4 New Messages
Digest #4719
Messages
Thu Jun 6, 2013 2:11 pm (PDT) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://www.civil.
Civil Georgia
June 6, 2013
Six Georgian Soldiers Die in Afghan Truck Bomb Attack
Tbilisi: At least six Georgian servicemen were killed after a truck bomb hit their outpost in the Helmand province of Afghanistan on June 6, less than a month after three Georgian soldiers died in a similar incident in Helmand, the Georgian authorities said late on Thursday.
Efforts are underway to recover one Georgian soldier from rubble left by the explosion, said Irakli Dzneladze, chief of the joint staff of the Georgian armed forces.
Nine Georgian soldiers sustained no life threatening injuries, he said.
For the Georgian troops this recent attack brought the largest death toll in any single incident since joining ISAF mission in November, 2009.
This recent attack brings the total death toll of the Georgian soldiers in ISAF mission to 28.
Three Georgian troops died in a similar incident on May 13, 2013 when an explosives-laden truck hit their outpost in the Helmand province.
------------
http://www.civil.
Civil Georgia
June 5, 2013
NATO, Georgian Defense Ministers Meeting
NATO Defence Ministers met with their Georgian counterpart Irakli Alasania in frames of NATO-Georgia Commission in Brussels on 5 June to discuss Georgia’s reform plans and further cooperation.
“We greatly appreciate the active support that Georgia has made to our operations – past and present,” NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said in his opening remarks at the NATO-Georgia Commission. “We greatly value the professionalism and the courage of Georgian troops. And we honor their sacrifice. These efforts are all the more impressive given the demanding defence reforms that Georgia is now undertaking.”
...
“And I look forward to a future in which Georgia is in the Alliance. The decisions taken at the NATO Summit in Bucharest still stand. Georgia will become a member of NATO provided it meets the requirements for membership,” he added.
NATO said in a press release that defense ministers from the Alliance thanked Georgia for its readiness to participate in the post-2014 mission in Afghanistan “in order to train, advise and assist the Afghan security forces” and hailed Georgia’s “dynamic efforts and achievements in moving towards Euro-Atlantic integration.”
Alasania also participated on June 5 in a meeting of NATO defence ministers with counterparts from non-NATO ISAF contributing nations. The meetings were part of two-day NATO defense ministerial event that focused on cyber defence, the mission in Afghanistan and military capabilities.
Speaking at a news conference, summing up two-day NATO defense ministerial meeting, Rasmussen said on June 5, that Georgia was NATO’s “committed partner.” He also said that Georgia was conducting reforms which “are demanding, and far-reaching.”
“Today, [defense] ministers expressed their appreciation for all Georgia has done to support our common goals. They reaffirmed NATO’s continued support for Georgia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty within its internationally recognized borders. And they made clear that they are ready to support and assist Georgia as it moves ahead with its reforms,” Rasmussen said.
...
Asked about so called ‘borderisation’ process by the Russian troops across breakaway South Ossetia’s administrative boundary line, Rasmussen said that installation of wire fences was “a violation of international law” and of 2008 ceasefire agreements.
“Building fences impedes freedom of movement, it can further inflame tensions, it is simply not acceptable,” the NATO Secretary General said. “We urge Russia to live up to her international obligations.”
Asked about detention of former PM and secretary general of UNM party Vano Merabishvili, Rasmussen responded that NATO was “following these developments with great concern.”
“Obviously we are not going to interfere with legal cases and the judiciary in Georgia. In today’s meeting with the Georgian Minister of Defense I made clear, and ministers made clear, that we take it for granted that the Georgian authorities will fully respect the fundamental principles of rule of law and will guarantee due process. We have made clear that even the perception of politically motivated arrests should be avoided and we expect Georgia to live up to those fundamental principles,” Rasmussen said.
============
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Civil Georgia
June 6, 2013
Six Georgian Soldiers Die in Afghan Truck Bomb Attack
Tbilisi: At least six Georgian servicemen were killed after a truck bomb hit their outpost in the Helmand province of Afghanistan on June 6, less than a month after three Georgian soldiers died in a similar incident in Helmand, the Georgian authorities said late on Thursday.
