13 September 2011 — Stop NATO
- Racist Killings In Libyan ‘Regime Change’
- Georgia Ready For Full NATO Membership: Speaker
- Rasmussen: NATO Focuses On Interceptor Missile System, Cyber Warfare, Expeditionary Wars
- Clinton, Romanian Foreign Minister To Sign Interceptor Missile Agreement
- France, U.S. Use NATO To Boost European Military Capability
- Poland: Polish, Canadian, Lithuanian, Ukrainian Troops Train For Afghan War
- Africa Partnership Station: U.S. Warship Departs Fifth African Nation
- West Plans Caspian Submarine Pipeline For Eurasian Energy War
- West Advances Trans-Caspian Pipeline Versus Russia, Iran
- Carl Bildt: Eastern Partnership Push Into Ex-USSR At Top Of EU Agenda
- Pakistan Betrayed By NATO ‘Ally’
- Iraq: NATO To Continue Operation To End Of 2013
- NATO Trains Senior Iraqi Officers
- ANZUS’ 60th Anniversary: Pentagon Returns To South Pacific
Racist Killings In Libyan ‘Regime Change’
Trinidad & Tobago Express
September 3, 2011
‘Racist’ killings in Libya’s ‘regime change’
Ricky Singh
While the war planes of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) continue to facilitate the anti-Moammar Gadaffi rebel forces to take full control of Libya, there are increasing reports of racist killings and torture against black Africans accused of being mercenaries of the deposed Libyan president.
The atrocities had become widespread enough by early last week for the African Union (AU) to officially refuse to recognise the NATO-backed National Transitional Council (NTC) currently in the process of transforming itself as the ‘new government’ of Libya, functioning from the capital, Tripoli.
Last Tuesday, The Guardian (UK) posted an articled by Richard Seymour titled ‘Libya’s spectacular revolution has been disgraced by racism’ in which he lamented that ‘the murder of black men in the aftermath of the rebellion speaks of a society deeply divided for decades by Gadaffi…’
And by Friday (September 1) the well known Caribbean thinker and economist, Prof Norman Girvan, was noting on his respected website the disturbing concern that ‘we do not know what is Caricom’ in reference to the racist-fuelled killings of black Africans in Libya a nation of North Africa.
But nine days earlier, on August 23, the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) was reporting Caricom’s current chairman, Prime Minister Dr Denzil Douglas of St Kitts and Nevis, as observing that the ‘international community also welcomed the rebels dramatic advance after six months of fighting and (he) urged Gaddafi to surrender and avoid a bloodbath. …
‘The situation in Libya (said Dr Douglas) provides a lesson in democracy for the Caribbean. We have seen in countries where democracy has been absent, where people have been yearning for full freedom of expression from the government that they would want to represent them, and eventually this has led to bloodshed as we have seen over the last six months in various Arab countries….’
It is challenging observation from Prime Minister Douglas and it is to be wondered whether there had been any prior consultation with his fellow Heads of Government given the controversial circumstances on NATO’s involvement in ‘regime change’ in Tripoli following the subsequently established abuse of a so-called ‘no-fly zone’ resolution approved by the UN Security Council by majority vote.
Dr Douglas, who hosted the 32nd annual summit of Caricom Heads of Government last July in Basseterre, would have been fully conscious of the Community’s general sentiment on the Libyan crisis as briefly summaried in a single paragraph in the official communiqué.
Under the title ‘The Situation in Libya’ the communiqué stated: ‘Heads of Government deplored the increasing loss of innocent life as the conflict in Libya becomes drawn out. They called for a ceasefire as well as the early convening of negotiations. In this regard, they expressed support for the African Union in the search for a peaceful resolution of the dispute…’
It is not known whether this stated position was formally drawn to the attention of the UN Secretary General, or was simply done for the record. The reality, however, is that none of the governments that chose to make use of NATO’s military power to achieve ‘regime change’ in Tripoli — under the fig-leaf explanation of ‘protecting civilians’ — had shown ANY interest in a ceasefire to give ‘peaceful resolution’ a chance. Instead, in the face of the ‘war’ rhetoric of the governments in London and Paris in particular — where, incidentally, racism against black immigrants has become a more controversial issue — total contempt has been demonstrated by the western powers for any tide of ‘peaceful negotiations’ in preference for ‘regime change’ — even if meant taking out Gadaffi dead or alive.
