PRESS DIGEST JUNE 2010
202010
NATO
10th June
On 10 and 11 June, Defence Ministers from NATO and its partner countries' are meeting at the
Alliance’s Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, to discuss missions in Afghanistan and Kosovo, reform,
missile defence and other key issues on NATO’s agenda.
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen opened the first session, outlining the main topics.
The mission in Aghanistan is the highest priority, he said. ―Our aim is to help Afghanistan stand on its feet as
a sovereign country that can defend itself against terrorism. Because a stable Afghanistan means a safer
world.‖
The Secretary General also mentioned missile defence, for which Allies are already developing a system
to protect troops. National Armaments Directors confirmed that it is technically feasible to expand the system
to cover NATO’s populations and territories as well, and at manageable extra costs. ―We will discuss all that
today with an eye to a decision on whether to do it, which will be taken this November in Lisbon.‖
Speaking of the financial environment, he said, ―we must ensure that tax payers get value for the money
that is spent on defence. But our job is to guarantee that our citizens are defended. Which means spending
enough on defence and spending smart.‖
―Today we’ll take a hard look at prioritizing, economizing and multinationalizing. Prioritizing on what
we need most, in particular deployable capability; economizing by cutting back on concrete and bureaucracy;
and multinationalizing to pool our money where it makes sense to get capabilities we need, capabilities we
wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford.‖
The resource issue dominated the first session of the NATO Defence Ministers’ meeting. The Secretary
General, summarizing the discussion at a press conference, drew attention to a shared view around the table
on three points. Managing the effects of the financial crisis must involve cutting ―fat and not muscle‖.
Second, Ministers agreed on a need for real priorities. And third, the process has to be coherent across the
Alliance to avoid duplication and maximize the benefits of multinational projects.
The Secretary General also highlighted the meetings that would take place later on with the NATO-
Ukraine Commission and the NATO-Georgia Commission.
/NATO Official website/ http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/news_64207.htm?mode=news
16th June
On 16 June, the Foreign and Defence Ministers of Montenegro, Milan Rocen and Boro Vucinic, met
with NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen and the North Atlantic Council (NAC) at the
Alliance’s Headquarters in Brussels. Montenegro’s Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) was the main
topic on the agenda.
―Since Montenegro joined the Partnership for Peace programme [in 2006], you have made rapid
progress,‖ said the Secretary General in opening the NAC. He said that satisfying progress has been made in
defence reforms as well as in consolidating institutions.
During the meeting, NATO Allies thanked Montenegro for its contribution to the NATO-led ISAF
mission in Afghanistan and for Montenegro's constructive role to regional peace and stability in the Balkans.
―Finally, let me assure you that we not only appreciate your country’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations, we are
also determined to continue to assist you,‖ the Secretary General said.
/NATO Official website/ http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/news_64453.htm?mode=news
16th June
I have taken note that General McChrystal is stepping down as Commander of the NATO-led mission in
Afghanistan.
I thank General McChrystal for his service to NATO, and for the enormous effort he has put into leading
the ISAF mission.
While he will no longer be the commander, the approach he helped put in place is the right one. The
strategy continues to have NATO's support, and our forces will continue to carry it out.
Our operations in Afghanistan are continuing today, and they will not miss a beat. We have a strong
military team in Afghanistan. My Senior Civilian Representative, Mark Sedwill will continue to direct our
effort on the political side. And soon, a new Commander of ISAF will take up his position.
The Afghan people should have no doubt that we will continue to carry out our mission in partnership
with them. We will continue working to protect the Afghan population and to build the Afghan security
forces, and we will stay for as long as it takes to do our job.
/NATO Official website/ http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/news_64620.htm?mode=news
NATO – Russia
15th June
Politically driven ethnic violence in Kyrgyzstan has already claimed more than 100 lives and threatens to
erase the country’s progress toward self-government following the April ouster of President Kurmanbek
Bakiyev.
It is an ominous sign that a society which had undertaken impressive reforms aimed at creating the
region's first parliamentary democracy is now teetering on the brink of outright civil war and state failure.
With the violence around Osh continuing and a very real possibility that the conflict could expand to
engulf parts of neighboring Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, NATO and the United States must immediately
engage with regional partners to help restore security.
For two decades, NATO has played the role of policeman in conflicts in Bosnia and Kosovo, while
Russia has done so separately in Georgia and Moldova. Not surprisingly, what one side has viewed as
peacekeeping, the other has labeled bullying occupation.
