment in the base since 2007, while about 300 servicemen will be also sent to the base, Kyodo said.
Meanwhile, the Japanese Self-Defense Force (SDF) and the U.S. air forces held a five-day joint military drill in an air base at the prefecture of Miyazaki.
The SDF had a war game which joined by Japan's only airborne force on Sunday in Chiba Prefecture focusing on island defense. About 20 aircrafts and 33 armored vehicles, along with some 300 SDF members, participated in the drill.
The SDF planned to exercise a joint military drill with the United States in an island in Okinawa but was canceled for strong opposition from local residents.
------------------------------
http://english.ruvr.ru/2013_01
Voice of Russia
January 14, 2013
US moves stealth fighters to Okinawa base
The first nine stealth fighters arrived Monday at Kadena Air Base on the southern island of Okinawa in Japan, the key US Air Force stronghold in East Asia.
A total of 12 F-22 Raptor fighter jets will be redeployed to the Okinawa air base. The stealth technology used to build these aircraft allows them to slip unnoticed under the radar of enemies and allies alike.
The Pentagon has been regularly sending F-22 Raptors on a several months’ stay in Okinawa since 2007. This time the warplanes flew all the way from their Virginia base amid a heating spat between Japan and China over the disputed Senkaku/ Diaoyu Islands, located 420 km southeast of mainland China in the East China Sea.
China claims the archipelago is occupied by Japan and has several times tried to reassert its sovereignty by sending patrol boats to the area.
The US hasn’t taken either side of the conflict but added its security agreement with Tokyo would force the Pentagon to protect Japanese interests.
Voice of Russia, TASS
==============================
Stop NATO e-mail list home page with archives and search engine:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/
Stop NATO website and articles:
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.co
To subscribe for individual e-mails or the daily digest, unsubscribe, and otherwise change subscription status:
stopnato-subscribe@yahoogroups
==============================
Mon Jan 14, 2013 9:54 am (PST) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
January 14, 2013
Sweden: one of NATO’s most active and effective partners
Sweden is a high capability partner, which has provided valuable support to NATO-led operations...It currently has forces deployed in Kosovo and Afghanistan, and has agreed in principle to participate in the post-2014 NATO-led training mission for Afghan forces. In 2011, Sweden supported the NATO-led air operations over Libya. The country also actively participates in NATO exercises and projects aimed at developing military capabilities and training. NATO’s Secretary General visited Sweden on 14 January to discuss how to further strengthen cooperation.
Sweden joined NATO’s Partnership for Peace in 1994 and has been an active member of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council since it was established [in] 1997. By cooperating with NATO, Sweden is strengthening its capabilities and interoperability, which is vital for participation in international peacekeeping operations. NATO provides a unique forum for political consultation and practical cooperation with a broad range of partners on defence and security-related issues.
Addressing a high-level security conference in Sälen during his visit to Sweden, Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen praised Sweden’s close and effective partnership with NATO...
Stressing the potential for strengthening cooperation with Sweden, the Secretary General pointed to three areas where the partnership holds particular promise: Afghanistan, military capabilities and further strengthening the ability of our forces to operate together.
Operational cooperation
Sweden has supported the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan since 2003 and some 412 Swedish soldiers are currently deployed there. The country has indicated its willingness to participate in the NATO-led mission to train, advise and assist the Afghan forces, which will be deployed at the end of 2014, once the transition to Afghan security lead has been completed and ISAF’s operation is terminated. Swedish representatives are currently participating in consultations on the shape and scope of the new mission.
Swedish forces also played a significant role in...the former Yugoslavia. Since 1999, Sweden has provided support to the peacekeeping force in Kosovo, where some 49 soldiers are currently deployed. And in the past, Sweden contributed a battalion to the NATO-led peacekeeping force in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In 2011, Sweden was quick to agree to contribute to NATO-led efforts[in Libya] by deploying eight fighter jets to Sigonella Air Base in Sicily.
