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German Vice Chancellor and Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier says attempts to glorify Nazis must be resisted. But he has doubts that “a definite point of view can be imposed at order.”

“History must not be re-written. It must be given a through analysis. I am well aware how painful the memories of World War II remain to this day. And I am saying in absolutely clear terms: We must resolutely resist revanchist borrowings from the Nazi ideology, whenever they emerge,” Steinmeier said in an interview with Interfax ahead of his arrival in Moscow on Tuesday.

“As to the rest, I recommend that history be handled with great care. I don’t think decrees can impose a definite point of view. It is a lot more important, in my opinion, to go for a direct dialogue and ease the pain of differing memories, which alienate the sides,” he said in remarks about a bill proposing liability for the denial of the outcome of World War II and for rehabilitation of National Socialism, submitted to the State Duma.

Steinmeier also said that Polish, Russian and German historians met in Warsaw at the foreign ministers’ initiative and discussed the start of World War II together with experts from Baltic and others states. “The result was open and very differentiated debates. Perhaps it was a little step, but it was made definitely in the right direction,” Steinmeier said.

Russia and NATO should set up an efficient body to cooperate in the security area, Steinmeier also said.

“There will only be common European security if we cooperate. Therefore, I have always been in favor of the idea that we should gather again within the NATO-Russia Council framework as soon as possible,” he said.

The NATO-Russia Council should see debates from confronting points of view, Steinmeier went on to say. “However, the goal should be the establishment of an efficient body on cooperation in the security area,” he said.

Steinmeier praised the plans to hold a NATO-Russia Council ministerial meeting in June.

Commenting on the current level of relations between Moscow and the alliance, Steinmeier said, “There are no doubts that we are carrying the burden of hard times and new mistrust on our shoulders, and there are fundamental differences on the Georgia issue. But we cannot resolve a single issue if we keep silent.”

“As a matter of fact, NATO and Russia have common interests on many issues, be it combat against terrorism or piracy, the stabilization of the situation in Afghanistan, or the prevention of proliferation of nuclear weapons,” he said.

Steinmeier refrained from answering whether he believes that Georgia and Ukraine are much further from joining NATO now than two or three years ago. “I believe it is not very efficient to manipulate with timeframes in this issue, either regarding the future or the past. It is a fact that both Georgia and Ukraine should do quite an amount of work on the path of integration with the Euro-Atlantic institutions,” he said.

Steinmeier pointed out that the NATO members unanimously decided to continue intensive cooperation with Georgia and Ukraine at earlier summits. “But we also resolved that it is not yet the right time for certain phases in this convergence process, as, for instance, for the so-called Membership Action Plan. A lot has yet to be done here,” he said.

Steinmeier also said that, the European Union was not trying to establish its area of influence by launching the Eastern Partnership program.

“First, Eastern Partnership is an important project. Second, it is not aimed against anyone. Third, the matter is not about any areas of influence,” Steinmeier said in an interview with Interfax in the run up to his visit to Moscow starting Tuesday.

“On the contrary, it is about cooperation and convergence. Involvement of third parties is strongly welcomed where it looks natural. This concerns Russia as well,” he said.

“The purpose of all this is stability and wellbeing of our neighbors, which are also your neighbors. In this respect, I see that it would be in Russia’s best interests to implement this project together,” Steinmeier said.

Steinmeier is positive about the current state of German-Russian relations, including in the trade and investment sectors, but acknowledges that individual issues remain open, including the restitution of cultural valuables.

“Russia remains a very important economic partner for us. In 2008 bilateral trade hit the 68 billion euro mark, and 4,600 German companies remain active in Russia and continue their businesses despite the crisis. It is a good sign,” Steinmeier said.

“Relations are good between Germany and Russia. We strongly cooperate on many of the complicated international issues, such as Iran’s nuclear problem,” he said.

“But this does not mean there are no open issues in bilateral relations. The issue of cultural valuables remains on the agenda, of course, even though progress has been achieved. Naturally enough, following the crises over gas shipments we must work jointly to build stable and reliable relations between Russia and the European Union in the energy sector. And, of course, serious disagreements remain between us on the problem of Georgia,” he said.

Commenting on the opinion of experts who argue that some of the NATO allies are trying in various ways to restrain Germany and that Germany wants to secure the leading role in Europe, Steinmeier said,” We are not seeking any kind of ‘domineering’, and none of our partners have been trying to bridle us. All this is old mentality. But one thing is clear: Our voice has a weight. We are the European Union’s largest member-state, and we are enjoying the role of a pioneer in such matters of the future as climate protection and thrifty handling of energy,” he said.

“Generally speaking, I think we have an extremely responsible attitude to our role for everyone’s benefit. I have the impression that our partners see this from a similar angle,” the German foreign minister said.

Source: Interfax

Story Highlights
•Honduran Congress strips president of powers, names provisional president
•Obama statement: “I call on all … to respect democratic norms”
•Military detains President Jose Manuel Zelaya, flies him to Costa Rica
•Zelaya says he plans to continue exercising presidential duties

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (CNN) — Hours after the sitting president was deposed by a military-led coup, a new president of Honduras was sworn in Sunday.

But the former president was not ready to give up his powers.

The political developments that swept Honduras over the past weeks and led up to Sunday’s coup had the makings of a crisis, but the situation in the Central American nation of 8 million people was calm.

Roberto Micheletti was sworn in as provisional president to the applause of members of Congress, who chanted, “Honduras! Honduras!” Outside the building, supporters of ousted President Jose Manuel Zelaya protested, but their numbers were limited, and the streets remained mostly peaceful. Micheletti told CNN en Español Sunday evening that he has imposed an “indefinite” curfew.

Micheletti, the head of Congress, became president after lawmakers voted by a show of hands to strip Zelaya of his powers, with a resolution stating that Zelaya “provoked confrontations and divisions,” within the country. A letter of resignation purported to be from Zelaya was read to members before the vote.

But the deposed president, Zelaya, emphatically denied in an interview with CNN en Español that he wrote the letter. Speaking from Costa Rica, where he was taken after the coup, he said he plans to continue exercising his presidential duties with a trip to Managua, Nicaragua, to attend a summit of Central American heads-of-state.

Zelaya awoke to the sound of gunfire in his residence and was still in his pajamas when the military forced him to leave the country Sunday morning, he told reporters. He was flown to Costa Rica, where he has not requested political asylum.

“This was a brutal kidnapping of me with no justification,” Zelaya said.

He called the coup an attack on Honduran democracy.

“There are ways to protest without arms,” Zelaya said.

The coup came on the same day that he had vowed to follow through with a nonbinding referendum that the Honduran Supreme Court had ruled illegal

The coup was widely criticized in the region, in strongest terms by Zelaya’s leftist allies, including Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. A statement from Venezuela’s foreign ministry said Zelaya was “violently expelled from his country by a group of unpatriotic, coup-mongering soldiers.”

The Bolivian government also condemned the coup, accusing Honduran troops of kidnapping Zelaya and violently expelling him from his country.

Elsewhere, Jose Miguel Insulza, the secretary-general of the Organization of American States, strongly condemned the coup in a statement. And in Washington, President Obama said in a statement that he was “deeply concerned” by the news.

“I call on all political and social actors in Honduras to respect democratic norms, the rule of law and the tenets of the Inter-American Democratic Charter,” Obama said. “Any existing tensions and disputes must be resolved peacefully through dialogue free from any outside interference.”

The president of the General Assembly of the United Nations, Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann, called the Honduran military’s intervention a “criminal action.”

But in Honduras, the Supreme Court said in an official statement that the military was acting in accordance with a court order to put an end to Sunday’s scheduled vote, which the court’s justices had found illegal.

Micheletti addressed the issue directly in his first remarks as provisional president.

“I did not reach this position because of a coup,” Micheletti said. “I am here because of an absolutely legal transition process.”

No other countries immediately recognized Micheletti as president.

Zelaya, a leftist elected in 2005, had found himself pitted against the other branches of government and military leaders over the issue of Sunday’s planned referendum. It would have asked voters to place a measure on November’s ballot allowing the formation of a constitutional assembly that could modify the nation’s charter to allow the president to run for another term.