Caricom, after all, includes member governments that have diplomatic relations with Libya under Gadaffi.
It also has a collective institutional relationship with the AU.
Consequently, there seems to be a moral obligation on Caricom’s part to now also speak out against the racist killings and atrocities against black Africans in Libya – even if our Community does not wish to side with the AU in withholding recognition of the NATO-backed Transitional Council as the new government in Tripoli.
Many of the victims, according to media reports (some with graphic images), have been savagely wounded and murdered purely because of their physical appearance and with no proof of being, as claimed, ‘mercenaries’ fighting to maintain Gadaffi’s…power.
As reported by the Guardian’s Richard Seymour, ‘this is a bad time to be a black man in Libya’. He was quoting a report by ‘Channel 4 News’ last Sunday, even as Ken Sengupta of the Independent newspaper was commenting on some 30 bodies lying decomposed in Tripoli, the majority of them black, allegedly ‘mercenaries of Gadaffi’.
For his part Chika Onyeani, publisher and editor-in-chief of the African Sun Times, in analysing last Wednesday why the African Unon ‘is right not to recognise the Libyan rebels’, declared that ‘the rebels need to accounrt for the killings of black Africans, not for the pretensions of ‘confusing them as mercenaries hired by Gadaffi’, but because of the anti-black, racist and innate hatred of black Africans, even though there are a million dark Africans who are Libyan citizens and are maltreated as well…’
None of this may be of interest to Caricom governments if they do not take time to properly inform themselves on some of the harsh, unpleasant realities of the NATO-backed Transitional Council and foreign armed rebels that have spent the past six months to achieve a very costly, bloody ‘regime change’ in Libya.
The Community’s latest position as articulated by its chairman, Dr Douglas, appears quite flawed and ought to be revisited.
====
Georgia Ready For Full NATO Membership: Speaker
http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=23926
Civil Georgia
September 12, 2011
Bakradze: ‘Georgia Ready for NATO Membership’
Tbilisi: Georgia’s parliamentary speaker, Davit Bakradze, indicated on September 12 that Tbilisi now wanted from NATO more than just reiteration of its 2008 Bucharest summit decision that the country would one day join the Alliance.
In an interview with the Georgian TV station Rustavi 2, Bakradze said that he was expecting the NATO North Atlantic Council (NAC) and Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen to reiterate the Bucharest summit decision when the NAC visits Georgia on November 9-10.
‘But at the same time, naturally, our expectations are not limited to only the Bucharest [decisions]; our expectations are that this process [of NATO integration] will be accelerated and Georgia will become a NATO member; we are ready for that,’ Bakradze said.
‘We have worked a lot for that in recent years. I can state it boldly today, that Georgia meets actually all the requirements which can be put before a [NATO membership] candidate country.’
‘There are the Bucharest commitments, which clearly state that Georgia will become a NATO member. So we believe that situation is ripe now to think about further steps,’ Bakradze said.
He, however, also added, that decisions of that type ‘are not taken fast and easily.’
‘We will try to speed up this process. We hope that the visit of the Secretary General and a session of the NAC in Tbilisi will help us to speed up this process in order to achieve our goal soon,’ Bakradze said.
====
Rasmussen: NATO Focuses On Interceptor Missile System, Cyber Warfare, Expeditionary Wars
http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/news_77936.htm
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
September 12, 2011
NATO Secretary General calls for new approach to defence spending
The NATO Secretary General, Mr. Anders Fogh Rasmussen, attended in London the ACT Industry Day (NATO’s Allied Command Transformation) on 12 September 2011.
‘It is my intention that, by the time of the next NATO Summit, in Chicago, in May, we will be able to agree a package of specific multinational projects that provides better value for money. And more security for the money we invest in defence’, the Secretary General said in the speech delivered today.