The crisis in Kyrgyzstan presents an opportunity for three multilateral groups working in the area —
NATO, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (C.S.T.O., an alliance of seven former Soviet states
currently chaired by Armenia), and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (O.S.C.E.) —
to do real, immediate good while building trust and demonstrating that cooperation is possible in the
increasingly interconnected and fragile Eurasian security space.
Both Russia and NATO maintain military presences in Kyrgyzstan — the only country in the world
where this is true — and neither can afford to allow the violence there to destroy the vulnerable Kyrgyz state
or plunge the region into a wider ethnic war.
Moreover, responding to this crisis and restoring stability is a responsibility NATO must share with the
C.S.T.O. and the O.S.C.E. Where these institutions failed in 2008 to prevent or defuse the Russia-Georgia
war, they must now succeed in preventing localized violence in southern Kyrgyzstan from deepening or
spreading.
To do so will require the United States and Russia, as leading security partners in these groups, to put
aside outdated stereotypes and focus on their fundamentally shared interests in Eurasian security.
Although the Kyrgyz provisional government has called for Russian troops to help maintain order,
Moscow has referred the problem to the C.S.T.O., which resolved on Monday to provide ―comprehensive
assistance.‖
In recent years, Russia has sought to expand C.S.T.O. capabilities through a partnership agreement with
the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a security forum which includes Russia, China and four of the
Central Asian republics, and creation of a standing rapid reaction force, which remains a work in progress.
Some in the West have regarded the C.S.T.O. as a tool of Russian expansionism, and are reluctant to see
NATO or the O.S.C.E. engage with it directly.
However, the C.S.T.O. does serve Russia's legitimate interests in collective security and stability in the
post-Soviet space, which is focused in Central Asia on securing energy supply lines and stemming the flow of
narcotics, weapons and human trafficking across Russia's vast porous border. To work around the C.S.T.O.
during the present crisis would suggest wrongly that the U.S. and NATO are more interested in rolling back
Russia’s influence than in regional security.
/The New York Times/ http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/16/opinion/16iht-
edcollins.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=Russia%20-%20Nato&st=cse
NATO – Georgia
11th June
11 June, the NATO-Georgia Commission met at the level of Defence Ministers for a discussion about
the current security situation in the country and about NATO-Georgia cooperation.
Georgian Defence Minister Bachana Akhalaia briefed his counterparts on the country’s ongoing reform
efforts.
NATO Ministers of Defence reaffirmed the Alliance’s continued support for Georgia’s sovereignty and
territorial integrity and its aspirations for NATO membership. They encouraged Georgia to pursue necessary
reforms and reiterated the Alliance’s readiness to continue supporting the country in this regard.
Finally, the Ministers thanked Georgia for its significant contribution to the NATO-led International
Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan.
/NATO Official web-site/ http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-EB87D0EF-19F6AF8E/natolive/news_64324.htm?
NATO – Ukraine
10th June
In the afternoon of 10 June, Allied defence ministers met with their Ukrainian counterpart, Minister
Mykhailo Yezhel, at a session of the NATO-Ukraine Commission. They discussed key aspects of their
partnership, including Ukraine's support for NATO-led operations, its Annual National Programme and
defence reforms.
In his opening remarks, Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, chairing the meeting, stressed that
―NATO is fully committed to maintaining and strengthening our dialogue and cooperation with Ukraine.‖ He
added that ―the new Ukrainian government has made it clear that you wish to maintain the present level of
cooperation with the Alliance, to fulfill existing agreements, and to implement our partnership programmes.
We welcome that.‖
Minister Yezhel in turn listed continued political and military dialogue for regional stability, practical
support for NATO-led operations and defence reform as the main tasks for NATO-Ukraine cooperation.
Ukraine’s Annual National Programme is the primary tool for harmonizing NATO-Ukraine cooperation, he
said, and Ukraine remains a consistent and reliable partner.
The Ukrainian minister provided Allied Ministers with a summary of the new Government's key foreign
and security policy objectives, including the Strategic Defence Review and sketched out priority areas of
work under his responsibility.
Allies praised Ukraine’s substantial contribution to NATO-led operations, as well as its plans to become
the first Partner nation participating in the NATO Response Force. Ministers pledged their full support to
Ukrainian defence and security sector reforms, including through the implementation of the Annual National
Programme.