Efforts are underway to recover one Georgian soldier from rubble left by the explosion, said Irakli Dzneladze, chief of the joint staff of the Georgian armed forces.
Nine Georgian soldiers sustained no life threatening injuries, he said.
For the Georgian troops this recent attack brought the largest death toll in any single incident since joining ISAF mission in November, 2009.
This recent attack brings the total death toll of the Georgian soldiers in ISAF mission to 28.
Three Georgian troops died in a similar incident on May 13, 2013 when an explosives-laden truck hit their outpost in the Helmand province.
------------
http://www.civil.
Civil Georgia
June 5, 2013
NATO, Georgian Defense Ministers Meeting
NATO Defence Ministers met with their Georgian counterpart Irakli Alasania in frames of NATO-Georgia Commission in Brussels on 5 June to discuss Georgia’s reform plans and further cooperation.
“We greatly appreciate the active support that Georgia has made to our operations – past and present,” NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said in his opening remarks at the NATO-Georgia Commission. “We greatly value the professionalism and the courage of Georgian troops. And we honor their sacrifice. These efforts are all the more impressive given the demanding defence reforms that Georgia is now undertaking.”
...
“And I look forward to a future in which Georgia is in the Alliance. The decisions taken at the NATO Summit in Bucharest still stand. Georgia will become a member of NATO provided it meets the requirements for membership,” he added.
NATO said in a press release that defense ministers from the Alliance thanked Georgia for its readiness to participate in the post-2014 mission in Afghanistan “in order to train, advise and assist the Afghan security forces” and hailed Georgia’s “dynamic efforts and achievements in moving towards Euro-Atlantic integration.”
Alasania also participated on June 5 in a meeting of NATO defence ministers with counterparts from non-NATO ISAF contributing nations. The meetings were part of two-day NATO defense ministerial event that focused on cyber defence, the mission in Afghanistan and military capabilities.
Speaking at a news conference, summing up two-day NATO defense ministerial meeting, Rasmussen said on June 5, that Georgia was NATO’s “committed partner.” He also said that Georgia was conducting reforms which “are demanding, and far-reaching.”
“Today, [defense] ministers expressed their appreciation for all Georgia has done to support our common goals. They reaffirmed NATO’s continued support for Georgia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty within its internationally recognized borders. And they made clear that they are ready to support and assist Georgia as it moves ahead with its reforms,” Rasmussen said.
...
Asked about so called ‘borderisation’ process by the Russian troops across breakaway South Ossetia’s administrative boundary line, Rasmussen said that installation of wire fences was “a violation of international law” and of 2008 ceasefire agreements.
“Building fences impedes freedom of movement, it can further inflame tensions, it is simply not acceptable,” the NATO Secretary General said. “We urge Russia to live up to her international obligations.”
Asked about detention of former PM and secretary general of UNM party Vano Merabishvili, Rasmussen responded that NATO was “following these developments with great concern.”
“Obviously we are not going to interfere with legal cases and the judiciary in Georgia. In today’s meeting with the Georgian Minister of Defense I made clear, and ministers made clear, that we take it for granted that the Georgian authorities will fully respect the fundamental principles of rule of law and will guarantee due process. We have made clear that even the perception of politically motivated arrests should be avoided and we expect Georgia to live up to those fundamental principles,” Rasmussen said.
============
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============
Thu Jun 6, 2013 2:11 pm (PDT) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://www.defense.
U.S. Department of Defense
American Forces Press Service
June 5, 2013
Hagel Describes Post-ISAF Afghanistan Mission
By Karen Parrish
====
Hagel said the U.S. role will be as the overall framework nation, with geographic responsibility in the east and south, the areas of strongest insurgent resistance to the Afghan government.
“We intend to be there for the long haul, and I made that commitment very clear today.”
“We will develop a plan for how NATO can play a role in boosting the capacity of the Libyan government..
====
BRUSSELS: The United States will be the largest single contributor to the follow-on NATO operation that will replace the International Security Assistance Force mission in Afghanistan in 2015 and beyond, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said at NATO headquarters here today.