‘I see three imperatives – to prioritize; to specialise, and to seek multinational solutions’. On the first imperative, he focused on ‘areas where we have the most critical need. Areas such as missile defence. Cyber defence. Countering roadside bombs. Medical support. Transport capacity. Command and control. Intelligence and surveillance.’
He wanted also to stress that ‘Prioritising also means spending money on operations and deployable equipment, instead of on static structures.’
====
Clinton, Romanian Foreign Minister To Sign Interceptor Missile Agreement
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2011/09/172188.htm
U.S. Department of State
September 12, 2011
Secretary Clinton and Romanian Foreign Minister Baconschi to Sign U.S.-Romanian Ballistic Missile Defense Agreement on September 13
Notice to the Press
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
On Tuesday, September 13, 2011, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Baconschi will sign the Agreement between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of Romania on the Deployment of the Ballistic Missile Defense System in Romania, at the Department of State. This legally-binding agreement will allow for the establishment and operation of a U.S. land-based SM-3 ballistic missile defense system in Romania.
The signing and a joint press availability will take place at approximately 12:15 p.m. following a bilateral meeting.
————————————————————————–
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-09/13/c_131135253.htm
Xinhua News Agency
September 13, 2011
U.S., Romania to sign ballistic missile defense agreement
WASHINGTON: The United States and Romania are scheduled to sign a ballistic missile defense agreement on Tuesday, allowing for the deployment of SM-3 interceptors in the East European nation that target short and medium-range missiles, the State Department said on Monday.
It said Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her Romanian counterpart Teodor Baconschi will sign the accord at the U.S. State Department, noting that ‘this legally-binding agreement will allow for the establishment and operation of a U.S. land-based SM-3 ballistic missile defense system in Romania,’ a NATO member.
In September 2009, U.S. President Barack Obama revamped the missile defense plan adopted by the George W. Bush administration for a radar site and interceptor rockets in the Czech Republic and Poland, which had met vehement opposition from Russia.
In their summit in Lisbon, Portugal last November, NATO leaders agreed to develop a missile defense shield, linking systems in the United States…
The shield, which will be deployed in stages from 2011 until 2020 and involves the deployment of U.S. interceptor missiles and radar in Europe, will be capable of intercepting long-range and intercontinental ballistic missiles.
====
France, U.S. Use NATO To Boost European Military Capability
Bloomberg News
September 12, 20111
France, U.S. Should Push Europe to Strengthen Military: View
French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s embrace of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization might be the last best chance to reverse the decline in Europe’s defense capabilities.
In an Aug. 31 address to French ambassadors, Sarkozy said that in Libya, NATO ‘turned out to be a crucial tool in the service of our military operations.’ This is a dramatic change from the traditional French ambivalence toward the alliance. But this new attitude doesn’t change the disproportionate share of the burden that the U.S., France and the U.K. bear for NATO’s operations. The good news is that by making NATO an important part of his national-security strategy, Sarkozy now has a powerful reason to push other Europeans to contribute their fair share.
Sarkozy understands the problem. In the speech, he forcefully decried Europe’s declining defense capacity and lack of political will. ‘Europeans,’ he said, ‘must assume more of their responsibilities,’ or ‘experience a rude awakening.’ France and the U.K., he noted, account for half of combined defense spending by all members of the European Union.
…
Defense Spending
Sarkozy’s words are music to the ears of U.S. and NATO officials…Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the alliance’s secretary-general and a former prime minister of Denmark, has said Europe’s unwillingness to pay for defense means it will have less influence internationally and less capability to resolve cross- border disputes.
…
Most Europeans still don’t see a threat that justifies increased defense spending, nor are they yet comfortable with the idea that NATO should become an expeditionary force able and willing to send troops far from the alliance’s borders.
…Sarkozy should develop a strategy with President Barack Obama to change the way European alliance members spend their money, aimed at improving defense capabilities. The two leaders should try to persuade the Europeans to allocate their budgets more efficiently by pooling resources, sharing procurement, and having the smaller allies specialize in particular tasks.
For example, the Czechs have taken on the task of providing a defense against chemical, nuclear and biological weapons for all NATO forces; other allies don’t have to duplicate that capability. By having a group of countries buy the same equipment, the alliance can get lower prices from defense contractors.