/NATO Official web-site/ http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/news_64282.htm?mode=news
International Security
Israel – Gaza Relationship
4th June
As another aid ship approaches Gaza, the Israeli government has defended itself against the international
outcry over its bloody raid of the Turkish-owned Mavi Marmara and has resisted calls for an outside
investigation. German commentators argue that Israel needs to cooperate if it wants to reverse its increasing
isolation.
An Irish-owned ship called the Rachel Corrie -- named after an American peace activist killed in 2003
by an Israeli bulldozer -- is expected to arrive late Friday or early Saturday off the Gaza coast. It will pose a
new problem for the Israeli military, the Israel Defense Forces, just a few days after Monday's bloody raid on
a Turkish-owned aid ship.
"We have not stopped and have no intention of stopping," Denis Halliday, a former assistant UN
secretary-general, said from the Rachel Corrie on Friday, according to CNN. "We will only stop when Israelis
force us to do so."
The IDF boarded a flotilla of ships organized by the Free Gaza movement in an operation that killed nine
people. Israel argues it was a legal raid to defend its blockade of Gaza, which it justifies because the
territory's Hamas rulers haven't ended their armed threat to Israel. The government also says activists aboard
the largest ship, the Mavi Marmara, ignored a number of peaceful efforts to stop the vessel.
"The flotilla marketed itself publicly as motivated by humanitarian concerns, but the reality points to a
different aim," reads a court statement filed this week by the Israeli government to defend the action. "A not
insignificant number of hostile elements took part in the flotilla who were armed with clubs, knives, iron
rods, glass, etc., and they did not hesitate to use them against IDF soldiers who tried to prevent the boat from
reaching Gaza."
Both NATO and the UN have called for independent investigations. The Israeli government, so far, has
rejected those calls, and Israel's defenders say the activists set out to provoke the IDF. Some critics --
including SPIEGEL's Jerusalem correspondent Christoph Schult -- argue that Israel fell into a trap.
What either side may have learned from the bloodshed remains to be seen this weekend. Passengers on
board the Rachel Corrie, at least, say they won't swing iron rods at the IDF. "We will stand back and show we
are harmless and unarmed -- we will put up no resistance," said Denis Halliday, the former UN official.
"We're not going to make any silly mistakes."
German papers on Friday argue that Israel has isolated itself with the raid, and that the current
government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has steered
Israel decisively away from its role as a pillar of Western values in the Middle East.
/Der Spiegel/ http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,698763,00.html
18th June
United Nations - The panel announced by Israel to investigate the deadly assault on a flotilla seeking to
run the Gaza blockade lacks adequate international weight to make the panel credible, the United Nations
secretary general said Friday.
Although Israel gave two foreigners observer status on the panel, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said
that most countries he had consulted agreed that ―it is not sufficient enough to have international credibility.‖
Mr. Ban also condemned the continued blockade of the Gaza Strip. Although he noted that Israel
announced a slight easing of the blockade this week, Mr. Ban said a ―fundamental change‖ was needed in its
Gaza policy. ―Much more is required to really meet the needs of the people,‖ he said at a news conference.
To investigate the flotilla, Mr. Ban had proposed establishing a four- or five-member independent panel,
with one representative each from Israel and Turkey, to be led by Geoffrey Palmer, a former New Zealand
prime minister. Turkey accepted the proposal while Israel did not, but Mr. Ban said he was continuing to
discuss his plan with the Israeli government, pressing for the idea that the two inquiries could complement
each other.
―While I believe that they have the capacity to carry on their domestic investigations, at the same time
this investigation should have international credibility,‖ Mr. Ban said.
There would be no point in proceeding with a neutral panel if Israel remained opposed, he added, saying,
―Without full cooperation, it would be extremely difficult to have a thorough and credible investigation.‖ He
said he remained committed to trying to fulfill the Security Council’s call for a prompt, impartial, credible
and transparent investigation.
Also Friday, the Israeli Mission to the United Nations released a letter that its ambassador, Gabriela
Shalev, had sent to Mr. Ban and to the Security Council, urging the international community to prevent the
sailing of another Gaza flotilla forming in Lebanon. Given that Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah,
which is at war with Israel, has called on Lebanese citizens to help break the blockade, Ms. Shalev wrote, the
flotilla might be used to try to smuggle weapons into Gaza.