Hagel told reporters during a news conference that today’s defense minister meetings brought some clarity to the “Resolute Support” operation NATO will launch to train, advise and assist Afghan forces after those forces have assumed full security responsibility by the end of 2014.
The secretary spent two days in meetings here with his fellow NATO defense ministers, with today’s sessions centered on planning alliance support for post-2014 Afghanistan.
Hagel’s news conference followed NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen’s. Rasmussen told reporters Resolute Support will be a much smaller mission with five regional components: one each in Afghanistan’s east, west, north and south, and the fifth in the Afghan capital of Kabul. Rasmussen explained the train, advise and assist mission will put trainers at the national level, such as the ministries of defense and interior, and at the corps level of Afghan army and police forces.
Hagel said the U.S. role will be as the overall framework nation, with geographic responsibility in the east and south, the areas of strongest insurgent resistance to the Afghan government.
“We appreciate the commitments other nations are making, including the announcements by Germany and Italy that they will serve as lead nations for the west and the north,” the secretary said. “Turkey has also indicated they are favorably considering serving as the framework nation in Kabul.”
Hagel said U.S. support will include “new, expert, professional assistance to the [Afghan] army in the area of contracting and fuel support, not just soldiers.” He added, “We intend to be there for the long haul, and I made that commitment very clear today.”
The secretary also discussed NATO nations’ defense spending in an era when growing security challenges strongly signal the need to invest in new capabilities. Hagel said ministers discussed how to plan such investment in the face of widespread budget constraints among alliance members.
Hagel noted his own department is studying ways to cut spending, but added that he assured his counterparts that the United States is “not considering any reductions that will affect NATO’s ability to fulfill its core tasks of collective defense, crisis management and cooperative security.”
The U.S. commitment to NATO remains ironclad, the secretary said. “Still, overdependence on any one country for critical capabilities brings with it risks,” he said. “And as European defense investment continues to decline, the alliance’s dependence on the United States is growing.”
Hagel said he told his fellow ministers that to justify U.S. investment in the alliance to the American people, “we must be able to demonstrate that our NATO partners are willing to...share in this burden.”
Turning to cyber, the secretary said yesterday’s first NATO defense ministerial session devoted exclusively to cybersecurity sharpened ministers’ awareness that failure to get ahead of the threat could lead to “loss of life or serious economic consequences.”
Rasmussen noted yesterday that NATO will form rapid-response teams to counter cyberattacks on its own networks and, eventually, to aid allies...
Libya also was an agenda item this week, Hagel noted. Defense ministers agreed yesterday to respond to the Libyan government’s request for training assistance, he added.
“We will develop a plan for how NATO can play a role in boosting the capacity of the Libyan government to secure its borders and counter terrorism,” he said...
Hagel said now is a defining time for the transatlantic alliance, noting that President Barack Obama and Rasmussen agreed during their meeting last week to hold a NATO summit in 2014.
“This summit will help keep the alliance on a path for the future, following the end of the combat mission in Afghanistan,” he said. “I look forward to working to help defend our common interests.”
============
Stop NATO e-mail list home page with archives and search engine:
http://groups.
Stop NATO website and articles:
http://rickrozoff.
To subscribe for individual e-mails or the daily digest, unsubscribe, and otherwise change subscription status:
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============
U.S. Department of Defense
American Forces Press Service
June 5, 2013
Hagel Describes Post-ISAF Afghanistan Mission
By Karen Parrish
====
Hagel said the U.S. role will be as the overall framework nation, with geographic responsibility in the east and south, the areas of strongest insurgent resistance to the Afghan government.
“We intend to be there for the long haul, and I made that commitment very clear today.”
“We will develop a plan for how NATO can play a role in boosting the capacity of the Libyan government..
====
BRUSSELS: The United States will be the largest single contributor to the follow-on NATO operation that will replace the International Security Assistance Force mission in Afghanistan in 2015 and beyond, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said at NATO headquarters here today.
Hagel told reporters during a news conference that today’s defense minister meetings brought some clarity to the “Resolute Support” operation NATO will launch to train, advise and assist Afghan forces after those forces have assumed full security responsibility by the end of 2014.