…Twelve allies formed a consortium to buy three C-17 air transports that none of them could afford on their own. The Netherlands and Belgium share a naval headquarters.
…
NATO has been unable to resolve this fundamental issue for many years. A joint French-American plan has a chance to break this deadlock. The irony is that Sarkozy will soon find out that it isn’t the U.S., but his fellow Europeans who are the biggest obstacle to his vision of France as a leader of NATO.
====
Poland: Polish, Canadian, Lithuanian, Ukrainian Troops Train For Afghan War
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-09/12/c_131134347.htm
Xinhua News Agency
September 12, 2011
Poland starts military exercise as drill for Afghan mission
WARSAW: The Maple Arch 2011 international military excercises involving Canada, Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine began in Zagan-Swietoszow, western Poland, on Monday, according to local media.
The exercises, attended by 200 soldiers, are part of preparations of the new shift of the Polish military contingent in Afghanistan, which is expected to to start its mission in the spring of next year.
The goal of the exercise, to last until Friday, is to boost the capacity of the Polish troops in conditions similar to those in Afghanistan, Marcin Gil, the press officers of the Krakow 6th Airborne Division told the PAP news agency.
Poland currently has 2,600 soldiers in Afghanistan…
====
Africa Partnership Station: U.S. Warship Departs Fifth African Nation
http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=62693
Navy NewsStand
September 12, 2011
USS Samuel B. Roberts Departs Mauritius
By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Felicito Rustique, Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Africa/Commander, U.S. 6th Fleet Public Affairs
PORT LOUIS, Mauritius: USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG 58) departed Mauritius after an eight-day goodwill port visit as part of their involvement with Africa Partnership Station (APS) East’s hub, Sept. 12.
…
The visit concluded with an at-sea evolution during the final day, which incorporated a visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) communications and helicopter exercise with the Mauritius Police Force Coast Guard.
…
The visit to Mauritius marked Roberts´ fifth East African port visit in the past eight weeks. The other stops were in Mombasa, Kenya; Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania; Victoria, Seychelles; and Maputo, Mozambique.
Samuel B. Roberts is an Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided-missile frigate that is homeported in Naval Station Mayport, Fla., and is currently on a scheduled deployment to the U.S. 6th Fleet area of responsibility.
APS is an international security cooperation initiative, facilitated by Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa, aimed at strengthening global maritime partnerships through training and collaborative activities in order to improve maritime safety and security in Africa.
====
West Plans Caspian Submarine Pipeline For Eurasian Energy War
http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=132026
Sofia News Agency
September 12, 2011
EU Sets Out to Lure Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan into Trans-Caspian Pipeline
-The project for the Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline, whose gas transit can be included in the so-called Southern Gas Corridor developed by the EU around Russia, has been stalled largely by opposition on part of Russia and Iran.
-The Southern Gas Corridor entails the construction of several pipelines, such as Nabucco (running from Turkey to Austria and Germany via Bulgaria, Romania, and Hungary), ITGI (Interconnection Turkey-Greece-Italy), White Stream (known also as the Georgia-Ukraine-EU pipeline) and TAP (the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline), aiming to bring gas from the Caspian Sea to Europe.
The EU has adopted a mandate to negotiate with Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan the building of the long-anticipated Trans-Caspian oil and gas pipeline, the EC has announced.
‘Today the European Union has adopted a mandate to negotiate a legally binding treaty between the EU, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan to build a Trans Caspian Pipeline System. This is the first time that the European Union has proposed a treaty in support of an infrastructure project. The treaty will be concluded by the EU after decision by all 27 Member States that the European Commission should lead the negotiations on behalf of them all,’ the European Commission said in a statement Monday.
It pointed out that the decision for the Trans-Caspian pipeline is a direct follow-up of the visit of President José Manuel Barroso and Energy Commissioner Gunther Oettinger to Baku and Ashgabat in January 2011 and their meetings with Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.