In various interviews Sunday, Zelaya characterized the vote not as a referendum, but as a survey to gauge receptiveness toward a constitutional assembly. He denied that he would have been the beneficiary of any future constitutional changes.

Zelaya, whose four-year term ends in January 2010, cannot run for re-election under current law.

The Honduran Supreme Court had ruled the poll illegal, and Congress and the top military brass agreed, but Zelaya had remained steadfast.

In the end, it appeared the opposition to Zelaya was too great. The military confiscated the ballots from the presidential residence, in effect canceling the disputed vote.

In separate appearances Sunday, Zelaya, Venezuela’s Chavez and Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said that the military had also detained Honduran Foreign Minister Patricia Rodas, further raising regional tensions.

Speaking in Havana, Rodriguez said that the Cuban, Venezuelan and Nicaraguan ambassadors to Honduras had tried but were unable to protect Rodas from a group of masked soldiers who forcibly took her from their grasp. Further details regarding that incident were unclear.

“If they attack our ambassadors, they will be declaring a state of war,” Chavez said. “If they have weapons, then we have weapons, too.”

Source: CNN International

MINNEAPOLIS, MN UNITED STATES

Utility Monitoring and Control Systems to Deliver More Secure, Comfortable and Efficient Working Environments

MINNEAPOLIS, June 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Honeywell (NYSE: HON) today announced it has received a multiple award task order service contract from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to upgrade federal buildings with safe, secure, comfortable and energy-efficient technology.

As part of the contract, Honeywell will be able to install utility monitoring and building control technology — such as heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), fire alarm and life safety, and security systems — at any federal facility, nationally or abroad. Honeywell was one of eight companies to receive a contract from the U.S. Army Engineering and Support Center in Huntsville, Ala., for this new program, which could collectively involve as much as $650 million in projects over the next three years.

“The Army Corps of Engineers is focused on continuous process improvement and this program creates a standard procurement vehicle for boosting safety and comfort for employees and citizens, and reducing operating costs at facilities,” said Paul Orzeske, president of Honeywell Building Solutions. “We have the technology, experience and footprint to help meet these goals.”

The contract builds on decades of work for the federal government. Honeywell provides nearly $50 million of infrastructure improvements for government organizations annually, and has completed projects for the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Energy (DOE) and all four branches of the military, among other agencies.

Honeywell also recently received similar contracts from the DOE and Army Corps of Engineers for programs that could provide nearly $6 billion of energy-efficiency, renewable energy and water-conservation improvements in government buildings combined.

Honeywell International (www.honeywell.com) is a Fortune 100 diversified technology and manufacturing leader, serving customers worldwide with aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes and industry; automotive products; turbochargers; and specialty materials. Based in Morris Township, N.J., Honeywell’s shares are traded on the New York, London, and Chicago Stock Exchanges. For more news and information on Honeywell, please visit www.honeywellnow.com. Honeywell Building Solutions is part of the Honeywell Automation and Control Solutions business group, a global leader in providing product and service solutions that improve efficiency and profitability, support regulatory compliance, and maintain safe, comfortable environments in homes, buildings and industry. For more information about Building Solutions, access www.honeywell.com/buildingsolutions.

This release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. All statements, other than statements of fact, that address activities, events or developments that we or our management intend, expect, project, believe or anticipate will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on management’s assumptions and assessments in light of past experience and trends, current conditions, expected future developments and other relevant factors. They are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results, developments and business decisions may differ from those envisaged by our forward-looking statements. Our forward-looking statements are also subject to risks and uncertainties, which can affect our performance in both the near- and long-term. We identify the principal risks and uncertainties that affect our performance in our Form 10-K and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

SOURCE Honeywell

James B. Steinberg
Deputy Secretary of State
Park Hyatt

Washington, DC
June 23, 2009

Well, you know you’re being commanded by a general, when you see his troops out here. This is quite a remarkable gathering. And it’s a great pleasure and honor to be here. I think it is a tribute to Scott’s tremendous personal commitment to working with all of you to deal with this very important and difficult situation – one that has a lot of history, but hopefully, has a better future that you’ve all been – agreed to come so far to be part of this and from so many different aspects of the challenge of bringing peace and a more hopeful future to the people of Sudan. So Scott, thank you for your leadership.

As you know, the President and the Secretary are grateful for your willingness to take this on. It’s not the most thankful of tasks, but hopefully, the rewards in the end will be great. And we really do appreciate this. I think you all can understand that the decision to appoint General Gration as our Special Envoy for Sudan represents the level of commitment that the President and the Secretary feel to this agenda. And so we, once again, express our appreciation.

I also want to recognize the fact that we have several generals here leading our efforts, including General Lazarus Sumbeiywo who has also made a major contribution, a principal architect of the CPA. And his commitment and determination is instrumental in bringing the parties together and making it possible to have a framework from which we can all try to build going forward.

Together, as you look around the room, you can see that this is a remarkable and diverse group of individuals and representative countries and organizations. And I and the whole team here in Washington take heart in the fact that you’ve all come together to try to fulfill the commitment of implementing the CPA.

I’m especially grateful to Senators Kerry and Corker and Isakson for participating in this. I think it gives you a sense of both the bicameral and executive and legislative commitment as well as the bipartisan commitment that we all feel to this cause. And I know that with their support and their active engagement, the prospects are that much brighter.

As you all know, it’s been four years since the signing of this historic accord. And we also – as we celebrate that achievement, we also can never let the recent peace allow us to erase the memory of the millions who were killed in the conflict that preceded the settlement. That legacy of loss provides a reminder of the promise that this agreement represents, but also its stakes for the future as we try to make sure that this tragedy does not happen again. It’s a young peace and it’s much younger than the fight that it ended, but we have to make sure that it becomes a much more long-lived one.

Together we recognize the importance of this achievement in bringing an end to the North-South conflict. But at the same time, it’s important that we remember the ongoing conflict in Darfur as well. Millions of innocent people have been forced from their homes as a result of that genocide and now face appalling conditions. And we all recognize that to deal with the problems of North-South and CPA implementation, we need a holistic approach that recognizes that all of the challenges in Sudan are interconnected and we have to work on them together. And we recognize that as we develop our overall approach to Sudan, we recognize that just as we’re committed to the implementation of the CPA too, we strengthen our determination and resolve to work with all the parties together to try to see a resolution of the situation in Darfur as well.

Today’s focus is on the CPA and the peaceful democratic transformation of Africa’s largest country. It’s taken long work, patient negotiation to get here, and it will take equally hard work to make sure that that promise is realized. And the fact that we can gather here and have so many different participants is a reflection of how much has been done to institutionalize the peace between North and South since the signing of the CPA.

But we also recognize that we are facing some very important milestones in the near future, which will determine the path of the future. And they will set the foundation, for better or for worse, of the very future of Sudan and for the region as a whole. And therefore the stakes are enormous and the importance of our – really focusing our efforts now in making sure that these processes as they go forward are fair, open, transparent, and are consistent with the spirit that brought about the CPA in the first place. These are challenges that the parties have to face to make sure that future generations of the Sudanese children don’t have to suffer the pain and dislocation that afflicted so many in the past.

So my message today or the message that Scott has carried with such vigor to the region and around the world, in fact, is that the international community and the United States supports your efforts to realize the promise of the CPA, the commitments that we made together in Naivasha, and through our presence here today reflect a commitment of all of us to see that the promise is realized. That promise will continue. You will be seeing a lot of Scott and his team, General Ward and others, who have committed to making sure that we do everything that we can to facilitate the very difficult but important work that you’re all engage in.

So thank you for your time, thank you for traveling so far to be with us. We wish you the best of luck. The President and the Secretary are fully behind all of the efforts that you’re putting into this here today and in the weeks and months going forward. So thank you. (Applause.)

PRN: 2009/631

Source: U.S State Dept

Western countries have issued new warnings to Tehran over its response to street protests against disputed election results, after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei voiced an unbending demand for a halt to demonstrations.