The secretary spent two days in meetings here with his fellow NATO defense ministers, with today’s sessions centered on planning alliance support for post-2014 Afghanistan.
Hagel’s news conference followed NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen’s. Rasmussen told reporters Resolute Support will be a much smaller mission with five regional components: one each in Afghanistan’s east, west, north and south, and the fifth in the Afghan capital of Kabul. Rasmussen explained the train, advise and assist mission will put trainers at the national level, such as the ministries of defense and interior, and at the corps level of Afghan army and police forces.
Hagel said the U.S. role will be as the overall framework nation, with geographic responsibility in the east and south, the areas of strongest insurgent resistance to the Afghan government.
“We appreciate the commitments other nations are making, including the announcements by Germany and Italy that they will serve as lead nations for the west and the north,” the secretary said. “Turkey has also indicated they are favorably considering serving as the framework nation in Kabul.”
Hagel said U.S. support will include “new, expert, professional assistance to the [Afghan] army in the area of contracting and fuel support, not just soldiers.” He added, “We intend to be there for the long haul, and I made that commitment very clear today.”
The secretary also discussed NATO nations’ defense spending in an era when growing security challenges strongly signal the need to invest in new capabilities. Hagel said ministers discussed how to plan such investment in the face of widespread budget constraints among alliance members.
Hagel noted his own department is studying ways to cut spending, but added that he assured his counterparts that the United States is “not considering any reductions that will affect NATO’s ability to fulfill its core tasks of collective defense, crisis management and cooperative security.”
The U.S. commitment to NATO remains ironclad, the secretary said. “Still, overdependence on any one country for critical capabilities brings with it risks,” he said. “And as European defense investment continues to decline, the alliance’s dependence on the United States is growing.”
Hagel said he told his fellow ministers that to justify U.S. investment in the alliance to the American people, “we must be able to demonstrate that our NATO partners are willing to...share in this burden.”
Turning to cyber, the secretary said yesterday’s first NATO defense ministerial session devoted exclusively to cybersecurity sharpened ministers’ awareness that failure to get ahead of the threat could lead to “loss of life or serious economic consequences.”
Rasmussen noted yesterday that NATO will form rapid-response teams to counter cyberattacks on its own networks and, eventually, to aid allies...
Libya also was an agenda item this week, Hagel noted. Defense ministers agreed yesterday to respond to the Libyan government’s request for training assistance, he added.
“We will develop a plan for how NATO can play a role in boosting the capacity of the Libyan government to secure its borders and counter terrorism,” he said...
Hagel said now is a defining time for the transatlantic alliance, noting that President Barack Obama and Rasmussen agreed during their meeting last week to hold a NATO summit in 2014.
“This summit will help keep the alliance on a path for the future, following the end of the combat mission in Afghanistan,” he said. “I look forward to working to help defend our common interests.”
============
Stop NATO e-mail list home page with archives and search engine:
http://groups.
Stop NATO website and articles:
http://rickrozoff.
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============
Fri Jun 7, 2013 5:38 am (PDT) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://news.
Xinhua News Agency
June 7, 2013
Former Maldives president opposes U.S. plan to set up foothold for forces
NEW DELHI: A former Maldives president has expressed opposition to a plan by the United States to establish a foothold for its armed forces in his Indian Ocean island nation.
The local daily The Hindu Friday quoted former Maldives President Maumoon Abdul Gayoon as saying that he was not happy with the reported discussion between Maldives and the U.S. on signing a Status of Force Agreement (SOFA) that envisages a foothold for American forces in the heart of the Indian Ocean.
"I am not happy. I didn't want that to happen," the 76-year-old former Maldives head of state told the newspaper.
Gayoon made a visit to New Delhi this week and met with Indian Minister of External Affairs Salman Kurshid.
The leaked draft SOFA being discussed by Male and Washington "incorporates the principal provisions and necessary authorization for the temporary presence and activities of the U.S. forces in the Republic of Maldives and, in the specific situations in dictated herein, the presence and activities of United States contractors in the Maldives"
...
============
Stop NATO e-mail list home page with archives and search engine:
http://groups.