‘It constitutes a milestone in the realisation of the Southern Energy Corridor and is the first operational decision as part of a co-ordinated and united external energy strategy, as proposed in the European Commission’s Communication on security of energy supply and international cooperation – ‘The EU Energy Policy: Engaging with Partners beyond Our Borders’ – adopted on 7 September,‘ according to the European Commission.
‘Europe is now speaking with one voice. The trans-Caspian pipeline is a major project in the Southern Corridor to bring new sources of gas to Europe. We have the intention of achieving this as soon as possible,’ EU Energy Commissioner Gunther Oettinger is quoted as saying.
The Trans-Caspian Pipeline agreement will set the basis for the construction of a submarine pipeline connecting Turkmenistan to Azerbaijan, and in turn link this pipeline to infrastructure that will bring gas from Central Asia to the EU.
According to the EC, discussions with Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan will focus on inter alia a treaty setting out legal commitments between the European Union, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan, the bilateral arrangements necessary for Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan to achieve the commissioning, building, and operation of the trans-Caspian pipeline itself, and the legal framework that will apply to filling the pipeline with gas from Turkmenistan, including an appropriate recognition of commercial arrangements
The Commission reminds that Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan have expressed the availability of substantial gas volumes and a clear willingness to sell it to Europe. The European Union is ready to give the political and legal support for the gas deliveries to take place.
The Southern Energy Corridor (also called the Southern Gas Corridor) aims at supplying Europe with gas coming directly from the Caspian basin and the Middle East. It intends to increase security of supply for European households and industry by diversifying gas sources and routes, thus minimising dependence on few suppliers and potential gas cuts, the EC says.
Over the last months, the EU has engaged in a regular dialogue with Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan, which figure among the key potential gas suppliers for Nabucco, ITGI (Interconnector Turkey-Greece-Italy) and TAP (Trans-Adriatic Pipeline).
In January 2011, President Barroso signed a Joint Declaration with President Aliyev which supports the swift allocation of available gas resources in Azerbaijan. At the time, the document was described as a ‘breakthrough’ deal with Azerbaijan on the supply of natural gas to the Union from the Caucasus country and on the development of the so called Southern Gas Corridor with several major pipelines including Nabucco.
In March 2011, the Bulgarian government encouraged the government of Turkmenistan for the construction of the Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline, as it did in April 2010 as well.
The project for the Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline, whose gas transit can be included in the so-called Southern Gas Corridor developed by the EU around Russia, has been stalled largely by opposition on part of Russia and Iran.
Short of declaring outright political reasons, Russia and Iran have objected to the project on technically environmental and legal grounds – with respect to the status of the Caspian Sea and the littoral states. They claim that a potential pipeline project, regardless of the route, should need the consent of all five Caspian littoral states.
The Southern Gas Corridor entails the construction of several pipelines, such as Nabucco (running from Turkey to Austria and Germany via Bulgaria, Romania, and Hungary), ITGI (Interconnection Turkey-Greece-Italy), White Stream (known also as the Georgia-Ukraine-EU pipeline) and TAP (the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline), aiming to bring gas from the Caspian Sea to Europe.
====
West Advances Trans-Caspian Pipeline Versus Russia, Iran
http://en.trend.az/capital/analytical/1930571.html
Trend News Agency
September 12, 2011
Turkmen gas: in several steps from Europe
Azer Ahmedbeyli, an expert of Trend Analytical Center
-[T]he discovery of large gas reserves on the Absheron field could accelerate the arrival of western companies in the Caspian Sea as a whole…The subtext of various comments and statements on this issue is clear: in addition to strengthening Azerbaijan’s role as a key provider for the South Corridor project, the urgency to connect Turkmenistan’s gas to the project is increasing. In this regard, it would be not superfluous to note how things are going in Iraq…The Trans-Caspian gas pipeline, with a length of 300 kilometers, will be laid from the Turkmen coast of the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan, where it will be connected to the Southern Gas Corridor. Talks between Turkmenistan and the European Union and other countries on the construction of the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline have been conducted since the late 1990s.
At a meeting today, Iranian Oil Minister Rostam Qasemi and Russian Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko expressed their opposition to the construction of any gas pipeline in the Caspian Sea…
Baku: Strategic plans of the representatives of the Euro-Atlantic space ‘to fasten’ the raw material base of Central Asian countries to Europe cause negative reactions from neighbors – Russia and Iran, who consider such a scenario inconsistent with their national interests.