―Israel reserves its right under international law to use all necessary means to prevent these ships from
violating the existing naval blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip,‖ Ms. Shalev wrote.
The Israeli commandos who intercepted the six-boat Turkish flotilla in international waters last month
clashed with the activists aboard the largest vessel, the Mavi Marmara. Nine activists were killed.
/The New York Times/
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/19/world/middleeast/19nations.html?scp=29&sq=Israel&st=cse
Afghanistan
22nd June
'How'd I get screwed into going to this dinner?" demands Gen. Stanley McChrystal. It's a Thursday night
in mid-April, and the commander of all U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan is sitting in a four-star suite at
the Hôtel Westminster in Paris. He's in France to sell his new war strategy to our NATO allies – to keep up
the fiction, in essence, that we actually have allies. Since McChrystal took over a year ago, the Afghan war
has become the exclusive property of the United States. Opposition to the war has already toppled the Dutch
government, forced the resignation of Germany's president and sparked both Canada and the Netherlands to
announce the withdrawal of their 4,500 troops. McChrystal is in Paris to keep the French, who have lost more
than 40 soldiers in Afghanistan, from going all wobbly on him.
"The dinner comes with the position, sir," says his chief of staff, Col. Charlie Flynn.
McChrystal turns sharply in his chair.
"Hey, Charlie," he asks, "does this come with the position?"
McChrystal gives him the middle finger.
The general stands and looks around the suite that his traveling staff of 10 has converted into a full-scale
operations center. The tables are crowded with silver Panasonic Toughbooks, and blue cables crisscross the
hotel's thick carpet, hooked up to satellite dishes to provide encrypted phone and e-mail communications.
Dressed in off-the-rack civilian casual – blue tie, button-down shirt, dress slacks – McChrystal is way out of
his comfort zone. Paris, as one of his advisers says, is the "most anti-McChrystal city you can imagine." The
general hates fancy restaurants, rejecting any place with candles on the tables as too "Gucci." He prefers Bud
Light Lime (his favorite beer) to Bordeaux, Talladega Nights (his favorite movie) to Jean-Luc Godard.
Besides, the public eye has never been a place where McChrystal felt comfortable: Before President Obama
put him in charge of the war in Afghanistan, he spent five years running the Pentagon's most secretive black
ops.
"What's the update on the Kandahar bombing?" McChrystal asks Flynn. The city has been rocked by
two massive car bombs in the past day alone, calling into question the general's assurances that he can wrest
it from the Taliban.
/The Runaway General, Michael Hastings, Rolling Stone Politics/
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/17390/119236
23d June
US General Stanley McChrystal, who commands NATO troops in Afghanistan, is to face a dressing
down and possible firing by President Barack Obama on Wednesday over disparaging comments he made to
Rolling Stone magazine. In Europe, though, Germany's defense minister has spoken positively of the highly
decorated military official.
Germany's defense minister has come out in strong defense of beleaguered American General Stanley
McChrystal, who has reportedly submitted his resignation following controversial comments he and his
advisers made to Rolling Stone magazine that were disparaging of the Obama administration. McChrystal,
who is the commander of the US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, is expected to meet with the president in
Washington on Wednesday.
"I have extraordinary respect for General McChrystal, we work exceedingly well together," German
Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg told public broadcaster ARD on Wednesday, adding that
McChrystal is crucial to "the new strategy in Afghanistan." Guttenberg also warned of a "very difficult
summer," with a new wave of attacks feared in the run-up to Afghan elections. "That is why it is important
that we also have stability within the NATO structures."
But Guttenberg did not comment on the possibility that McChrystal will be forced to step down. "That is
an American decision, and as such I don't yet have any information about it," he told the broadcaster. "But I
personally value him tremendously."
US President Barack Obama ordered McChrystal to the White House on Wednesday, following the
publication of the Rolling Stone article. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said the president was "angry"
about the story and that General McChrystal had made an "enormous mistake." The outcome of the meeting
should be clear by Wednesday afternoon in Washington.
"All options are on the table," the spokesman said, when asked whether the highly decorated military
officer would be fired. "The magnitude and graveness of the mistake here are profound. Our efforts in
Afghanistan are bigger than one person."
McChrystal has already publicly apologized for the article, saying: "It was a mistake reflecting poor
judgment and should never have happened."