Friday 19 June 2009
By Jon Frosch

A flurry of international concern broke out after Friday’s sermon by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in which he defended hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as the rightful winner of Iran’s disputed presidential election and voiced an unbending demand for a halt to street protests. In so doing, Khamenei placed himself at the top of a power struggle that may yet intensify.

Khamenei told tens of thousands of people in Tehran Friday: “Top diplomats of several Western countries who talked to us so far within diplomatic formalities are showing their real face and most of all, the British government.”

Britain condemned his comments as “unacceptable”, while other world powers issued new warnings to Tehran over its response to protests against the election results.

Diplomatic strains showed in Brussels, where a European Union summit called on Iran not to use violence against demonstrators protesting peacefully.

Meanwhile, French President Nicolas Sarkozy called on Iran not to “go beyond the point of no return”, while US President Barack Obama continued to face criticism from Republicans for not giving strong enough support to the demonstrators.

Obama has stressed that universal rights to protest peacefully should be respected in Iran, but has cautioned that US “meddling” in Iran’s internal politics would be counterproductive, and vowed to push forward his engagement policy with Iran.

Khamenei rejects opposition’s ‘illegal demands’

The reactions came just hours after Khamenei gave his first address to the nation since the upheaval began, speaking out against those who question the legitimacy of last week’s election that gave Ahmadinejad a big margin over moderate challenger and runner-up Mirhossein Mousavi.

“The result of the election comes from the ballot box, not from the street,” the black-turbaned, white-bearded cleric, aged 69, told tens of thousands of worshippers who had gathered in and around Tehran University for Friday prayers. “Today the Iranian nation needs calm.”

“If there is any bloodshed, leaders of the protests will be held directly responsible,” Khamenei continued, adding that street protests would not pressure the establishment into accepting the “illegal demands” of losing candidates.

The demonstrations of the past week are the largest and most widespread since the 1979 revolution in Iran, the world’s fifth biggest oil exporter, which is also at odds with the West over its nuclear programme.

Many Iranians had been looking to Khamenei’s sermon for indication of the authorities’ readiness – or lack thereof – to offer concessions to the opposition. But Khamenei’s words only reinforced his initial endorsement of the election results, doing little to suggest an exit to the crisis mounting between Iranian authorities and reformists.

Khamenei is Iran’s ultimate authority and theoretically stands above the factional fray, but he acknowledged that his views on foreign and domestic policy were closer to those of Ahmadinejad than to those of the president’s foes and critics.

Youth and Western powers singled out

He also made a special appeal to Iran’s youth – a large portion of which has supported Mousavi and the opposition protests – to remain grounded in spirituality.

“He now observes that youth are part of a new kind of people power, one that this time could actually be a threat to him,” explains FRANCE 24 International Affairs Editor Armen Georgian. “Hence this was a moment to praise the youth of Iran, to say that they were still imbued with the original ideals of that ‘79 revolution and that they made Iran proud.”

But Khamenei turned scolding when talking about young people who stray from religion, noting that they often “don’t know what to do.”

Khamenei also accused Western powers of targeting the legitimacy of the Islamic establishment by disputing the outcome of the election. Britain was singled out for particular criticism: “Today, top diplomats of several Western countries who talked to us so far within diplomatic formalities are showing their real face and most of all, the British government.”

But Khamenei’s main message seemed to be for the protesters that have been taking to the streets the last six days. FRANCE 24’s Armen Georgian says that the veiled warning in Khamenei’s speech was essentially that “If you [protesters] go on like this, you might eventually become the enemies inside, and the street is not a place to resolve these problems surrounding the election.”

Khamenei’s proclaimed support for Ahmadinejad indeed gives a stark choice to the opposition, which includes many pillars of Iran’s clerical and political elite: give up the protests or face consequences imposed by the security and judicial apparatus.

Khamenei’s arbiter status ‘dented’

To enforce his writ, Khamenei can call on the elite Revolutionary Guard, the religious basij militia and other forces, but analysts said there would be a political cost. “All it does is put the leader right in the middle of the fray,” Iran analyst Ali Ansari of St Andrews University told Reuters.

“For someone calling for national calm, he will have simply reinforced the polarities in the country,” Ansari added.

Khamenei, chosen to succeed Iran’s revolutionary leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, when he died in 1989, controls the armed forces and has the final word in all matters of state, including nuclear policy and relations with the United States.

But the explosive events of the past week may have dented his standing as the final arbiter.

“Khamenei standing above the fray is out of the window now. Whatever he does, he will have to take sides,” Mehrdad Khonsari, an exiled Iranian opposition activist in London, told Reuters.

With his own authority at stake, Khamenei may feel compelled to suppress the widespread anti-government protests, even if it means confronting Mousavi’s broad coalition of moderate and conservative leaders.

Though the opposition had vowed to stage new protests on Saturday, Mousavi, who has called for the election result to be annulled, is not calling on his supporters to participate in demonstrations, an ally who declined to be named told Reuters on Friday.

France 24

Protesters say they want their votes counted and their voices heard

Associated Press
updated 4:05 p.m. PT, Wed., June 17, 2009

TEHRAN, Iran - It’s not just young, liberal rich kids anymore: Whole families, taxi drivers, even conservative women in black chadors are joining Iran’s opposition street protests.

They say they want something simple: their votes counted and their voices heard. What they will settle for — or push for — is a far bigger question.

It’s still too early to determine if the street protests will morph into a solid political opposition movement led by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s top opponent, Mir Hossein Mousavi. And some Iranians have expressed doubt about people’s willingness to sustain the momentum.

But in Tehran and other cities throughout the country, Mousavi supporters — from both the upper- and middle-classes — are sending a strong message.

“The government doesn’t care about our votes, but we stand behind them. Mousavi stands up for our votes and we follow him,” said Saham Boorghani, 26, who is close to Mousavi and an editor at the reformist Web site Iranian Diplomacy.

Boorghani is typical of the young reformists who initially backed Mousavi — but that support is growing to include grandmothers, government employees and hotel clerks.

The last time Iran was engulfed in similar anti-government action was a decade ago when a deadly raid on a Tehran University dorm sparked six days of nationwide protests. At the time, they were considered the worst since the 1979 revolution that toppled the pro-U.S. shah and brought hard-line clerics to power. But the student-driven movement eventually fizzled, leaving many people more bitter but the system intact.

Middle class is flooding the streets
This time, though, the protesters are not just affluent students and youth. The middle class is also flooding the streets and even conservative religious Iranians are joining the Mousavi supporters.

Swathed in a long black chador, 21-year-old Saman Qahremani said she wanted to let the government know that many Iranians from all walks of life are angry.

“When I learned about the result I just felt hatred. They cheated us,” said Qajremani, who held a sign at Monday’s rally that read in English, “We just want our vote.”

“If they do not count the votes of people, Iran will not be a republic any more, it will be a monarchy,” she said.

Her friend, also dressed in a chador, nodded in agreement.

Municipal worker Reza Hosseini, 37, cheered for Mousavi as he passed through the rally in a convoy of cars.

“I voted for Mousavi in hope of a better life, more freedom, security and relief,” said Hosseini, who wore a button-down shirt with stripes in Mousavi’s signature color, green. “All the people I knew voted for Mousavi.”

Nearby, a taxi driver shouted out his window: “Everybody should join! Don’t just watch, join!”

Could not sit at home any longer
A mother and her daughter, making their way through the crowd of thousands, said they had come because they could not sit at home anymore and watch what was happening.

“This (the Mousavi opposition) is completely different to 1999. That was between the students and the government. This is between the people and the government. This time it is all of Iran. This is a historic movement,” Boorghani said.

At Monday’s rally, floods of people descended on Mousavi’s convoy as it made its way through the crowd. Middle-aged men in crisp button-down shirts climbed over green metal fences or atop buses to try to get a better look.

An elderly couple walked hand-in-hand holding tiny green flags — the color of Mousavi’s “Green Wave” campaign. A group of teenagers wearing bright green bandanas flashed the V-for-victory signs while marching down the street.