Developing military capabilities
In times of economic austerity, it is essential to develop multinational approaches to generating military capabilities through pooling and sharing, prioritisation and specialization. NATO is taking steps to address this need through projects launched under the Smart Defence initiative, and is hoping to explore opportunities with partners in this area.
Sweden is already working with Nordic NATO Allies and partners on a number of projects in this area. These include a harbor protection system, and a project aimed at enabling fighter jets to share munitions from various sources.
Strategic airlift is another area in which Sweden is making a valuable contribution to capabilities, participating along with Finland and ten NATO Allies in the operation of three C-17 transport aircraft based in Hungary.
Developing interoperable forces
In the coming years, following the completion of ISAF’s mission, a greater emphasis on military education and training, including with partners, will be required to maintain the ability of forces to operate together.
Sweden regularly participates in exercises organized by NATO. It’s participation in the Partnership for Peace for Peace Planning and Review Process (PARP) provides a planning mechanism that assists Sweden in developing capabilities for both NATO-led and EU-led operations.
Sweden itself makes an important contribution to training the forces of partner countries...through the Defence Education Centre SWEDINT, which has been formally recognized by NATO as a Partnership for Peace Training Centre.
Sweden also hosts the Nordic Centre for Gender in Military Operations, which was established in January 2012 to make sure that gender perspectives are integrated into military operations in support UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 and related resolutions on strengthening the role of women, peace and security. This Centre will take the lead on the review of the practical implications of UNSCR 1325 for NATO-led operations. In late 2011, Sweden also provided the first Gender Advisor to work at Allied Command Operations.
More recently, in the context of Nordic defence cooperation, the Swedish government expressed its readiness to contribute to the...preparedness mission over Iceland, along with Finland, as part of a Norwegian deployment in early 2014. This...mission is primarily aimed at promoting training, preparedness and interoperability.
==============================
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
==============================
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
January 14, 2013
Sweden: one of NATO’s most active and effective partners
Sweden is a high capability partner, which has provided valuable support to NATO-led operations...It currently has forces deployed in Kosovo and Afghanistan, and has agreed in principle to participate in the post-2014 NATO-led training mission for Afghan forces. In 2011, Sweden supported the NATO-led air operations over Libya. The country also actively participates in NATO exercises and projects aimed at developing military capabilities and training. NATO’s Secretary General visited Sweden on 14 January to discuss how to further strengthen cooperation.
Sweden joined NATO’s Partnership for Peace in 1994 and has been an active member of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council since it was established [in] 1997. By cooperating with NATO, Sweden is strengthening its capabilities and interoperability, which is vital for participation in international peacekeeping operations. NATO provides a unique forum for political consultation and practical cooperation with a broad range of partners on defence and security-related issues.
Addressing a high-level security conference in Sälen during his visit to Sweden, Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen praised Sweden’s close and effective partnership with NATO...
Stressing the potential for strengthening cooperation with Sweden, the Secretary General pointed to three areas where the partnership holds particular promise: Afghanistan, military capabilities and further strengthening the ability of our forces to operate together.
Operational cooperation
Sweden has supported the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan since 2003 and some 412 Swedish soldiers are currently deployed there. The country has indicated its willingness to participate in the NATO-led mission to train, advise and assist the Afghan forces, which will be deployed at the end of 2014, once the transition to Afghan security lead has been completed and ISAF’s operation is terminated. Swedish representatives are currently participating in consultations on the shape and scope of the new mission.
Swedish forces also played a significant role in...the former Yugoslavia. Since 1999, Sweden has provided support to the peacekeeping force in Kosovo, where some 49 soldiers are currently deployed. And in the past, Sweden contributed a battalion to the NATO-led peacekeeping force in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In 2011, Sweden was quick to agree to contribute to NATO-led efforts[in Libya] by deploying eight fighter jets to Sigonella Air Base in Sicily.
Developing military capabilities
In times of economic austerity, it is essential to develop multinational approaches to generating military capabilities through pooling and sharing, prioritisation and specialization. NATO is taking steps to address this need through projects launched under the Smart Defence initiative, and is hoping to explore opportunities with partners in this area.