At NATO headquarters in Brussels, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen also expressed
his support for McChrystal. "The Rolling Stone article is rather unfortunate, but it is just an article," a NATO
statement read. "We are in the middle of a very real conflict, and the secretary-general has full confidence in
General McChrystal as the NATO commander, and in his strategy."
In a statement released on Wednesday, Afghan President Hamid Karzai described McChrystal as the
"best commander" so far. In an hour-long video conference with Obama on Tuesday, Karzai also expressed
his support for the general.
"The president believes that we are in a very sensitive juncture in the partnership, in the war on terror
and in the process of bringing peace and stability to Afghanistan, and any gap in this process will not be
helpful," Karzai spokesman Waheed Omar told reporters in Kabul.
In the Rolling Stone article, the general or those close to him sharply criticized Vice President Joe Biden
and Karl Eikenberry, the US ambassador to Kabul. In addition, a close adviser to the general is also quoted as
saying that McChrystal thinks very little of Obama's Afghanistan policies.
Most of the highly controversial quotes in the feature are made by unnamed aides to McChystal, who,
for example, dismiss Obama's national security adviser, James Jones, as a "clown." They disparagingly refer
to Vice President Joe Biden as "Joe Bite Me." The profile also depicts the US special representative to
Afghanistan, Richard Holbrooke, in a negative light. "The Boss says he's like a wounded animal," a member
of the general's team told the magazine. "Holbrooke keeps hearing rumors that he's going to get fired, so that
makes him dangerous."
The president is also characterized as a clueless novice in the feature. For example, an adviser to the
general describes McChrystal's first meeting with Obama thusly: "It was a 10-minute photo op. Obama
clearly didn't know anything about him, who he was. Here's the guy who's going to run his fucking war, but
he didn't seem very engaged. The Boss was pretty disappointed."
/Der Spiegel/ http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,702395,00.html
28th June
General Stanley McChrystal, who was forced to resign in dramatic circumstances as commander of Nato
forces in Afghanistan, has told the army that he will cut his ties with the institution he has spent his adult life
serving.
McChrystal's career came to an abrupt halt after embarrassing revelations from a profile in Rolling Stone
magazine. It reported the general and his aides making disparaging remarks about civilian leadership,
including Barack Obama and the vice-president, Joe Biden.
An army spokesman said McChrystal, 55, has told the army of his plan, but he has not yet submitted
formal retirement papers.
McChrystal's decision was not unexpected. One of his predecessors, General David McKiernan, was
fired as the top commander in Afghanistan in 2009 and left the army shortly after.
A poll conducted over the weekend found that most Americans agreed with the president's decision to
relieve McChrystal of his command after the article's publication. The survey of 1,000 adults found that 53%
agreed with Obama's decision to accept McChrystal's resignation, while 28% disagreed and 18% were
undecided.
McChrystal's retirement pension might not be as lucrative as it could have been. Because he didn't serve
long enough as a four-star general, his pension will be based on his previous three-star rank. McChrystal
graduated from the West Point military academy in 1976, and has spent his entire career in the army.
On Tuesday, the Senate armed service committee holds confirmation hearings for McChrystal's
replacement in Afghanistan, General David Petraeus.
/The Guardian/ http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/richard-adams-blog/2010/jun/28/stanley-
mcchrystal-retire-us-military
30th June
The United Nation's top diplomat in Afghanistan says the unstable security environment has not stopped
work to prepare for September's legislative elections and next month's Kabul conference.
U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura took up his post in March, after the departure of his sometimes
controversial predecessor, Kai Eide.
In his first report to the U.N. Security Council Wednesday, de Mistura said the United Nations is
focusing on four areas: providing technical assistance for the September 18th parliamentary elections;
contributing to strategies for building the capacity of the national police and army; supporting Afghan-led
reconciliation talks; and assisting the government in coordinating the large amount of international aid it
receives.
President Hamid Karzai was returned to office last year in a vote marred by widespread fraud. De
Mistura said he hopes the September poll will benefit from the lessons learned in that election. But he
cautioned that security for the upcoming elections remain one of the biggest challenges to its success.
"The main challenge - security. The second main challenge - security," said De Mistura. "Because if the
elections are tarnished by excessive security problems, that may include the closing of polling stations,
therefore disenfranchising of people who could have been voting."