“I have come to tell the government I am not stupid. I know what they did with my vote,” said one of the teens, Amir Ebrahimi, as chants of “Long live Mousavi!” went up around him.

The mass demonstrations of support for Mousavi have spread to other parts of Iran, too. Rallies attracting thousands have popped up across the country including the central historic city of Isfahan, the conservative northeastern city of Mashhad and Shiraz in the south.

‘This is a cheater government’
It is not just the election many people in the streets are angry about. They want more personal freedoms and a better economy and international standing. They blame Ahmadinejad for giving Iran a bad name abroad.

“This is a cheater government. In my eyes, Ahmadinejad has defaced himself and Iran,” said Leila, a 29-year-old accountant who lives in a middle-class neighborhood of western Tehran and would only give her first name out of fear for her safety.

The last time such a broad base of Iranians took any action against the government was the revolution. The shah’s days were numbered when the middle class took up the protest mantle, causing the monarchy to collapse.

But with less than a week after the disputed election, there is no way to know whether this show of force will fade or grow.

Bahman, a 20-year-old mechanics student in central Tehran, said he doesn’t think people will stand up to the government over the long-term.

“The government will suppress people easily. People feel alone. There is no support for them while the government enjoys all sort of powers,” said Bahman, who gave only his first name because he feared government reprisals.

The government has already taken swift action against protesters and has threatened to crack down harder if the opposition continues. At Monday’s rally, hard-line militia opened fire and state TV said at least seven people were killed at the “unauthorized gathering.”

“The government may try to strangle us, but we won’t sit back and let them,” Boorghani said. “There’s no way back. We won’t give up.”

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: MSNBC

Israeli leader also says Palestinians must recognize Israel as a Jewish state

Associated Press
updated 4:25 p.m. PT, Sun., June 14, 2009

JERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu endorsed a Palestinian state beside Israel for the first time on Sunday, reversing himself under U.S. pressure, but saying the Palestinians would have to lay down arms, a condition they swiftly rejected.

A week after President Barack Obama’s address to the Muslim world, Netanyahu said the Palestinian state would also have to recognize Israel as the Jewish state — essentially saying Palestinian refugees must give up the goal of returning to Israel.

With those conditions, he said, he could accept “a demilitarized Palestinian state alongside the Jewish state.”

The West Bank-based Palestinian government dismissed the proposal.

“Netanyahu’s speech closed the door to permanent status negotiations,” senior Palestinian official Saeb Erekat said. “We ask the world not to be fooled by his use of the term Palestinian state because he qualified it. He declared Jerusalem the capital of Israel, said refugees would not be negotiated and that settlements would remain.”

Netanyahu, in an address seen as his response to Obama, refused to heed the U.S. call for an immediate freeze of construction on lands Palestinians claim for their future state. He also said the holy city of Jerusalem must remain under Israeli sovereignty.

‘Important step forward’
The White House said Obama welcomed the speech as an “important step forward.”

Netanyahu’s address was a dramatic transformation for a man who was raised on a fiercely nationalistic ideology and has spent a two-decade political career criticizing peace efforts.

“I call on you, our Palestinian neighbors, and to the leadership of the Palestinian Authority: Let us begin peace negotiations immediately, without preconditions,” he said, calling on the wider Arab world to work with him. “Let’s make peace. I am willing to meet with you any time any place — in Damascus, Riyadh, Beirut and in Jerusalem.”

Since assuming office in March, Netanyahu has been caught between American demands to begin peace talks with the Palestinians and the constraints of a hardline coalition. On Sunday, he appeared to favor Israel’s all-important relationship with the U.S. at the risk of destabilizing his government.

But his call for establishing a Palestinian state was greeted with lukewarm applause among the audience at Bar-Ilan University, known as a bastion of the Israeli right-wing establishment.

As Netanyahu spoke, two small groups of protesters demonstrated at the university’s entrance.

Rules out a divided Jerusalem
Netanyahu became the latest in a series of Israeli hard-liners to soften their positions after assuming office. Earlier this decade, then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon led Israel out of Gaza before suffering a debilitating stroke. His successor, Ehud Olmert, spoke eloquently of the need to withdraw from the West Bank, though a corruption scandal a disastrous war in Lebanon prevented him from carrying out that vision.

Netanyahu gave no indication as to how much captured land he would be willing to relinquish. However, he ruled out a division of Jerusalem, saying, “Israel’s capital will remain united.”

Netanyahu also made no mention of uprooting Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Nearly 300,000 Israelis live in the West Bank, in addition to 180,000 Israelis living in Jewish neighborhoods built in east Jerusalem. He also said that existing settlements should be allowed to grow — a position opposed by the U.S.

Several dozen hard-liners held up posters showing Obama wearing an Arab headdress and shouted slogans against giving up West Bank territory. Across from them, a few dozen dovish Israelis and foreign backers chanted slogans including “two states for two peoples” and “stop the occupation.”

Police kept the two groups apart.

The Palestinians demand all of the West Bank as part of a future state, with east Jerusalem as their capital. Israel captured both areas in the 1967 Mideast war.

‘Birthplace of the Jewish people’
Netanyahu, leader of the hardline Likud Party, has always resisted withdrawing from these lands, for both security and ideological reasons. In his speech, he repeatedly made references to Judaism’s connection to the biblical Land of Israel.

“Our right to form our sovereign state here in the land of Israel stems from one simple fact. The Land of Israel is the birthplace of the Jewish people,” he said.

But Netanyahu also said that Israel must recognize that millions of Palestinians live in the West Bank, and continued control over these people is undesirable. “In my vision, there are two free peoples living side by side each with each other, each with its own flag and national anthem,” he said.

Netanyahu has said he fears the West Bank could follow the path of the Gaza Strip — which the Palestinians also claim for their future state. Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, and Hamas militants now control the area, often firing rockets into southern Israel.

“In any peace agreement, the territory under Palestinian control must be disarmed, with solid security guarantees for Israel,” he said.

“If we get this guarantee for demilitarization and necessary security arrangements for Israel, and if the Palestinians recognize Israel as the state of the Jewish people, we will be willing in a real peace agreement to reach a solution of a demilitarized Palestinian state alongside the Jewish state,” he said.

Rules out a divided Jerusalem
Netanyahu became the latest in a series of Israeli hard-liners to soften their positions after assuming office. Earlier this decade, then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon led Israel out of Gaza before suffering a debilitating stroke. His successor, Ehud Olmert, spoke eloquently of the need to withdraw from the West Bank, though a corruption scandal a disastrous war in Lebanon prevented him from carrying out that vision.

Netanyahu gave no indication as to how much captured land he would be willing to relinquish. However, he ruled out a division of Jerusalem, saying, “Israel’s capital will remain united.”

Netanyahu also made no mention of uprooting Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Nearly 300,000 Israelis live in the West Bank, in addition to 180,000 Israelis living in Jewish neighborhoods built in east Jerusalem. He also said that existing settlements should be allowed to grow — a position opposed by the U.S.

“We have no intention to build new settlements or expropriate land for expanding existing settlements. But there is a need to allow residents to lead a normal life. Settlers are not the enemy of the nation and are not the enemy of peace — they are our brothers and sisters,” he said.

Netanyahu also said the Palestinians must recognize Israel as a Jewish state. The Palestinians have refused to do so, fearing it would amount to giving up the rights of millions of refugees and their descendants and discriminate against Israel’s own Arab minority.

Call for U.S. to challenge Netanyahu
Although the Palestinians have agreed to demilitarization under past peace proposals, Erekat rejected it, saying it would cement Israeli rule over them.

Nabil Abu Rdeneh, another Palestinian official, called on the U.S. to challenge Netanyahu “to prevent more deterioration in the region.”

“What he has said today is not enough to start a serious peace process,” he added.

In Gaza, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri called the speech “racist” and called on Arab nations “form stronger opposition” toward Israel. Hamas ideology does not recognize a Jewish state in an Islamic Middle East and the group has sent dozens of suicide bombers into Israel.