Sweden is already working with Nordic NATO Allies and partners on a number of projects in this area. These include a harbor protection system, and a project aimed at enabling fighter jets to share munitions from various sources.
Strategic airlift is another area in which Sweden is making a valuable contribution to capabilities, participating along with Finland and ten NATO Allies in the operation of three C-17 transport aircraft based in Hungary.
Developing interoperable forces
In the coming years, following the completion of ISAF’s mission, a greater emphasis on military education and training, including with partners, will be required to maintain the ability of forces to operate together.
Sweden regularly participates in exercises organized by NATO. It’s participation in the Partnership for Peace for Peace Planning and Review Process (PARP) provides a planning mechanism that assists Sweden in developing capabilities for both NATO-led and EU-led operations.
Sweden itself makes an important contribution to training the forces of partner countries...through the Defence Education Centre SWEDINT, which has been formally recognized by NATO as a Partnership for Peace Training Centre.
Sweden also hosts the Nordic Centre for Gender in Military Operations, which was established in January 2012 to make sure that gender perspectives are integrated into military operations in support UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 and related resolutions on strengthening the role of women, peace and security. This Centre will take the lead on the review of the practical implications of UNSCR 1325 for NATO-led operations. In late 2011, Sweden also provided the first Gender Advisor to work at Allied Command Operations.
More recently, in the context of Nordic defence cooperation, the Swedish government expressed its readiness to contribute to the...preparedness mission over Iceland, along with Finland, as part of a Norwegian deployment in early 2014. This...mission is primarily aimed at promoting training, preparedness and interoperability.
==============================
Stop NATO e-mail list home page with archives and search engine:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/
Stop NATO website and articles:
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.co
To subscribe for individual e-mails or the daily digest, unsubscribe, and otherwise change subscription status:
stopnato-subscribe@yahoogroups
==============================
Mon Jan 14, 2013 7:42 pm (PST) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://www.stripes.com/u-s-
Stars and Stripes
January 14, 2013
U.S. military could be drawn into Mali fight
By Leo Shane III
WASHINGTON: The U.S. military could be drawn into the intensifying fight in the African country of Mali...
French President Francois Hollande deployed 550 French troops to Mali and authorized the airstrikes, which began Friday. Britain over the weekend authorized sending several C-17 transport planes to help France bring more troops.
In a statement Monday, Defense Department officials said that France “can count on U.S. support.”
Air Force Maj. Robert Firman, a spokesman for the department, added that Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has reiterated his concern over the situation in Mali and promised that “we will support the French...”
Panetta, traveling in Europe this week, told reporters that the military is also providing intelligence-gathering assistance to French forces.
MSNBC reported Monday that the White House is planning to announce increased U.S. military support for the French fighters later this week...
The NATO alliance “is not involved in this crisis,” said NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu. “But of course the situation in Mali is of grave concern to all of us...”
The Associated Press also reported over the weekend that French radio broadcast a taunting telephone interview with Omar Ould Hamaha, a leader of the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa, which controls part of northern Mali, promising more retribution against France.
“France has opened the gates of hell,” he said. “It has fallen into a trap much more dangerous than Iraq, Afghanistan or Somalia.”
...
Last week, the associated press reported, French officials decided for immediate military intervention after spotting a pair of rebel convoys advancing south towards Bamako.
Also over the weekend, the French government has ordered the evacuation of all French nationals living in Segou, located just 150 miles from the Malian capital.
Reporter Matt Millham contributed to this story.
==============================
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
==============================
Stars and Stripes
January 14, 2013
U.S. military could be drawn into Mali fight
By Leo Shane III
WASHINGTON: The U.S. military could be drawn into the intensifying fight in the African country of Mali...
French President Francois Hollande deployed 550 French troops to Mali and authorized the airstrikes, which began Friday. Britain over the weekend authorized sending several C-17 transport planes to help France bring more troops.
In a statement Monday, Defense Department officials said that France “can count on U.S. support.”
