16 July 2011 — Stop NATO
- 120-Day War: 15,308 NATO Sorties Over Libya, 5,767 Strike Missions
- Britain Adding More Warplanes For Intensified Attacks On Libya
- Several NATO Fighter Jets Violate Pakistani Airspace
- Another NATO Soldier Killed By Afghan Counterpart
- NATO Chief Criticizes Czech Republic For Not Spending More On Arms
- ‘Protracted Conflicts In GUAM Area’ To Be Discussed In UN
120-Day War: 15,308 NATO Sorties Over Libya, 5,767 Strike Missions
Click to access 20110716_110716-oup-update.pdf
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
July 16, 2011
NATO and Libya
Allied Joint Force Command NAPLES, SHAPE, NATO HQ
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Over the past 24 hours, NATO has conducted the following activities associated with Operation UNIFIED PROTECTOR:
Air Operations
Since the beginning of the NATO operation (31 March 2011, 06.00GMT) a total of 15,308 sorties, including 5,767 strike sorties*,have been conducted.
Sorties conducted 15 JULY: 115
Strike sorties conducted 15 JULY: 46
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Britain Adding More Warplanes For Intensified Attacks On Libya
Evening Standard
July 16, 2011
More Tornados sent to Libya as pressure mounts on Gaddafi
Craig Woodhouse
Britain is sending four more warplanes to Libya to help a fresh military push to oust Colonel Gaddafi, it was announced today.
The extra Tornado GR4s will mainly fly intelligence-gathering missions but will also be able to aid bombing raids…
Foreign Secretary William Hague said ‘military pressure on the regime will continue to intensify’ while a political solution is sought.
The UK has already provided 18 fast jets as part of the Nato-led mission, along with aircraft such as Apache attack helicopters. But amid fears of a stalemate in the country, Nato Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen called yesterday for members of the alliance to supply more air power.
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Several NATO Fighter Jets Violate Pakistani Airspace
The Nation
July 16, 2011
Nato planes again violate Pak airspace over Kurram
SADDA: Several Nato fighter jets violated Pakistan’s airspace over the Kurram Agency on Friday, causing panic among the locals.
According to locals, Nato aircraft crossed over into Kurram Agency through the Afghan border and flew up to five-kilometres across the border. The planes returned back to Afghanistan after a few minutes without any incident.
They went over Pakistani territory for a few minutes before returning to Afghanistan.
NATO helicopters entered the same region last year, firing several rockets that killed three Pakistani soldiers. The incident forced Islamabad to shut the Nato supply route that traverses Pakistan, suspending the delivery of goods to foreign troops in Afghanistan. Tensions between the two countries increased following a secret US raid on Pakistan in May that allegedly killed Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
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Another NATO Soldier Killed By Afghan Counterpart
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/16/us-afghanistan-violence-idUSTRE76F0RT20110716
Reuters
July 16, 2011
Afghan army soldier kills NATO service member
KANDAHAR: An Afghan army soldier killed at least one NATO soldier Saturday, near the southern Afghan city of Lashkar Gah…
‘The shooting happened during a joint security patrol,’ said the senior police detective, who asked not to be named as he was not authorized to speak to the media.
The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force said it was investigating an incident in southern Afghanistan.
‘An individual wearing an Afghan National Army uniform turned his weapon against International Security Assistance Force service members in southern Afghanistan today, killing one service member,’ ISAF said in a statement.
(Reporting by Ismail Sameem, writing by Emma Graham-Harrison, editing by Michelle Nichols)
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NATO Chief Criticizes Czech Republic For Not Spending More On Arms
http://www.ceskapozice.cz/en/news/politics-policy/nato-chief-warns-czechs-against-spending-cuts
Czech Position
July 15, 2011
NATO chief warns Czechs against spending cuts
NATO general secretary Anders Fogh Rasmussen sends letter to PM Petr Ne?as warning of Czech Republic becoming a ‘freeloader’
Tom Jones
Cuts in the Czech defense budget have prompted NATO general secretary, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, to warn Czech Prime Minister, Petr Ne?as (Civic Democrats, ODS), that lower defense spending could undermine the Czech Republic’s future role in the alliance and, more immediately, have a negative impact on the country’s current role in joint NATO missions.
‘Reducing the defense budget means not only lowering your ambitions, it could also have a negative influence Prague’s contribution to joint operations. And this is what concerns me,’ Rasmussen said in the letter to PM Ne?as cited by Friday’s edition of the daily Mladá fronta dnes (MfD).
When the Czech Republic joined NATO in 1999, the government at the time pledged to allocate no less than 2 percent of GDP to defense spending. In 2011, however, the Czech defense budget amounted to K? 43.8 billion, which was just 1.15 percent of GDP for the previous year. And according to the draft budget for 2012, the government plans to allocate K? 41.5 billion to the military. According to budget forecasts, the budget could be reduced to K? 35 billion in three years’ time.
‘The two-percent reduction in spending on the military over the past two years is a reason for reconsideration,’ Rasmussen warns Ne?as in the letter.
A number of scandals over alleged over-priced equipment orders and corrupt practices have rocked the Czech Ministry of Defense in recent years and have been instrumental in prompting the defense spending cuts.
‘We rely on guarantees for our defense given by the alliance. Therefore, nothing will really happen if we again reduce the budget. NATO will protect us after all,’ Deputy Defense Minister Jí?i Šedivý told MfD ironically summarizing the Czech attitude towards NATO membership.
The Czech Republic is not the only new NATO member country to have reduced military spending in recent years. Neighboring Slovakia and Hungary have cut back on military training exercises and wages account for three quarters of the Slovak defense budget.
Rasmussen letter comes days after NATO headquarters criticized certain members for not participating in the NATO mission in Libya. Though the Czech foreign ministry has pledged humanitarian aid and assistance with rebuilding efforts in Libya, Prague unlike most of the large NATO member states has not recognized the rebel administration based in Benghazi as the country’s legitimate government.
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‘Protracted Conflicts In GUAM Area’ To Be Discussed In UN
http://en.apa.az/news.php?id=151667
Azeri Press Agency
July 16, 2011
Topics on situation in Azerbaijani occupied territories and ‘protracted conflicts’ in GUAM area included in agenda of UN General Assembly’s autumn session
Habil Suleymanzadeh
Baku: Topics on the situation in the Azerbaijani occupied territories and ‘protracted conflicts’ in the GUAM area are included in the agenda of forthcoming autumn session of the UN General Assembly.
APA reports quoting the UN’s official website that both topics were reflected in the General Assembly’s preliminary agenda called ‘Maintaining international peace and security’. The topic named ‘Situation in the Azerbaijani occupied territories’ is at the 39th place of the agenda, and topic named ‘Protracted conflicts in the GUAM area and their implications for international peace, security and development’ is at 35th place.
UN General Assembly’s meeting will begin on September 13 and finish on September 30.
The New Dark Age 
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