He said there are more than 2,500 candidates, including 400 women running for the 249 seats. De
Mistura said they expect some 12.5 million people will be registered to vote.
Before the election, there will be an international conference in Kabul on July 20th. It will be co-hosted
by President Karzai and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. The meeting will be attended at the foreign
minister level.
The U.N. Security Council just returned from a three-day trip to Afghanistan intended to give them a
first-hand look at the situation. They met with the country's leadership, civil society, NATO and U.N.
representatives and had wide-ranging discussions.
/The Voice of America/ http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/UN-Afghan-Election-
Preparations-Proceeding-97518809.html
Iranian Nuclear Program
10th June
The UN Security Council's decision to impose a fourth round of sanctions on Iran over its nuclear
programme provokes a varied response in the wider region's press.
In Iran itself, editorials in the hard-line press lash out at what they see as Western double standards. In
the Arabic-speaking Middle East, however, many press commentators think the sanctions are justified and
adequate, although some also criticise the perceived bias in Western policy in the region.
For most commentators in Israel, the sanctions do not go far enough, while in Turkey, they praise its
government's courage in standing up to the West by voting against the sanctions in UN Security Council.
EDITORIAL IN IRAN'S IRAN
"For more than 30 year now, the Iranian nation has become less and less vulnerable in the face of war
and sanctions, and instead of surrendering, it has moved along the path of progress, integrity and power. Even
the stupid enemies of this country and its system have recognised this. Even if the country is flooded with
sanctions, with the help of faith, the people's will and the Supreme Leader's wisdom, this sanctions resolution
will turn into useless shredded paper."
EDITORIAL IN IRAN'S ARABIC-LANGUAGE AL-VEFAGH
"There is no doubt that these fabricated resolutions will not solve the problem, rather they will escalate
it. Iran, as it has proved, will not abandon its right for the sake of bandits, warmongers and murderers of
innocent people... The resolution will certainly be a mark of disgrace for the United States and its allies, since
they have lost their credibility as a result of their double standards, for which they will be brought to book."
HASSAN HEIDAR IN UK-BASED ARABIC AL-HAYAT
The sanctions are a reminder to Tehran that it has to change and voluntarily abandon the use of force,
money, and nuclear aspirations to impose its role regionally. If not, these methods are gradually on their way
to being eroded, together with the aspirations that [Iran] is pursuing."
EDITORIAL IN SAUDI AL-JAZIRAH
"The people usually pay the price when a regime makes a grave mistake. This time the price is high for
the Iranian people."
RAFIQ KHURI IN LEBANON'S AL-ANWAR
"It is not true that Tehran will be unaffected by the sanctions, as it says... This resolution has teeth. It ups
the stakes while also opening up an opportunity for a solution, because the international community has been
seen to be carrying a big stick as well as offering a big carrot. The choice is Iran's. It is true that Iran's
cunning is great, but it is also true that their game has gone as far as it could, and that the great powers are no
less cunning in dialogue."
RASHA ISA IN SYRIA'S TISHRIN
"Sanctions have been piled one on top of another to test Iran's patience - by US and Israeli hands. The
Security Council has become preoccupied with Iran and its nuclear programme at the expense of the
thousands of other hot issues knocking on the UN's doors in search of a solution, the latest being the crime
against the Freedom Flotilla and the Israeli nuclear programme."
RONEN BERGMAN IN ISRAEL'S YEDIOT AHARONOT
"Only sanctions that would hit the Iranian economy very hard and cause real hardship to the Iranian
people can make the regime feel that its future is in danger. The sanctions imposed yesterday are no such
sanctions."
HERB KEINON IN ISRAEL'S JERUSALEM POST
"True, the sanctions are far from what Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu would have liked to see…
But still, these sanctions provide an important legal and moral basis for both the US and other countries to
build upon. The new measures are also important because they represent a shift in Obama's strategy. Obama
came into office wanting to differentiate himself from his predecessor George Bush's polices on Iran, and
tried a different path. That path failed to move the Iranians, and now he is going back to the Bush way."
ASLI AYDINTASBAS IN TURKEY'S MILLIYET
"Turkey's decision to vote no at the UN yesterday will be perceived as a challenge to the Western
consensus, and in the short-run will probably create a chill in relations. But despite everything, Turkey is still
a strategic ally that cannot be given up easily. Neither the United States nor Europe can sacrifice Turkey. The
vote at the UN will inflame the discussions about who lost Turkey."