Air Force Maj. Robert Firman, a spokesman for the department, added that Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has reiterated his concern over the situation in Mali and promised that “we will support the French...”
Panetta, traveling in Europe this week, told reporters that the military is also providing intelligence-gathering assistance to French forces.
MSNBC reported Monday that the White House is planning to announce increased U.S. military support for the French fighters later this week...
The NATO alliance “is not involved in this crisis,” said NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu. “But of course the situation in Mali is of grave concern to all of us...”
The Associated Press also reported over the weekend that French radio broadcast a taunting telephone interview with Omar Ould Hamaha, a leader of the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa, which controls part of northern Mali, promising more retribution against France.
“France has opened the gates of hell,” he said. “It has fallen into a trap much more dangerous than Iraq, Afghanistan or Somalia.”
...
Last week, the associated press reported, French officials decided for immediate military intervention after spotting a pair of rebel convoys advancing south towards Bamako.
Also over the weekend, the French government has ordered the evacuation of all French nationals living in Segou, located just 150 miles from the Malian capital.
Reporter Matt Millham contributed to this story.
==============================
Stop NATO e-mail list home page with archives and search engine:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/
Stop NATO website and articles:
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.co
To subscribe for individual e-mails or the daily digest, unsubscribe, and otherwise change subscription status:
stopnato-subscribe@yahoogroups
==============================
Mon Jan 14, 2013 7:42 pm (PST) . Posted by:
"ANTIC.org-SNN" minimaks
NATO Stuck in Kosovo
By Laurence Norman
Fourteen years after North Atlantic Treaty Organization troops first entered Kosovo to end fighting between ethnic Serbs and ethnic Albanians, there is still no “Mission Accomplished” sign in sight. The volatile situation in the Serb-dominated north of Kosovo, the failure of the European Union’s police force to win broad support from the population, and the limitations of Kosovo’s own under-staffed and poorly resourced institutions mean NATO’s KFOR security mission still counts 5,565 troops, including 700 held in reserve.
NATO has been hoping to halve its presence for a couple of years now. But weeks of ethnic clashes in the summer of 2011 in Kosovo’s north delayed that move. Last year, ethnic violence diminished but significant force reductions by the EU police force, EULEX, and concerns about the election of nationalist-leaning Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic in May dissuaded NATO from further rocking the boat. Not even the resumption of EU-brokered top-level talks last fall between Serbia and Kosovar leaders have stymied security worries.
In a briefing Monday, the outgoing head of the EULEX mission, France’s Xavier Bout de Marnhac said he hopes NATO won’t press ahead with troop cuts any time soon. “This is not necessarily the best period of time” for KFOR to reduce numbers, said Mr. Bout De Marnhac, whose two-year stint in the job ends next month when he’ll be succeeded by German diplomat Bernd Borchardt. “I think it’s a little bit too early.”
NATO has talked about “rebalancing” the mission – focusing efforts more on the troubled north, where the Serbian minority set up roadblocks and barricades in summer 2011 in an effort to impede movements by authorities from Pristina and NATO.
A decision is expected at February’s NATO ministerial meeting. But one official said the issue of troop numbers is not expected to be on the agenda. Oana Lungescu, a spokeswoman for NATO, said the organization keeps the size of the KFOR mission “constantly under review” and is in close contact with EULEX officials in Brussels and Kosovo. But right now, she said, “there isn’t a decision. Any decision will have to be taken on the basis of the advise from the NATO military authorities, which will obviously be based on the information on the ground. We have seen a more stable situation. But it’s obviously still volatile especially in the north.”
Privately some NATO officials complain that part of the problem is EULEX itself – or at least the member states that fund the 2,097-strong EU rule-of-law mission. There was disquiet when the 25% cut in EULEX staff went ahead last year. Others say EULEX – or the governments that stand behind it — lack the “political will” to tackle some of the corruption, organized crime and trafficking problems that have plagued Kosovo, especially in the north.
