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News archives for the week ending

Syria and Iran unite against US criticism

Iran and Syria put on a show of defiant unity yesterday, scorning US efforts to break up their alliance and warning Israel not to risk attacking either of them.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, flew to Damascus for talks with Bashar al-Assad days after the US appointed an ambassador to Syria after a five-year gap – a move seen by some as the start of a diplomatic thaw.

Assad made clear that Syria would not distance itself from Iran, its ally since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. "We hope that others don't give us lessons about our region and our history," he said. "We are the ones who decide ... and we know our interests. We thank them for their advice. I find it strange how they talk about Middle East stability and at the same time talk about dividing two countries."

Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, said that the US was troubled by Syria's relationship with Iran and characterised the appointment of an ambassador as a "slight opening".

Syria has also offered to mediate between Iran and the west over Tehran's controversial nuclear programme but says it opposes any sanctions.

Clinton said the US wanted Syria "generally to begin to move away from the relationship with Iran, which is so deeply troubling to the region as well as to the United States".

Guardian, 26/2/10

NATO chief defends European role in war

NATO's chief is defending Europe's contribution to the international force in Afghanistan from criticism by U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen says European allies responded to President Barack Obama's call for more troops and today account for 40 percent of the force of over 100,000 soldiers.

But he said Thursday the "growing discrepancy" between the United States and NATO's European allies was a potential problem.

On Tuesday Gates criticized Europeans' aversion to military force, calling it an "an impediment to achieving real security and lasting peace in the 21st century."

U.S. 2010 defense spending of over $700 billion is almost 2.5 higher than the combined military budgets of NATO's European allies.

Washington Post, 25/2/10

Anti-US bloc gains ground in Iraq

The political movement of Iraq's best-known anti-American cleric has emerged as a major contender in next month's national elections, raising the possibility that the next prime minister could be openly hostile to the U.S. and friendly toward Iran.

A prime minister loyal to Muqtada al-Sadr might push the U.S. military to speed up its withdrawal timetable and pose a threat to future military and economic cooperation between the United States and Iraq.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's alliance, backed by the powers of incumbency, has been widely viewed as the bloc that would emerge with the largest number of seats.

But al-Maliki's standing has been hurt by a series of horrific bombings in central Baghdad that exposed the inadequacies of Iraq's security forces. The lack of tangible improvement in basic services and allegations of corruption have further hurt his chances.

Washington Post, 24/2/10

Obama loses youth support over war

Gridlock in Washington and an escalating war in Afghanistan are behind waning support among 18 - 29-year-olds for the Democratic Party, a new poll reveals.

The demographic backed Obama's bid for the White House by 2-1 in 2008 Support among youth for the Democratic Party has dwindled to 54 percent as of December, compared with 62 percent identifying as Democrats in 2008, according to the Pew Research Center study released Wednesday.

In national security, 50 percent said they disapproved of Obama's December decision to send more soldiers to Afghanistan. Only 34 percent thought the troop surge was a good idea.

New York Daily News, 24/2/10

US puts pressure on NATO

In a withering attack on what Washington sees as European complacency in the face of new security threats, Robert Gates, the US defence secretary, demanded root-and-branch reform of the transatlantic alliance, voiced exasperation with Nato bureaucracy and said it was becoming increasingly difficult for the US and Europe "to operate and fight together".

Gates told a Washington meeting of Nato officials and security experts "the pacification of Europe" had gone too far.

The US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, joined in what was a concerted warning to the Europeans, calling for an "honest discussion" of European defence spending and complaining that the alliance was at risk of turning into a talking shop.

Gates's criticism came days after the Dutch government collapsed over a dispute about Afghanistan and announced it would start withdrawing some 2,000 troops from August. The pull-out has spurred worries that other Europeans could follow suit.

Gates voiced impatience with years of unredeemed European pledges to procure more cargo aircraft and helicopters. "Their absence is directly impacting operations in Afghanistan ... Nato needs serious, far-reaching, and immediate reforms to address a crisis that has been years in the making," he said.

The 28 Nato countries are embroiled in an attempt to come up with a new mission statement, and there are divisions both transatlantic and within Europe over the wording. The warnings from Washington appeared to be an attempt to dictate the key components of the new doctrine.

Guardian 24/2/10

Coalition deaths in Afghanistan on rise

The US death toll in Afghanistan has reached 1,000 with the number of soldiers killed doubling since last year.

The icasualties.org website, which tracks military deaths in Afghanistan and Iraq, said 54 US soldiers had died in the war so far this year, as the coalition tries to regain momentum in its eight-year campaign. It was the worst toll for two consecutive months since the US-led invasion of 2001 and compared with a toll of 30 in the same period last year.