Last week, the French Total Company announced the discovery of large reserves of natural gas and condensate on the Absheron field in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea.
Today it was announced that the potential reserves of this field are 350 billion cubic meters of gas and 45 million tons of condensate. The comments and expert assessments regarding this event reflect an idea that the discovery of large gas reserves on the field Absheron field can play a positive role in realization of Nabucco project.
For example, according to experts and international observers in Turkmenistan, the discovery of large gas reserves on the Absheron field could accelerate the arrival of western companies in the Caspian Sea as a whole. Total’s announcement of discovering large natural gas and gas condensate at the Absheron field in Azerbaijan is great news for Total, for Azerbaijan, and for the Southern Corridor, which will help Europe to diversify its supplies of natural gas, U.S. ambassador to Azerbaijan Matthew Bryza told Trend.
The subtext of various comments and statements on this issue is clear: in addition to strengthening Azerbaijan’s role as a key provider for the South Corridor project, the urgency to connect Turkmenistan’s gas to the project is increasing. In this regard, it would be not superfluous to note how things are going in Iraq – a country that was initially considered one of the sources of supply as part of the Nabucco project. Recently the government of Iraqi Kurdistan – the semi-autonomous region in northern Iraq – stopped oil exports without describing the reasons. It is not a secret that the regional and the central government in Baghdad have sharp disagreements over the distribution of revenues from exports of hydrocarbons. Such facts do not make glad, but alarm, the participants of the Southern Corridor that need to guarantee security of supply.
In support of its seriousness, today the European Union has adopted a mandate to negotiate a legally binding treaty between the EU, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan to build a Trans Caspian Pipeline System. ‘The Trans-Caspian pipeline is a major project of the Southern Gas Corridor that is necessary to deliver gas from new sources in the Caspian region to Europe,’ said EU Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger. ‘We intend to achieve this as soon as possible.’
Providing a mandate constitutes a milestone in the realisation of the Southern Corridor and is the first operational decision as part of a coordinated and united external energy strategy, the EU statement says. Discussions with Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan will focus on inter alia a treaty setting out legal commitments between the European Union, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan, the bilateral arrangements necessary for Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan to achieve the commissioning, building, and operation of the trans-Caspian pipeline itself, and the legal framework that will apply to filling the pipeline with gas from Turkmenistan, including an appropriate recognition of commercial arrangements.
The Trans-Caspian gas pipeline, with a length of 300 kilometers, will be laid from the Turkmen coast of the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan, where it will be connected to the Southern Gas Corridor. Talks between Turkmenistan and the European Union and other countries on the construction of the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline have been conducted since the late 1990s.
At a meeting today, Iranian Oil Minister Rostam Qasemi and Russian Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko expressed their opposition to the construction of any gas pipeline in the Caspian Sea because of environmental hazards, the Iranian SHANA news agency reported. This is a very negative reaction…
Meanwhile, in November 2010, President Berdimuhamedov made a public statement that was firmly convinced that the consent of those countries, through whose sea sections the pipeline will pass, is sufficient for the implementation of pipeline projects via the Caspian Sea, saying that it is not necessary to wait for a final decision on the status of the Caspian by all littoral countries.
Turkmenistan also expressed its readiness to supply the Nabucco project with 40 billion cubic meters of gas per year, of which 10 billion can be provided by Malaysian Petronas operating on the offshore block of Turkmenistan, and the remaining volume can be provided through the East-West gas pipeline.
Construction of an only 300-kilometers export pipeline may change the entire future situation on the international oil and gas market, beginning from gas prices to creation of a precedent for the implementation of other trans-Caspian projects such as the Kazakhstan-Azerbaijan oil pipeline. Having a stable and lasting source of Caspian gas supply, Europe in many ways removes the exciting issue of energy security.