That’s a view echoed elsewhere. Last October, German Defense Minister Thomas de Maizière called for a complete overhaul of EULEX’s staffing and mandate saying he was “not satisfied” with their work. Germany is KFOR’s largest contributor providing almost a quarter of its troops. Meanwhile, a report by the EU’s independent Court of Auditors said that large-scale EU spending on EULEX had produced only limited progress in the fight against crime and corruption – and almost none in securing the rule of law in Kosovo’s north.
Kosovo, which declared independence in 2008, is the largest recipient of EU assistance in the world on a per-capita basis. At Monday’s briefing Mr. Bout de Marnhac acknowledged more work was needed to meet EULEX’s goals. But he said he leaves the job “rather confident that I gave him a mission that is in better shape than it was two years ago.”
http://blogs.wsj.com/brussels/
By Laurence Norman
Fourteen years after North Atlantic Treaty Organization troops first entered Kosovo to end fighting between ethnic Serbs and ethnic Albanians, there is still no “Mission Accomplished” sign in sight. The volatile situation in the Serb-dominated north of Kosovo, the failure of the European Union’s police force to win broad support from the population, and the limitations of Kosovo’s own under-staffed and poorly resourced institutions mean NATO’s KFOR security mission still counts 5,565 troops, including 700 held in reserve.
NATO has been hoping to halve its presence for a couple of years now. But weeks of ethnic clashes in the summer of 2011 in Kosovo’s north delayed that move. Last year, ethnic violence diminished but significant force reductions by the EU police force, EULEX, and concerns about the election of nationalist-leaning Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic in May dissuaded NATO from further rocking the boat. Not even the resumption of EU-brokered top-level talks last fall between Serbia and Kosovar leaders have stymied security worries.
In a briefing Monday, the outgoing head of the EULEX mission, France’s Xavier Bout de Marnhac said he hopes NATO won’t press ahead with troop cuts any time soon. “This is not necessarily the best period of time” for KFOR to reduce numbers, said Mr. Bout De Marnhac, whose two-year stint in the job ends next month when he’ll be succeeded by German diplomat Bernd Borchardt. “I think it’s a little bit too early.”
NATO has talked about “rebalancing” the mission – focusing efforts more on the troubled north, where the Serbian minority set up roadblocks and barricades in summer 2011 in an effort to impede movements by authorities from Pristina and NATO.
A decision is expected at February’s NATO ministerial meeting. But one official said the issue of troop numbers is not expected to be on the agenda. Oana Lungescu, a spokeswoman for NATO, said the organization keeps the size of the KFOR mission “constantly under review” and is in close contact with EULEX officials in Brussels and Kosovo. But right now, she said, “there isn’t a decision. Any decision will have to be taken on the basis of the advise from the NATO military authorities, which will obviously be based on the information on the ground. We have seen a more stable situation. But it’s obviously still volatile especially in the north.”
Privately some NATO officials complain that part of the problem is EULEX itself – or at least the member states that fund the 2,097-strong EU rule-of-law mission. There was disquiet when the 25% cut in EULEX staff went ahead last year. Others say EULEX – or the governments that stand behind it — lack the “political will” to tackle some of the corruption, organized crime and trafficking problems that have plagued Kosovo, especially in the north.
That’s a view echoed elsewhere. Last October, German Defense Minister Thomas de Maizière called for a complete overhaul of EULEX’s staffing and mandate saying he was “not satisfied” with their work. Germany is KFOR’s largest contributor providing almost a quarter of its troops. Meanwhile, a report by the EU’s independent Court of Auditors said that large-scale EU spending on EULEX had produced only limited progress in the fight against crime and corruption – and almost none in securing the rule of law in Kosovo’s north.
Kosovo, which declared independence in 2008, is the largest recipient of EU assistance in the world on a per-capita basis. At Monday’s briefing Mr. Bout de Marnhac acknowledged more work was needed to meet EULEX’s goals. But he said he leaves the job “rather confident that I gave him a mission that is in better shape than it was two years ago.”
http://blogs.wsj.com/brussels/
Mon Jan 14, 2013 7:42 pm (PST) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://english.ruvr.ru/2013_01
Voice of Russia
January 15, 2013
Moscow says Tokyo`s Kurils statement ‘unacceptable’
Tokyo’s statement that it doubts Russia’s sovereignty over the disputed southern Kuril islands in the Pacific Ocean is ‘unacceptable’, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova said.