Last year was the bloodiest yet for international troops, with 519 killed, up more than 75 per cent on the previous year. Britain has the second highest toll of deaths, with 264, while Canada has the highest in proportion to the size of its force.

Telegraph, 23/2/10

Public think war unwinnable and want troops out

Sixty-four per cent of British people think the war in Afghanistan is unwinnable, a BBC poll suggests.

In addition 63% of respondents to the Newsnight poll agreed when asked if they thought that whoever formed the next government after this year's general election should commit to removing Britain's armed forces from Afghanistan by the end of 2010.

BBC News, 23/2/1

US wants to use Afghan troops for night raids

A new classified directive to coalition forces in Afghanistan puts restrictions on nighttime raids of Afghan homes and compounds, according to a senior U.S. official who has seen the document.

The directive comes as the coalition seeks to reduce tension between its military forces and Afghan civilians in an effort to maintain Afghan public support.

Nighttime raids in which troops enter private homes have sparked problems for U.S. and NATO forces. The raids are viewed as overly invasive -- a violation of the privacy of the home in Afghan culture -- and they can turn violent.

The document orders forces to use Afghan troops at night "whenever possible" to knock on doors of residences and compounds, and to use them if forcible action is required for entry, the official said.

CNN, 23/2/10

Japanese opinion hardens against US bases

Indications are that the Hatoyama government is keen to end the U.S. military presence in Japan. The Obama administration has taken a tough stance on the issue, insisting that U.S. presence in Okinawa is crucial for the security of the East Asian region. Okinawa is home to 75 per cent of the 53,000 U.S. troops based in Japan.

In November last year, U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates warned Japan that it would face “serious consequences” if the new government did not honour the commitments on the bases given by the former government. During his visit, Gates loudly lobbied for an extension of the military bases agreement. The Japanese media were openly critical of Gates, describing the Defence Secretary as a “bully”.

Popular sentiment in Japan seems to have shifted irrevocably against the U.S. military presence. A plan to relocate the Okinawa base on Japanese soil received a setback in the last week of January. The former LDP government had proposed four years ago that the base be shifted to the northern city of Nago, also on the island of Okinawa. But in the recent municipal elections in Nago, the candidate opposed to the relocation of the U.S. air base won a resounding victory. He has since said there was no question of the base being relocated to Nago.

Hatayoma has diplomatically indicated that the ideal thing for the U.S. to do is to shift the base out of Japan altogether. The DPJ’s key coalition partner, the Social Democratic Party (SDP), insists that the U.S. base must be located outside Japanese territory. It has even threatened to withdraw from the government if the government does not support its position.

Frontline, India, 24/2/10

US involvement in Iraq is 'political dynamite'...

Iraqis are scheduled to go to the polls March 7 for parliamentary elections that Iraqi and U.S. officials describe as a political milestone for the country.

With less than two weeks to go in the campaign, however, concern is rising over whether the results will be undermined by political boycotts, low turnout or an increase in bloodshed. Religious enmities and rivalries are already resurfacing.

Although U.S. diplomats and military officials said they are working intensely behind the scenes to hold the political process together, they are finding that their influence in Iraq is steadily on the wane.

"The Iraqi mood is very nationalistic at the moment and just not interested in extending the American presence," said Marc Lynch, a political science professor at George Washington University and an expert on Iraqi politics. "When the United States gets really involved in contentious issues now, it just turns into political dynamite."

Washington Post, 23/2/10

...but troops may postpone withdrawal anyway

The top U.S. commander in Baghdad said some American combat forces could remain in Iraq after this summer's planned withdrawal date if the country's feuding leaders are unable to quickly form a new government.

Under terms of Washington's security pact with Baghdad, U.S. troop levels in Iraq are supposed to fall to 50,000 by the end of August as the overall American mission shifts from direct combat to supporting Iraqi security forces. The remaining U.S. forces are supposed to leave Iraq by the end of 2011.

Speaking at the Pentagon Gen. Odierno he said, Iraq's uncertain political future meant the next phase of the drawdown could proceed more slowly than initially planned. The commander said he had prepared contingency plans that would leave some combat troops in Iraq past Sept. 1 if the country faced serious political unrest or widespread violence after the vote.

Wall Street Journal, 23/2/10

Air strike kills 21 Afghan civilians

A NATO air strike has mistakenly killed 21 civilians and injured another 14, a spokesman for Afghanistan's interior ministry said.