Netanyahu also came under criticism from within his own government — a coalition of religious and nationalistic parties that oppose Palestinian independence.

Zevulun Orlev, a member of the Jewish Home Party, which represents Jewish settlers and other hard-liners, said Netanyahu’s speech violated agreements struck when the government was formed. “I think the coalition needs to hold a serious discussion to see where this is headed,” he told Israel Radio.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: MSNBC

Ahmadinejad defiant on ‘free’ Iran poll

Sunday, 14 June 2009 03:14 UK

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has defended his “completely free” re-election as Iran’s president, amid violent clashes on the streets over claims of election fraud.

Mr Ahmadinejad condemned the outside world for “psychological warfare” against Iranians during the election.

Thousands have protested against the result, burning barricades on the streets of Tehran and clashing with police, who responded with tear gas.

Reformist candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi urged his supporters to avoid violence.

‘Down with the dictator’

Speaking on national television, Mr Ahmadinejad praised the Iranian people for choosing to “look toward the future” rather than returning to the past.

“This is a great victory at a time and condition when the whole material, political and propaganda facilities outside of Iran and sometimes… inside Iran, were total mobilised against our people,” he said.

He blamed “foreign media” for instigating a “full-fledged fight against our people”.

“Nearly 40 million people took part in a totally free election,” he said.

However, the official result, which gave Mr Ahmadinejad a resounding victory - 63% of the vote against 34% for Mr Mousavi - brought the worst violence seen in Tehran for a decade, correspondents said.

The BBC’s John Simpson saw secret policemen being attacked and chased away by protesters, which he says is extremely rare.

Some of the protesters in Tehran wore Mr Mousavi’s campaign colour of green and chanted “Down with the dictator”, news agencies report.

Four police motorbikes were set on fire near the interior ministry, where votes had been counted, our correspondent says.

One BBC News website reader, Xenia, went to Vanak Square in Tehran to express anger and said police fired plastic bullets.
“They fired tear gas to scare us away, but it would only be temporarily. We would hide in some corner and then re-emerge angrier than ever.”

One opposition newspaper has been closed down and BBC websites also appear to have been blocked by the Iranian authorities. The AP news agency reports that mobile phone services have been blocked in Tehran.

Ayatollah’s call

Mr Mousavi urged calm in his website statement.

“The violations in the election are very serious and you are right to be deeply hurt,” he said.

“But I firmly call on you not to subject any individual or groups to hurt.”

Mr Mousavi earlier said the election was a “charade”.

“I personally strongly protest the many obvious violations and I’m warning I will not surrender to this dangerous charade.

“The result of such performance by some officials will jeopardise the pillars of the Islamic Republic and will establish tyranny.”

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who wields ultimate power, urged all Iranians “including yesterday’s competitors” to support the re-elected president.

He described the count as a “real celebration”, praised the high turnout of 85% and called for calm. “Enemies may want to spoil the sweetness of this event… with some kind of ill-intentioned provocations,” the ayatollah said.

Mr Mousavi had been hoping to prevent Mr Ahmadinejad winning more than 50% of the vote, in order to force a run-off election.

The BBC’s Jon Leyne in Tehran says the result has been greeted with surprise and with deep scepticism by many Iranians.

The figures, if they are to be believed, show Mr Ahmadinejad winning strongly even in the heartland of Mr Mousavi.

Our correspondent says Mr Ahmadinejad will feel emboldened in his global vision that foresees the death of capitalism, while at home, many Iranians will fear a clamp down on society and cultural life.

Surge of interest

There had been a surge of interest in Iran’s presidential election, with unprecedented live television debates between the candidates and rallies attended by thousands.

There were long queues at polling stations on Friday, with turnout reaching 85%.

Four candidates contested the election, with Mohsen Razai and Mehdi Karroubi only registering about 1% of the vote each.

Iran is ruled under a system known as Velayat-e Faqih, or “Rule by the Supreme Jurist”, who is currently Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

It was adopted by an overwhelming majority in 1979 following the Islamic revolution which overthrew the autocratic Western-backed Shah.

But the constitution also stipulates that the people are the source of power and the country holds phased presidential and parliamentary elections every four years.

All candidates are vetted by the powerful conservative-controlled Guardian Council, which also has the power to veto legislation it deems inconsistent with revolutionary principles.

Source: BBC News

<---End of Quote--->

Related Article:

Source: MSNBC

WASHINGTON, June 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — A South Korean businessman pleaded guilty today for his role in a bribery conspiracy involving a $206 million telecommunications contract and employees of the Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES), a federal entity that provides billions of dollars worth of goods and services annually to U.S. Armed Forces service members and their families around the world, Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division announced.

According to court documents, Gi-Hwan Jeong, conspired between 2001 and 2006 with two AAFES officials, Henry Lee Holloway and Clifton Choy, among others, to commit bribery and honest services wire fraud when he agreed to make payments to the officials in the form of cash, travel, entertainment expenses, and other things of value in exchange for their aid in securing and maintaining a $206 million telecommunications contract for Jeong’s company, Samsung Rental Ltd., (SSRT).

From October 2001 to August 2005, Jeong admitted providing approximately $80,000 in cash, entertainment and other things of value as bribes to Choy, an AAFES services program manager for the Pacific region, in exchange for Choy’s use of official action to benefit SSRT. Specifically, according to court documents, prior to AAFES’ award of the telecommunications contract to SSRT in 2001, Choy used his official position to gain access to confidential bid proposal information that competing bidders had submitted to AAFES and passed information to Jeong, who used it to ensure that SSRT submitted the winning bid. Shortly after AAFES awarded the contract to SSRT, Jeong admitted paying $20,000 in cash to Choy, who passed away in 2008.

From May 2003 to April 2005, Jeong also admitted providing approximately $70,000 in cash, entertainment, travel expenses, stock options and other things of value as bribes to Holloway, in exchange for Holloway’s use of official action to benefit SSRT. Jeong admitted making payments to curry favor with Holloway, who, as an AAFES general store manager for the Republic of Korea, was in a position to seek termination of AAFES’ contract with SSRT following allegations of performance-related problems relating to SSRT’s contractual obligations. After Jeong began paying Holloway, according to court documents, Holloway used official acts and influence to support the contractual relationship between SSRT and AAFES.

Jeong pleaded guilty to a five-count indictment before Judge Ed Kinkeade in the Northern District of Texas, charging him with one count of conspiracy, two counts of honest services wire fraud and two counts of bribery. At sentencing, scheduled for Sept. 16, 2009, Jeong faces up to five years in prison on the conspiracy count, as well as a $250,000 fine. He faces up to 20 years in prison for each honest services wire fraud count, as well as a $250,000 fine. He also faces up to 15 years in prison for each of the bribery counts, as well as a fine of $250,000 or three times the value of the things of value Jeong provided, whichever is greater. A sentencing date has not been set by the court.

On April 21, 2009, Holloway, 42, of Hamilton, Ga., pleaded guilty before Judge Clay D. Land in the Middle District of Georgia for his role in the conspiracy and for not reporting the bribes he admitted he accepted on his income tax returns. Holloway’s sentencing date has not been set by the court.

The case is being prosecuted by Senior Trial Attorney Richard C. Pilger and Trial Attorneys Richard B. Evans and Eric G. Olshan of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section, headed by William M. Welch, II, Chief. The case was investigated by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, the FBI’s Dallas Field Office and the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation.

SOURCE U.S. Department of Justice

WASHINGTON, June 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — A former employee at the U.S. Embassy in Haiti was sentenced today to 18 months in prison for stealing more than $800,000 from the U.S. Department of State, Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division announced.