====
Carl Bildt: Eastern Partnership Push Into Ex-USSR At Top Of EU Agenda
http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/news/77863/
PanArmenian.net
September 12, 2011
Carl Bildt: Eastern Partnership countries on top of EU agenda
[The Eastern Partnership is a a Western project to wean all former Soviet republics not already in the EU – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – (except for the five in Central Asia) away from Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States. The targeted nations are Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. Armenia and Belarus are members of the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization, the only security and defense alliance in the former Soviet Union.]
The Eastern Partnership aims to strengthen and deepen contacts and cooperation with the six Eastern European countries, according to Sweden’s Foreign Minister.
‘The EaP – with EU integration at the core – is a clear expression of solidarity and long-term engagement from the EU’s side. Moreover, the EaP has helped mobilize attention to the Eastern neighborhood amongst EU’s 27 member states. With the EaP, the EU as a whole has renewed its focus on Eastern Europe and has rallied around an ambitious agenda for the countries in question. The EaP has firmly placed the Eastern partners at the top of the EU agenda,’ APA quoted Carl Bildt as saying.
The minister also stressed that with the EaP, the countries in question are offered greater political and economic integration with the EU. ‘In return, the countries must adhere to the values that underpin the European cooperation and progress on internal reforms. The up-coming second Eastern Partnership Summit on November 29-30 in Warsaw will be a good opportunity to take stock of progress made so far, and to set new policy goals for the future,’ he said.
====
Pakistan Betrayed By NATO ‘Ally’
The Nation
September 12, 20111
Pak-Nato cooperation waning
By Maqbool Malik
ISLAMABAD: The ordeal of scores of Pakistani children abducted by militants in Afghanistan on August 31 and militants’ frequent cross-border raids in Pakistan have exposed the waning cooperation among Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Nato, The Nation learnt on Sunday.
According to diplomatic sources, there has been no result of Pakistan’s efforts to secure safe release of the victims are now being used as a bargain chip, while Nato/ISAF has just absolved itself, saying it has no presence in that region to help ensure release of the Pakistani hostages.
Sources privy to these developments believed that Islamabad’s efforts through the Afghan government are not bearing fruit, as the militants have made it a conditional deal. The militants, informed sources said, have proposed a swap under which they would release the children if Pakistan releases some of their fellows they arrested in the course of the fight against terrorism. According to the sources, the Afghan security forces have no capacity to secure the safe release of the Pakistani children, nor they were able to take effective action against the militants using Afghan soil.
Moreover, the US-led Nato forces in Afghanistan were least interested in combating the militants largely operating out from Afghanistan’s Kunar and Nuristan provinces.
There has been no offer made by new Nato/ISAF commander Gen John R Allen to help its so-called strategic ally during his recent visit to Pakistan. According to sources, General Allen, who visited Pakistan Thursday and Friday to meet with Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff, did not make a positive response for reciprocity in cooperation despite General Kayani’s pleas to tackle these challenges.
====
Iraq: NATO To Continue Operation To End Of 2013
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/12/us-iraq-nato-idUSTRE78B5XU20110912
Reuters
September 12, 2011
NATO to continue Iraq training mission to end: 2013
By Serena Chaudhry
BAGHDAD: NATO will continue a small training mission in Iraq until the end of 2013, an alliance official said on Monday, in what could signal flexibility from Baghdad over the presence of foreign troops months before a deadline for all U.S. forces to withdraw.
…
Colonel Michael Russell, chief of staff for NATO’s Iraq training mission, said the alliance had agreed to keep its small team, now numbering 160 staff, in Iraq after Baghdad agreed not to extend the mission beyond 2013 and to pay part of the costs.
Iraq had also offered the NATO trainers ‘protection privileges’ such as the right to self defense, although the details were still being hammered out, Russell said.
U.S. officials have said they would require similar safeguards if Washington is to keep any of its own troops in Iraq beyond this year.
…
NATO’s…operation is largely under the radar…
NATO has operated a training mission since 2004, providing expertise in areas such as logistics and policing for nascent Iraqi security forces. The team now includes about 12 Americans, Russell said.
…
Iraqi security forces say they still need training for their air and naval defences. NATO has been working with U.S. forces to identify gaps in Iraq’s security forces, Russell said.