Zemarai Bashary said the incident happened when three vehicles were bombed in central Uruzgan province on Sunday.

"As a result of the air strike, according to initial information, 21 civilians were killed, including women and children, and another 14 were injured," he said.

Civilian casualties are a sensitive issue in Afghanistan and of particular concern to Mr Karzai, who in recent days has urged international forces to take all care to avoid them.

The latest incident in Uruzgan comes as 15,000 troops, led by US marines, press a huge operation in southern Helmand province to clear an agricultural valley of Taliban militants.

Afghan and NATO authorities say at least 15 civilians have been killed in Operation Mushtarak, while rights groups put the figure at 21. Last Thursday, another NATO air strike mistakenly killed seven Afghan police and wounded two others in northern Afghanistan.

ABC News, 22/2/10

Dutch government falls over Afghanistan

The Dutch coalition government has collapsed amid a political row over whether to extend the country's military mission in Afghanistan. Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende was due to submit his government's resignation to Queen Beatrix later Saturday, leaving the future of its 1,600 soldiers stationed there uncertain.

The left-leaning Labor Party leaves the government because it wants the Netherlands to adhere to a scheduled military withdrawal of the bulk of its 1,600 troops from the Afghan province of Uruzgan by the end of August, 2010 despite a request from NATO to stay longer.

The Dutch debate comes ahead of municipal elections in the Netherlands and at a time when opinion polls in many troop-providing European countries indicate growing public discontent with NATO operations in Afghanistan, amid a global financial crisis and shrinking defense budgets.

A possible Dutch withdrawal from Afghanistan is seen as another challenge for NATO. The Western defense alliance is already struggling to assemble 10,000 additional troops that its top commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, demands to accompany the 30,000 extra American troops being deployed there.

Voice of America, 21/2/10

Human rights watchdog backs UK torture probe

The UK's human rights watchdog has joined calls for an independent inquiry of claims that the security services were complicit in the torture of more than 20 British terror suspects.

Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) chairman Trevor Phillips told ministers their vehement denials of the claims had been insufficient to reassure the watchdog or the public.

The EHRC stepped in after a series of reports - including one by the United Nations - detailed alleged cases of collusion as well as the release of court evidence in the Binyam Mohamed case.

Two influential Commons committees have backed an inquiry after raising serious questions about the UK's involvement and suggesting the Government could be in breach of international obligations.

But ministers have been strident in their defence of MI5, dismissing the UN report as "unsubstantiated and irresponsible" and rejecting the need for an outside review.

Press Association, 20/2/10

Iraq rejects call to abolish death penalty

Iraq has rejected calls to abolish or suspend capital punishment made during a review by the U.N.'s top human rights body.

Iraq has also dismissed suggestions that it should reduce the number of crimes for which the death penalty can be imposed.

The country told the Geneva-based U.N. Human Rights Council on Friday that it also wouldn't commit to investigating abuse against gays or decriminalize homosexuality.

Neither would it raise the age of penal responsibility to 18 years. It is currently 9 in most of Iraq and 11 in Kurdistan.

Washington Post, 19/2/10

Election curfew in northern Iraq

Electoral authorities on Friday imposed a curfew on campaigning in a northern Iraqi province that has become a fierce battleground for Kurdish votes ahead of the country's general election.

Sulaimaniyah, 170 miles north of Baghdad, is the focus of considerable tension between rival Kurdish parties, vying for maximum leverage in the event of Kurds being possible kingmakers in Iraq's next government.

Campaigning will be banned throughout the province from 9:OO pm to 6:00 am, election organisers said, a decision that came in the wake of several violent incidents, including a shooting that left three political activists wounded.

AFP, 19/2/10

Rift grows in US-China relations

The rift in United States-China relations has arisen in part because the two countries have completely different items at the top of their foreign policy agendas and are talking past each other, American officials say.

They say that China emphasizes sovereignty issues while refusing to give any weight to the Obama administration’s two top priorities in the relationship: containing Iran’s nuclear ambitions and rebalancing currencies and trade. The Americans have also highlighted issues of Internet censorship and security.

Those tensions are likely to worsen in coming months as domestic pressures in each country push the governments to assert their agendas more boldly, and as China’s confidence in its economic system continues to grow.

On the American side, a struggling economy is forcing the Obama administration to make currency valuation and market liberalization top priorities. With an unemployment rate of nearly 10 percent and midterm elections coming up, American officials are aware that pushing China to raise the value of its currency, the renminbi, and allowing American companies greater access to some Chinese markets could be important political victories for Mr. Obama and his party.