Earlier, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said that the Japanese administration would not reiterate its claim over four Kuril islands and would be flexible about the deadline for their return.
Mrs. Zakharova stressed that Russia claims the disputed islands to be its territory in accordance with the UN Charter which says that Russia annexed the Southern Kurils after WW II.
Voice of Russia, TASS
------------------------------
http://www.itar-tass.com/en/
Itar-Tass
January 14, 2013
Japan’s statements questioning Russia’s sovereignty over Kurils unacceptable
MOSCOW: Japan’s statements, which question Russia’s sovereignty over Kuril Islands, are unacceptable, Foreign Ministry deputy spokesman Maria Zakharova said on Monday, January 14.
She commented on Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga’s remarks that the Shinzo Abe administration would stick to the same policy with regard to the ownership of the four disputable southern Kuril Islands, while showing flexibility on the timeline for their return to Japan.
“We have noted remarks by Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga who basically repeated the official Japanese position on a peace treaty between Russia and Japan. We would like to point out that the southern Kuril Islands passed over to our country on lawful grounds based on the results of World War II, which is written down in the U.N. Charter. Any statements questioning Russia’s sovereignty over this territory are unacceptable,” Zakharova said.
“Moscow has repeatedly stressed that a solution to the problem of peace treaty should be sought against the background of active development of relations between the two countries in all areas. This approach was reiterated by the leaders of Russia and Japan during their telephone conversation on December 28, 2012,” she said.
Russia’s sovereignty over the Kurile Islands is unquestionable and based on the results of World War II, the Foreign Ministry said earlier.
“We would like to remind [Tokyo] again that Russia's sovereignty over these territories is not to be questioned and is based on the results of the Second World War legally formalised in the Crimean agreement of the three great powers on the Far East of February 11, 1945, the Potsdam Declaration of July 26, 1945, and the San Francisco Peace Treaty of September 8, 1951, and legitimised by Article 107 of the U.N. Charter,” the ministry said.
The dispute over the Kuril Islands is a dispute between Russia and Japan over sovereignty over the southernmost Kuril Islands. The disputed islands, which were occupied by Soviet forces during the Manchurian Strategic Offensive Operation at the end of World War II, are currently under Russian administration.
The positions of the two sides have not substantially changed since the 1956 Joint Declaration, and a permanent peace treaty between Japan and Russia still has not been concluded.
On July 7, 2005, the European Parliament issued an official statement recommending the return of the territories in dispute, which Russia immediately protested.
As late as 2006, Russia's Vladimir Putin administration offered Japan the return of Shikotan and the Habomais (about 6 percent of the disputed area) if Japan would renounce its claims to the other two islands, referring to the Soviet-Japanese Joint Declaration of 1956 which promised Shikotan and the Habomais would be ceded to Japan once a peace treaty was signed.
Japan has offered substantial financial aid to the Kuril Islands if they are handed over. However, by 2007, residents of the islands were starting to benefit from economic growth and improved living standards, arising in particular from expansion in the fish processing industry. As a result, it is thought that islanders are less likely to be won over by Japanese offers of financial support.
On February 6, 2008 Japan Today, an English-language news site in Japan, reported that the Russian president had suggested to the Japanese prime minister to finally settle all territorial disputes over the Kuril Islands and had sent him a letter inviting him to come to Russia for discussions.
The dispute over the Kuril Islands was further exacerbated on July 16, 2008 when the Japanese government published new school textbook guidelines directing teachers to say that Japan has sovereignty over the Kuril Islands.
The Russian Foreign Ministry announced on July 18: “[these actions] contribute neither to the development of positive cooperation between the two countries, nor to the settlement of the dispute” and reaffirmed its sovereignty over the islands.