Jean G. Saint-Joy, 44, aka Gary Saint-Joy, aka Garry Saint-Joy, a citizen of Haiti, was also ordered by U.S. District Court Judge Ricardo Urbina to pay restitution in the amount of the theft. Saint-Joy pleaded guilty on Feb. 5, 2009, in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

Saint-Joy admitted that beginning in approximately 2003 and continuing until early 2008, he engaged in a scheme to embezzle funds from the State Department. According to court documents, Saint-Joy was employed as a cashier by the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, from approximately 1995 until July 2008. As part of this scheme, Saint-Joy admitted he submitted and caused to be submitted false and fraudulent documents to the State Department claiming that he required reimbursement for the payment of legitimate embassy expenses. According to court documents, Saint-Joy illegally obtained approximately $428,639 from the State Department as a result of the scheme. Saint-Joy also admitted he provided and caused to be provided false and fraudulent requests for cash advances from the embassy’s cash advance accounts with two banks in Port-au-Prince. According to court documents, Saint-Joy illegally obtained approximately $50,000 from one account and approximately $371,627 from the other account. The total amount of Saint-Joy’s theft was approximately $849,000.

The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Ethan H. Levisohn and Marc Levin of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section, which is headed by William M. Welch, II. The case was investigated by the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of State.

SOURCE U.S. Department of Justice

29 May 2009

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has inaugurated the country’s first military base in Abu Dhabi, UAE as France aims to expand it presence in the Gulf region.

Dubbed the Camp of Peace, it is France’s first military base overseas in 50 years.

The military base is expected to host up to 500 troops on three separate sites.

President Sarkozy said that the base was a step towards its long-term engagement with its allies, including the UAE.

The base will support its troops deployed in the Indian Ocean and serve to strengthen bilateral military cooperation.

However, it is also expected to give France a strategic military presence in the region, alongside the US and Britain, which also have bases in the Gulf.

Though Sarkozy indicated that the base targets no country, the inauguration comes amid ongoing international concern about Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

Source: Army-Technology

WASHINGTON, May 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — A defense contractor has pleaded guilty to wire fraud and has admitted to engaging in other bribery-related conduct in connection with contracts in Iraq, the Department of Justice today announced.

According to the plea agreement filed in the U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia on Dec. 18, 2007, and unsealed today, Diana Bakir Demilta, a U.S. citizen, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. Demilta, the President of Global-Link Distribution LLC, a defense contracting company with operations in the International Zone, Baghdad, Iraq, subverted the competitive bidding process used by the Department of Defense and the Multi-National Security Transition Command — Iraq for a bullet-proof vest contract by submitting multiple sham bids from about September 2004 until about March 2005.

In addition, Demilta admitted that she paid at least $60,000 to an unnamed public official to induce that person to influence the award of contracts and to induce expedited payments for contracts awarded to Demilta’s company.

“The Department of Justice will prosecute those who corrupt the competitive bidding process and who undermine the military’s efforts to obtain equipment that is critical to protecting lives, such as bullet proof vests,” said Christine A. Varney, Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Department’s Antitrust Division. “The Division will not tolerate anticompetitive schemes that affect the men and women serving in our nation’s armed forces.”

According to the court documents, Demilta devised a scheme and instructed a co-conspirator to submit sham bids from dormant and/or related companies for the bullet-proof vest contract. The sham bids were submitted with intentionally increased prices so that one company, a Kuwaiti general trading firm, would win the contract at a lower price. The owner of the Kuwaiti general trading firm then authorized Demilta to negotiate and receive all funds related to the contract.

“Today’s announcement demonstrates that our commitment to rooting out fraud in the Department of the Army is stronger than ever,” said Brigadier General Rodney Johnson, the commanding general of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command. “This plea agreement should send a crystal clear message that we will aggressively pursue allegations of wrongdoing wherever the leads take our special agents. We will continue our fight against fraud and our unwavering commitment to the Department of Justice and our fellow agencies who stand shoulder to shoulder with us in this fight.”

“Today’s criminal action demonstrates the ongoing commitment of SIGIR and the U.S. Army — Criminal Investigation Command to aggressively pursue those who have committed fraud and bribery in connection with the U.S.-funded effort to rebuild Iraq,” said Stuart W. Bowen, Jr., Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR). “We owe nothing less to the dedicated military and civilian personnel, and contractors who are serving, or have served, in Iraq, and to the Iraqis, and, of course, to the U.S. taxpayers.”

Demilta pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which has a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. The fine may be increased to twice the gain derived from the crime or twice the loss suffered by the victims of the crime, if either amount is greater than the statutory maximum fine.

Today’s charges represent the Department’s commitment to protecting U.S. taxpayers from procurement fraud through its creation of the National Procurement Fraud Task Force. The National Procurement Fraud Initiative, announced in October 2006, is designed to promote the early detection, prosecution, and prevention of procurement fraud associated with the increase in contracting activity for national security and other government programs.

This case is part of an ongoing investigation being conducted by the Antitrust Division’s National Criminal Enforcement Section (NCES) along with Special Agents from SIGIR, the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division (Army CID), the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the FBI and U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement.

Anyone with information concerning bid rigging, bribery or other criminal conduct in the procurement of goods and services in Iraq is urged to contact NCES at 202-307-6694, SIGIR at 1-866-301-2003 or hotline@sigir.mil; or Army CID at www.cid.army.mil.

SOURCE U.S. Department of Justice

Fri May 22, 2009 11:16pm EDT

SEOUL (Reuters) - Former South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun, who police said fell and died while mountain hiking early on Saturday, appears to have jumped to his death, his top aide said.

“Former President Roh left his house at 5:45 a.m. (2045 GMT on Friday) and while hiking on the Ponghwa Mountain, appears to have jumped off a rock at around 6:40 a.m.” Moon Jae-in, who was Roh’s presidential chief of staff, said in a nationally televised statement.

Roh, in office for five years until early 2008, had recently been linked to a widening corruption scandal in which his wife had also been implicated.

(Reporting by Junghyun Kim and Jack Kim; Editing by Jonathan Thatcher and Jerry Norton)

© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved

She lands in D.C. after spending 4 months in an Iranian prison

NBC News and news services
updated 2:41 p.m. PT, Fri., May 22, 2009

WASHINGTON - An American journalist who spent four months in an Iranian prison returned to the U.S. on Friday, saying she was “glad to be back home in the land of the free.”

Roxanna Saberi arrived at Dulles International Airport from Vienna, accompanied by her parents. She thanked those who worked to help secure her release.

“One thing that kept me going in prison was singing the national anthem to myself. It may sound corny but I’m so glad to be back home in the land of the free,” she said.

The 32-year-old journalist had spent a week in Vienna recuperating after being released from prison in Iran.

Saberi, who grew up in Fargo, N.D., and moved to Iran six years ago, has dual citizenship. She was arrested in late January and convicted of spying for the United States in a closed-door trial that her Iranian-born father said lasted only 15 minutes.

Sentence reduced
She was freed May 11 and reunited with her parents, who had come to Iran to seek her release, after an appeals court reduced her sentence to two years suspended.

The United States had said the charges against Saberi were baseless and repeatedly demanded her release. The case against her had become an obstacle to President Barack Obama’s attempts at dialogue with the top U.S. adversary in the Middle East.

Saberi had worked as a freelance journalist for several organizations, including National Public Radio and the British Broadcasting Corp.

After her arrest, Iranian authorities initially accused her of working without press credentials, but later leveled the far more serious charge of spying. Iran released few details about the allegations that she passed intelligence to the U.S.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Colombo, May 17 (IANS) The following is the chronology of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which Sunday announced an end to its armed struggle for an independent Tamil state in Sri Lanka.

1972: Velupillai Prabhakaran forms Tamil New Tigers (TNT)

1976: Prabhakaran sets up LTTE

1978: Issues its first press statement

1983: Kills 13 soldiers in Jaffna; anti-Tamil violence leads to Tamil insurgency

1986: Wipes out biggest rival Tamil militant group

1987: Takes on Indian Army deployed in Sri Lanka’s northeast. The troops pull out in 1990 after suffering nearly 1,200 dead

1989-90: Holds talks with President Ranasinghe Premadasa

1990: Takes control of Jaffna peninsula, runs de facto state. Massacres 600 policemen who surrendered

1991: Blows up Defence Minister Ranjan Wijeratne

1991: LTTE suicide bomber kills Rajiv Gandhi, former Indian prime minister

1992: India outlaws LTTE

1993: Assassinates President Premadasa at May Day rally

1994-95: Agrees to talk to President Chandrika Kumaratunga

1995: Loses Jaffna in December

1996: Overruns army complex in Mullaitivu, slaughters some 1,200 soldiers and policemen in 72 hours.