New York Times, 19/2/10

NATO keeps control of Kosovo security forces

NATO will remain in control of the homegrown Kosovo Security Force (KSF) for up to four years until it reaches full operational capacity, a senior NATO official said yesterday.

“When NATO took on responsibilities for training the Kosovo Security Force, we said that we will have executive authority till full operational capability,” US Admiral Mark Fitzgerald, the commander of NATO’s southeast wing, said.

While the force is not intended to be a fully fledged army straight away, its creation has angered Serbia, which still considers Kosovo its southern province.

Kathimerini, Greece, 19/2/10

Childhood leukemia more than doubles in Basra

Childhood leukemia rates more than doubled in a southern Iraq province over a 15-year period, although the exact cause for the increase is unclear, researchers say.

Possible reasons why so many kids in the province of Basra became ill include exposure to chemicals from petroleum fires, gasoline sold by children on the side of the road, chemical weapons and pesticides, the authors of the new study noted.

The study measured "a jump in leukemia rates from three per 100,000 youngsters in the first part of our study period, to a rate of almost 8½ in the final three years," study author Amy Hagopian, of the University of Washington, said.

By comparison, leukemia rates in Europe and the United States ranged from four to five per 100,000, and in the Middle Eastern countries of Oman and Kuwait the numbers ranged from two to three per 100,000.

Business Week, 18/2/10

Involvement in Afghanistan could bring down Dutch government

An election promise to pull Dutch troops out of Afghanistan by the end of 2010 threatens to topple the Netherlands' coalition government and undermine the U.S. mission as the Pentagon steps up operations against the Taliban.

Deputy Prime Minister Wouter Bos, leader of the left-leaning Labor Party, campaigned in 2007 on a pledge to bring home Dutch forces and on Thursday he reaffirmed that promise, putting him at odds with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and with the prime and foreign ministers of his own three-party ruling coalition.

A Dutch withdrawal would be a blow to the Obama administration which has worked hard to persuade European nations to maintain—and ideally expand—their troop commitments to Afghanistan.

Since the start of Dutch operations there in 2006, 21 of their soldiers have died, watering down public support for the mission. Recent opinion polls, as well as the Dutch Parliament, favor withdrawal.

Wall Street Journal, 19/2/10

US seeks to isolate Iran by reaching out to Syria

Syria's five-year diplomatic isolation by the West de facto ended Wednesday as Washington's top career diplomat met with President Bashar Assad in Damascus, a day after President Obama nominated the first U.S. ambassador to the Arab state since 2005.

Olivier Guitta, adjunct fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, said one of the reasons behind Washington's overture is that "Syria is the weakest link to getting at Iran, and if a wedge could be driven between the two countries, then it would be much easier to pressure Tehran."

Washington Times, 18/2/10

Mossad: 'British government has to be seen to be going through the motions'

MI6 was tipped off by Mossad that Israeli agents were going to carry out an 'overseas operation' using fake UK passports, the Daily Mail reported Friday morning.

According to the UK newspaper, a British security source quoted a Mossad agent as saying that "the British Government was told very, very briefly before the operation what was going to happen."

The British security source explained that the tip-off was not a request for permission to use British passports but more a 'courtesy call' to inform British security services know 'a situation' might blow up.

The Mossad man said Israeli intelligence chiefs understand British authorities will have to 'slap them on the wrist' and reportedly added: "The British government has to be seen to be going through the motions."

Jerusalem Post, 19/2/10

Argentina takes Falklands oil dispute to the UN

Argentine Foreign Minister Jorge Taiana announced Wednesday that United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will receive him Feb. 24 in New York to hear Argentina's concerns about the British decision to take unilateral measures in the disputed territory.

Tension between the two countries mounted because the British exploration rig, Ocean Guardian, is on its way to the Malvinas/Falklands Islands where it will arrive in a few days.

According to geological surveys carried out in London in 1998, there could be 60 billion barrels of oil in the area around these southern islands, which lie 1,800 km from Buenos Aires and 12,000 km from London.

On Tuesday Argentina escalated its protest. President Cristina Fernández signed a decree requiring all ships sailing from Argentine continental ports to any of the Malvinas/Falklands Islands, South Georgia or the South Sandwich Islands, or crossing Argentine territorial waters to get there, to apply for a permit before departure.

The president said the reason for the decree was the U.K.'s "systematic refusal" to act on U.N. resolutions calling on both countries to renew sovereignty negotiations and abstain from adopting unilateral measures.

She asked that these resolutions "be enforced on all countries, not just the weakest."

IPS, 18/2/10