Voice of Russia
January 15, 2013
Moscow says Tokyo`s Kurils statement ‘unacceptable’
Tokyo’s statement that it doubts Russia’s sovereignty over the disputed southern Kuril islands in the Pacific Ocean is ‘unacceptable’, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova said.
Earlier, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said that the Japanese administration would not reiterate its claim over four Kuril islands and would be flexible about the deadline for their return.
Mrs. Zakharova stressed that Russia claims the disputed islands to be its territory in accordance with the UN Charter which says that Russia annexed the Southern Kurils after WW II.
Voice of Russia, TASS
------------------------------
http://www.itar-tass.com/en/
Itar-Tass
January 14, 2013
Japan’s statements questioning Russia’s sovereignty over Kurils unacceptable
MOSCOW: Japan’s statements, which question Russia’s sovereignty over Kuril Islands, are unacceptable, Foreign Ministry deputy spokesman Maria Zakharova said on Monday, January 14.
She commented on Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga’s remarks that the Shinzo Abe administration would stick to the same policy with regard to the ownership of the four disputable southern Kuril Islands, while showing flexibility on the timeline for their return to Japan.
“We have noted remarks by Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga who basically repeated the official Japanese position on a peace treaty between Russia and Japan. We would like to point out that the southern Kuril Islands passed over to our country on lawful grounds based on the results of World War II, which is written down in the U.N. Charter. Any statements questioning Russia’s sovereignty over this territory are unacceptable,” Zakharova said.
“Moscow has repeatedly stressed that a solution to the problem of peace treaty should be sought against the background of active development of relations between the two countries in all areas. This approach was reiterated by the leaders of Russia and Japan during their telephone conversation on December 28, 2012,” she said.
Russia’s sovereignty over the Kurile Islands is unquestionable and based on the results of World War II, the Foreign Ministry said earlier.
“We would like to remind [Tokyo] again that Russia's sovereignty over these territories is not to be questioned and is based on the results of the Second World War legally formalised in the Crimean agreement of the three great powers on the Far East of February 11, 1945, the Potsdam Declaration of July 26, 1945, and the San Francisco Peace Treaty of September 8, 1951, and legitimised by Article 107 of the U.N. Charter,” the ministry said.
The dispute over the Kuril Islands is a dispute between Russia and Japan over sovereignty over the southernmost Kuril Islands. The disputed islands, which were occupied by Soviet forces during the Manchurian Strategic Offensive Operation at the end of World War II, are currently under Russian administration.
The positions of the two sides have not substantially changed since the 1956 Joint Declaration, and a permanent peace treaty between Japan and Russia still has not been concluded.
On July 7, 2005, the European Parliament issued an official statement recommending the return of the territories in dispute, which Russia immediately protested.
As late as 2006, Russia's Vladimir Putin administration offered Japan the return of Shikotan and the Habomais (about 6 percent of the disputed area) if Japan would renounce its claims to the other two islands, referring to the Soviet-Japanese Joint Declaration of 1956 which promised Shikotan and the Habomais would be ceded to Japan once a peace treaty was signed.
Japan has offered substantial financial aid to the Kuril Islands if they are handed over. However, by 2007, residents of the islands were starting to benefit from economic growth and improved living standards, arising in particular from expansion in the fish processing industry. As a result, it is thought that islanders are less likely to be won over by Japanese offers of financial support.
On February 6, 2008 Japan Today, an English-language news site in Japan, reported that the Russian president had suggested to the Japanese prime minister to finally settle all territorial disputes over the Kuril Islands and had sent him a letter inviting him to come to Russia for discussions.
The dispute over the Kuril Islands was further exacerbated on July 16, 2008 when the Japanese government published new school textbook guidelines directing teachers to say that Japan has sovereignty over the Kuril Islands.
The Russian Foreign Ministry announced on July 18: “[these actions] contribute neither to the development of positive cooperation between the two countries, nor to the settlement of the dispute” and reaffirmed its sovereignty over the islands.