1998-99: Seizes vast areas in Sri Lanka’s north and east

2001: Attacks Sri Lanka’s only international airport, nearby air base

2002: LTTE, Colombo sign Norway-brokered ceasefire agreement, hold peace talks

2003: Walks out of peace process

2004: LTTE splits, eastern regional commander Karuna walks away with thousands of cadres

2005: LTTE sniper kills Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar

2006: Attempts to assassinate Army Chief Sarath Fonseka and Defence Secretary Gothabaya Rajapaksa

2007: Launches air strike near Colombo; loses control of Sri Lanka’s east

2008: Sri Lanka pulls out of 2002 truce pact; vows to destroy LTTE

2009: Loses vast areas in north including Kilinochchi, hub of de facto state

May 17, 2009: LTTE decides to ’silence’ guns, says armed struggle has come to ‘bitter end’

Source: Sulekha.com

Saturday, May 16, 2009 - 13.22 GMT

“I will be going back to my country Sri Lanka that has been totally freed from the barbaric acts of terrorism of the LTTE. This freedom comes after 30 long years”.

“Our economic prosperity must essentially rest upon global peace and stability. Terrorism has for decades denied us this right. All eleven countries gathered here today have suffered the effects of terrorism, some more than others. Terrorism has raised its ugly head in different forms from time to time and destroyed all development initiatives in most of our countries” said President Mahinda Rajapaksa, addressing the G 11 summit in Jordan today (16).

Here is the text of the address by President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the G-11 Summit, Jordan - May 16, 2009:

Your Excellency Nader Dahabi, Prime Minister of Jordan
Excellencies,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

At the outset let me thank His Majesty King Abdullah the Second and the Government of Jordan for the warm hospitality accorded to me and my delegation. I must also say how pleased I am about the firm stand taken by His Majesty and his government in relation to the State of Palestine. It is heartening to note that peace and development in the Middle Eastern region is becoming a priority.

Excellencies,

I am happy to observe that the G11 has made significant progress since its beginning. As the world’s only grouping of lower middle income countries, it has succeeded in becoming a global partnership to address our common challenges.

We need targeted help from the industrialized countries to achieve our developmental goals. But at the same time we need to safeguard our own space, to apply creative and homegrown methods in achieving our growth targets. Any reforms need to be adjusted to our needs on the ground, and be implemented at our own pace.

Excellencies,

The Ten Year Development Policy Framework of my government, ‘Mahinda Chinthana’, envisages addressing global challenges with homegrown solutions. Our approach integrates the positive attributes of market economic policies with our own domestic aspirations. It focuses on developing the rural economy, supporting domestic enterprise including the SME sector, safeguarding our agriculture, achieving food security, while encouraging an export economy driven by the private sector.

However, we must recognize that we cannot achieve economic prosperity by ourselves. We need facilitated access to industrialized markets. We need to diversify our export bases from traditional to value-added products. We need greater flows of FDI. We need cutting edge technology and research and development capability. We also need assistance to develop our infrastructure.

These needs can only be attained with the support of the industrialised world. It is indeed timely that we have acknowledged this and have thus built a partnership with the global north, in the form of our dialogue with the G8. I look forward to the further consolidation of this partnership to foster bridges of future cooperation.

All this, Excellencies, we need to place in the context of the global economy which today is undergoing an enormous crisis, as never before. The impact of the crisis on our developing economies dependent on industrialized markets may be devastating.

There is no single formula to address this crisis. It is no longer sufficient to look at north-south cooperation or advocate sound monetary policies and good governance as the way out of the crisis. Indeed, we need the help of our developed partners. But we also need to strengthen south-south cooperation through new and innovative means. I am hopeful that the G11 Framework Agreement signed by our Ministers today will pave the way for the consolidation of such cooperation.

Our economic prosperity must essentially rest upon global peace and stability. Terrorism has for decades denied us this right. All eleven countries gathered here today have suffered the effects of terrorism, some more than others. Terrorism has raised its ugly head in different forms from time to time and destroyed all development initiatives in most of our countries.

Excellencies, the misery brought upon my country by ‘the most ruthless terrorist organization in the world’ has little parallel elsewhere. During the last thirty years, the LTTE have massacred tens of thousands of innocent civilians, and also targeted our economy in the belief that destroying our economy will ensure achieving of its evil goals. Having resorted to most ruthless means of destroying human life, the LTTE, through its malicious propaganda machinery, have projected itself as a liberation movement. The world at large must not be deceived by its distorted propaganda.

Many in the world believed that the LTTE is invincible, but, I am proud to announce at this august gathering that my government with the total commitment of our Armed Forces, has in an unprecedented humanitarian operation, finally defeated the LTTE militarily. I will be going back to a country that has been totally freed from the barbaric acts of the LTTE. This freedom comes after 30 long years. My government’s precise and well coordinated humanitarian operation has so far succeeded in rescuing over 210,000 civilians who were being used as human shields by the LTTE.

The defeat of the LTTE on the ground heralds a new era in Sri Lanka. It provides all Sri Lankans with a brand new opportunity for peace and development. The liberation of regions hitherto controlled by the LTTE, which amounted to a fourth of Sri Lanka’s land mass, paves the way for democracy to root itself and development to march ahead after decades of conflict. Efforts are already underway to complement the humanitarian mission with a political solution.

History has taught us that solutions externally prescribed, with little understanding of the complexity of the problem on the ground, are prone to failure. My government is therefore firmly committed to seeking a homegrown solution acceptable to all communities living in Sri Lanka.

Terrorism is a mutating menace. Old theories on counter-terrorism need to be constantly modified to effectively combat modern day terrorism. Despite the LTTE’s defeat on the ground, it could well continue to sustain itself overseas. Our timely action must therefore ensure that the LTTE and other like-minded terrorist groups do not continue to circumvent the law by indulging in illegal operations, through various front organizations located overseas.

Developed and developing countries must recognize this fact and continue to support each other to eliminate terrorism from the face of this earth. We leaders must not leave this menace to torment our children and the future generations. Terrorism in all its forms must be eliminated and not allow it to destroy the democratic and peaceful way of life of all our people. It is worthwhile reminding ourselves over and over again that there are no good terrorists and bad terrorists. Terrorism anywhere is terrorism and should be treated in the manner it deserves.

In this context, I wish to mention that the UN and its affiliated organizations should understand the suffering of the people in countries affected by terrorism and pro-actively support legitimately elected governments to eradicate this menace. Pressure to contain military operations when terrorism is being eliminated can be very frustrating as terrorists through such interventions will get another lease of life. Countries that are successfully progressing to eliminate terrorism must be encouraged through assistance for purposes of development by international lending institutions without being ‘put on hold’.

I am happy to observe that the need to combat terrorism comprises an important element of the G11 White Paper. We must work closely with the G8 to have co-ordinated and concerted global action in combating terrorism in all its manifestations. Enactment of appropriate legislation and intelligence sharing must comprise the core of this exercise.

Excellencies, we embarked nearly three years ago on the G-11 venture, driven by a sense of idealism. Some of our goals have been realized, while others remain. It is by collective effort and dedication that all our objectives could be achieved, for ultimately, our peoples would be the greatest beneficiaries. We could do no less.

Thank you.

Source: Government of Sri Lanka

From The Times
May 9, 2009

Tony Halpin in Moscow

The march through Red Square by thousands of troops ahead of tanks and nuclear missile launchers sent an unambiguous message of Russian military might.

Yesterday’s show of strength in central Moscow was a dress rehearsal for tomorrow’s Victory Day parade, the second since Vladimir Putin revived the Soviet-era tribute to Red Army veterans who fought Nazi Germany. The Kremlin’s signal to younger Russians is that their country is back after the humiliation of the collapse of the Soviet Union.