‘Our teams have been working with the Iraqi training assistance missions and in anticipation of the American drawdown of forces, all this year, we’ve been working with the Americans to identify where these capability gaps will remain,’ he said.
====
NATO Trains Senior Iraqi Officers
http://www.arrc.nato.int/training_mission_iraq/page168505237.aspx
NATO Training Mission – Iraq
September 8, 2011
Iraqi War College Course No 1 graduates with NTM-Iraq assistance
On Sept. 8, 30 officers graduated from the Iraqi War College course No 1 at the Iraqi Ministry of Defence.
Acting Iraqi Minister of Defence, Dr. Saadoun al-Dulaimi, and the Iraqi Chief of the Defence Staff, General Babakir Zebari, oversaw the event.
Maj. Gen. Giovanni Armentani, NTM-I Deputy Commander, Col. Christopher Rider, Chief NTM-I Officer Education, Training and Advisory Branch, and NTM-I advising and mentoring personnel represented NATO.
NTM-I provided advice and mentoring assistance during the 12 month Iraqi War College course. The course focused primarily on developing students’ broader understanding of the art of warfare at the operational and strategic level.
The Iraqi War College, commanded by Staff Maj. Gen. Mahmood Ziad Tarek, can be considered a gateway course with a maximum capacity of 40 students, including civilians, for those identified with the potential to hold Brigadier General rank appointments and beyond.
The syllabus is designed to educate Staff Lieutenant Colonels and Staff Colonels from all three armed services who have already commanded at battalion level to assume the appointments of Brigade Commander, Divisional Chiefs of Staff or Department Director.
Staff Maj. Gen. Ziad, opened the ceremony by thanking the Ministry of Defence, NTM-I and USF-I for the support granted in the successful conduct of this course.
…
Maj. Gen. Giovanni Armentani said: ‘I am really impressed by the Iraqi War College and by the quality of this course which is a significant milestone in the formation of Officers selected to occupy influential senior positions in the military and government institutions. I am very proud of the close collaboration with NTM-I.’
The NATO Training Mission in Iraq (NTM-I) was established in 2004…The aim of NTM-I is to assist in the development of Iraqi security forces training structures and institutions…
Its operational emphasis is on training and mentoring.
The activities of the mission are coordinated with Iraqi authorities and the US-led Deputy Commanding General Advising and Training (DCG (A&T)) who is also dual-hatted as the Commander of NTM-I. NATO has an enduring commitment to Iraq.
NTM-I advises and supports the Defence University for Military Studies, National Defence College, War College, and the Defence Language Institute with the other institutions in Baghdad. Other cooperation projects for NATO in Iraq are out-of-country training courses for Iraqi nationals at NATO schools as well as the Iraqi Police (Iraqi Federal Police and Oil Police) training led by Italian Carabinieri.
Currently, NTM-I is a small tactical force of NATO/PfP personnel, representing 14 member nations (as at August 2011): Albania, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Turkey, Ukraine (Partner for Peace), UK, USA.
====
ANZUS’ 60th Anniversary: Pentagon Returns To South Pacific
http://en.apa.az/news.php?id=154870
Azeri Press Agency
September 13, 2011
U.S. to have security talks with Australia
Baku: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta will meet their counterparts from Australia this week in San Francisco for security talks, the Pentagon announced Monday, APA reports.
Clinton and Panetta will attend the Australia-U.S. Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN), said Pentagon Press Secretary George Little, and the main topics on the agenda will include a discussion of challenges in the Asia-Pacific region, ways to improve and deepen alliance cooperation, and issues affecting global security, according to Little.
The meetings are scheduled from Wednesday to Friday, and attendees will celebrate the 60th anniversary of a security treaty signed in 1951 by the United States, Australia and New Zealand, known as ANZUS, added Little.
The treaty is a military alliance binding Australia and New Zealand, and separately, Australia and the United States to cooperate on defense matters. According to the U.S. State Department, the treaty is Australia’s preeminent formal security treaty alliance.
Little said Clinton and Panetta will greet Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd and Defense Minister Stephen Smith on Thursday in San Francisco, where the ANZUS treaty was signed.
The New Dark Age 
Leave a comment