Stop NATO website and articles:
http://rickrozoff.
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============
Xinhua News Agency
June 7, 2013
Former Maldives president opposes U.S. plan to set up foothold for forces
NEW DELHI: A former Maldives president has expressed opposition to a plan by the United States to establish a foothold for its armed forces in his Indian Ocean island nation.
The local daily The Hindu Friday quoted former Maldives President Maumoon Abdul Gayoon as saying that he was not happy with the reported discussion between Maldives and the U.S. on signing a Status of Force Agreement (SOFA) that envisages a foothold for American forces in the heart of the Indian Ocean.
"I am not happy. I didn't want that to happen," the 76-year-old former Maldives head of state told the newspaper.
Gayoon made a visit to New Delhi this week and met with Indian Minister of External Affairs Salman Kurshid.
The leaked draft SOFA being discussed by Male and Washington "incorporates the principal provisions and necessary authorization for the temporary presence and activities of the U.S. forces in the Republic of Maldives and, in the specific situations in dictated herein, the presence and activities of United States contractors in the Maldives"
...
============
Stop NATO e-mail list home page with archives and search engine:
http://groups.
Stop NATO website and articles:
http://rickrozoff.
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============
Fri Jun 7, 2013 6:04 am (PDT) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://www.nato.
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
June 6, 2013
Secretary General thanks Poland for strong commitment
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen thanked Poland for its staunch commitment to the Alliance and its strong contributions to missions, in particular in Afghanistan and Kosovo during a visit to Warsaw on Thursday (6 June 2013). “Poland is a proud NATO member, strongly committed to the Alliance. And the Alliance is committed to Poland’s defence,” the Secretary General said.
During talks with President Bronislaw Komorowski, Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski and Defence Minister Tomasz Siemoniak, the Secretary General expressed the hope that Poland will be able to contribute to the new NATO-led post-2014 mission to train, advise and assist Afghan forces. The Secretary General thanked Poland in playing a leading role in making sure the Alliance has the capabilities it needs.
He noted Poland’s role in NATO’s missile defence, and its participation in Smart Defence projects.
Mr. Fogh Rasmussen stressed that the development of NATO’s missile defence programme remains on track. “The coverage will be as planned, and we thank Poland for hosting our missile defence capabilities,” he said. Overall, he praised Poland as a "strong example" for maintaining its defence expenditures close to NATO’s target of two percent of Gross Domestic Product.
The Secretary General also discussed a broad range of security issues with members of the Polish Parliament. At the Academy of National Defence, he met Polish troops who have just returned from Afghanistan and delivered a speech entitled "A Strong Europe for a Strong NATO", stressing the need for European Allies to address capability shortfalls and to embrace a global perspective.
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
June 6, 2013
Secretary General thanks Poland for strong commitment
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen thanked Poland for its staunch commitment to the Alliance and its strong contributions to missions, in particular in Afghanistan and Kosovo during a visit to Warsaw on Thursday (6 June 2013). “Poland is a proud NATO member, strongly committed to the Alliance. And the Alliance is committed to Poland’s defence,” the Secretary General said.
During talks with President Bronislaw Komorowski, Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski and Defence Minister Tomasz Siemoniak, the Secretary General expressed the hope that Poland will be able to contribute to the new NATO-led post-2014 mission to train, advise and assist Afghan forces. The Secretary General thanked Poland in playing a leading role in making sure the Alliance has the capabilities it needs.
He noted Poland’s role in NATO’s missile defence, and its participation in Smart Defence projects.
Mr. Fogh Rasmussen stressed that the development of NATO’s missile defence programme remains on track. “The coverage will be as planned, and we thank Poland for hosting our missile defence capabilities,” he said. Overall, he praised Poland as a "strong example" for maintaining its defence expenditures close to NATO’s target of two percent of Gross Domestic Product.
The Secretary General also discussed a broad range of security issues with members of the Polish Parliament. At the Academy of National Defence, he met Polish troops who have just returned from Afghanistan and delivered a speech entitled "A Strong Europe for a Strong NATO", stressing the need for European Allies to address capability shortfalls and to embrace a global perspective.