The symbolism is all the more powerful this year after the war with Georgia over South Ossetia in August last year, Russia’s first military campaign since the end of communism in 1991. But the flag-waving masks a weaker reality.

Analysts say that the war in Georgia exposed the shortcomings of Russia’s army. President Dmitri Medvedev ordered sweeping reforms within weeks of the conflict, telling army chiefs to spare no expense in improving the combat readiness of troops.

Anatoly Serdyukov, the Defence Minister, acknowledged recently that 90 per cent of Russia’s weaponry was obselete. Mr Medvedev has authorised large-scale rearmament from 2011, regardless of the economic crisis gripping Russia, with mass production of new warships and submarines as well as modernisation of the country’s nuclear arsenal.

New equipment is the easy part compared to manpower. Russia’s military of almost 1.2 million is a shadow of the 4.5 million who served in the Soviet armed forces, and it remains heavily dependent on conscripts with little education, training or motivation.

Efforts to recruit better quality soldiers with short-term contracts offering higher salaries have had limited success. A culture of bullying in the ranks remains a strong deterrent. The Defence Ministry acknowledged that 24 of the 471 servicemen killed in non-combat incidents last year died as a result of bullying, but there were also 231 suicides and 26 murders.

“We don’t have a professional recruiting system, so they are enlisting anyone they can find. We even have tens of thousands of women on contracts who are enlisted simply to bring a second salary into their families,” Pavel Felgengauer, Russia’s leading defence analyst, told The Times.

“They don’t drink so much vodka and may be more disciplined and reliable than the men, but they are not real contract soldiers. They are mothers with children.”

The army is also top-heavy. Mr Serdyukov, a former accountant with no military background, plans to sack 200,000 officers, half the total, as he shrinks the armed forces to 1 million servicemen by 2012.

Finding suitable candidates for redundancy is not proving difficult. Nikolai Pankov, the Deputy Defence Minister, disclosed last week that 20 per cent of senior officers, including 50 generals, had failed aptitude tests and would be dismissed.

General Nikolai Makarov, chief of the Russian General Staff, complained after the conflict in Georgia that only 17 per cent of Russia’s army was combat-ready and that most of its Soviet-trained officers were incapable of fighting a war.

“To find a lieutenant-colonel, colonel or general able to lead troops with a sure hand, you had to chase down officers one by one throughout the armed forces,” he said.

Russia’s air force will cut a third of officers and the navy is halving the number of its operational units to 123 by 2016. The Pacific Fleet, Russia’s second largest, is shedding 5,000 officers.

Few doubt that Russia must get a bigger bang for its rouble if it is to remain a major military player. Nikita Petrov, a security analyst, noted recently that its $40 billion (£27 billion) defence budget is a fraction of the $600 billion the Pentagon spends.

President Medvedev will talk up Russia’s military prowess when he takes the salute on Red Square, but he knows that much of the power on parade is illusory beyond the nuclear deterrent. Western observers were quick to note that the 58th Army lacked reconnaissance drones, high-precision bombs and even secure communications in Georgia, and defeated its tiny adversary largely through superiority of numbers.

“The aim of this modernisation is to westernise the Russian army,” Mr Felgengauer noted. “Things are so bad that something has to be done because the old Soviet military system is just crumbling.”

USA Today

WASHINGTON (AP) — The head of the CIA defended the agency Friday against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s charge that she was misled in 2002 about the use of waterboarding but said it ultimately is up to Congress to decide where the truth lies.
“Let me be clear. It is not our policy or practice to mislead Congress,” CIA Director Leon Panetta wrote in a message to agency employees that was released to the public. “That is against our laws and our values.”

Referring to Pelosi’s remarks, he said, “The political debate over interrogation reached a new decibel level yesterday.”

Panetta’s rebuttal was far more muted that a counterattack the Republicans unleashed against Pelosi.

“I think her accusations against our terror-fighters are irresponsible and, according to the CIA’s record, Speaker Pelosi was briefed on what had been done,” said Sen. Kit Bond, the senior Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee. “It’s outrageous that a member of Congress would call our terror-fighters liars.”

Pelosi drew the criticism a day after opening her weekly news conference with a prepared statement accusing agency briefers of misleading her in 2002 in connection with the use of waterboarding, an interrogation technique that simulates drowning.

In the statement, she repeated that she was not told that waterboarding had been used, even though it had been, and said an aide informed her of its use after other lawmakers had been briefed in 2003.

Pelosi has been the target of a campaign orchestrated in recent days by the House Republican leadership, which is eager to undercut her statements as well as stick Democrats with partial responsibility for the use of waterboarding in the Bush administration.

Some Democrats have expressed surprise that she chose to inject herself more deeply into the controversy, especially at a time when President Obama enjoys widespread public support and Republicans are suffering extremely low approval ratings. Associates of the California Democrat say she decided it was an error to allow Republican attacks to go unanswered any longer.

At the White House, spokesman Robert Gibbs decided to stay out of the controversy. “I appreciate the invitation to get involved but I’ll decline to R.S.V.P..” He said the president wanted to look forward, not back.

Panetta, a former Democratic lawmaker from Pelosi’s home state of California, said records from the period “indicate that CIA officers briefed truthfully on the interrogation of (terrorist suspect) Abu Zubaydah, describing ‘the enhanced techniques that had been employed.”‘

He cited a “long tradition in Washington of making hay out of our business. … But the political debates about interrogation reached a new decibel level yesterday when the CIA was accused of misleading Congress.”

He added, “We are an agency of high integrity, professionalism and dedication. Our task is to tell it like it is — even if that’s not what people always want to hear.”

An unclassified chart released last month by the CIA describes a total of 40 briefings for lawmakers over a period of several years on enhanced interrogation techniques. Pelosi’s name appears once, as having attended a session on Sept. 4, 2002, when she was the senior Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee. Former Rep. Porter Goss, a Republican who at the time was the chairman of the committee and later became CIA director, also was present.

While Goss has scoffed at Pelosi’s description of the briefing, other lawmakers have challenged the accuracy of the CIA’s overall reconstruction of events.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Missiles & Bombs News — By Norway
MoD on May 12, 2009
Defence Talk

“We wish to follow up our international efforts with practical action here at home, and we have wanted to make a start on the destruction of these weapons as quickly as possible but in a safe and environmentally friendly way,” says Deputy Minister of Defence Espen Barth Eide.

The destruction of the Norwegian stockpile is a consequence of the Convention on Cluster Munitions which was signed in Oslo in December last year.

The Convention is the result of a Norwegian initiative in autumn 2006 to establish a negotiation process with the aim of banning a type of weapon which had been shown to cause serious and long-lasting humanitarian suffering. The Norwegian initiative soon gained wide international support and a grand total of 107 states, the UN and many NGOs adopted the Convention in Dublin in May 2008. Norway was the first country to both sign and ratify the Convention when it was opened for signing during the Oslo conference in December. The Convention has so far been signed by 96 countries and a number of other countries have indicated that they will sign in the near future. Not least, it is important to emphasise that the Convention has been signed by 20 of the 28 NATO countries.

”According to the Convention, there is an 8 year deadline for destruction of national stockpiles. However, to avoid further proliferation of existing stocks, I find it extremely important that states start the national destruction processes as soon as possible. By being among the first states to start destroying our stocks, it is my hope that this will send a strong signal to other states,” says Barth Eide.

In March this year the Norwegian Armed Forces and Nammo Demil Divisjon AB signed a contract covering the destruction of the Norwegian stockpile of cluster munitions. The process of destroying these munitions is, as from today, under way at Løkken Verk in Trøndelag. The Deputy Minister of Defence was shown round the old copper mines, 910 metres below ground, where the initial batch of munitions was stacked. Once back on the surface, it was Barth Eide’s job to press the button to trigger the explosion which blew up the munitions. It is expected that the process of destroying these munitions will be completed by the end of July 2010.

“It is good that in Norway we have the necessary skills and facilities to undertake the job of destroying these munitions. With so many countries facing a similar task, this is an area of expertise that will be much in demand, both nationally and internationally,” says Barth Eide