IBRAHIM KARAGUL IN TURKEY'S MILLIYET
"Sooner or later, the forces both inside and outside will have to accept Turkey's new position. This
resolution will end in a fiasco. Unfortunately, the architects of these sanctions have openly declared war
against a very important peace initiative. We once more applaud Turkey because of its upright position as it
said no to sanctions, tried to prevent a new war in the region and put a concrete peace project in front of the
world."
/BBC News/ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8732806.stm
25th June
Russia has voted for tougher U.N. sanctions on Iran and has frozen a deal to send anti-aircraft missiles to
that country.
The conventional wisdom is that Russia's economic interests in Iran have led Moscow to be a strong
supporter of that country, opposing any tough United Nations sanctions against Tehran over its alleged
nuclear weapons program.
But many experts, including John Parker with the National Defense University [expressing his personal
views] say relations between Russia and Iran have been worsening.
"They are probably at their lowest point since 1997 when both sides cooperated in bringing the Tajik
civil war to a close," he said. "Right now, trade does not amount to that much, a fact that a lot of people don't
realize. Russian-Iranian trade is, at its high point, around $3.5 billion a year. And this is not really much more
than Russia's trade with Israel, whose population is about a tenth the size of Iran. Iran does a lot more trading
with Turkey, for example, and even more trading with China. So economic relations are not much."
Analysts, such as Robert Legvold with Columbia University, say over the past few years, Russian
officials have become convinced that Iran may well be enriching uranium with the goal of at least creating the
option of developing nuclear weapons.
"They are somewhat less alarmed over the urgency or the imminence of that than the United States - but
they have now agreed with the Europeans and the Americans that the Iranians are not acting in good faith in
order to demonstrate a commitment to peaceful and domestic use of nuclear fuel, whatever may be the
alternative motives that drive them. And therefore the Russians are concerned about Iran and they certainly
would not like to see a nuclear Iran - I think there's no question on that score," he said.
/The Voice of America/ http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/europe/Analysts-Say-Iran-Russia-
Relations-Worsening--97172974.html
29th June
Iran is ready to retaliate if its vessels are searched and will postpone nuclear talks with major powers
until late August in response to new international sanctions, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said.
"This is a punishment for them so that they will learn the protocol of talking to other nations,"
Ahmadinejad said during a news conference, responding to a fourth set of U.N. Security Council sanctions
against the Islamic republic, which call for searches of suspect Iranian vessels.
"Anybody who insists on implementing this will regret this very harshly," he said of such searches. "We
reserve our right for retaliation and defending ourselves."
A Revolutionary Guard Corps commander on Saturday threatened that Iran might respond to such
searches in the Hormuz Strait, a narrow waterway accessing the Persian Gulf, the world's biggest oil hub.
Congress approved harsher unilateral U.S. sanctions punishing foreign firms that provide Iran with
gasoline. Because of domestic shortages, Iran currently needs to import 4.7 million gallons of gas daily.
Ahmadinejad said Iran "laughed" at such sanctions. "They think Iran is some island in the ocean," he
said, stressing that the country has dealt with sanctions since the 1979 revolution.
Ahmadinejad said his country could increase its needed production within a week and is able to halve its
domestic gasoline consumption within a day.
On the dormant talks over Iran's nuclear program, Ahmadinejad said Iran would not be willing to return
to broad talks until about halfway through the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, or late August.
He did stress that Iran was still willing to discuss a swap of nuclear fuel it needs for a research reactor
that produces medical isotopes. Turkey and Brazil in May restarted talks on this issue, but the deal they
struck with Tehran was turned down by the United States, which said it was an attempt to block sanctions.
/The Washington Post/ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-
dyn/content/article/2010/06/28/AR2010062801583.html
US – Russia Relationship
16th June
Top Pentagon officials urged U.S. lawmakers to ratify a new nuclear weapons treaty with Russia.
President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitri Medvedev signed the new Strategic Arms Reduction
Treaty last April in Prague, to replace a 1991 treaty between their two countries.
Defense Department Undersecretary James Miller told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that the
new START treaty will not limit the U.S. from developing a missile defense system to guard against missile
attacks by Iran, North Korea or any other country.
"The new START treaty does not constrain the United States from deploying the most effective missile
defenses as possible nor does it add any additional cost or inconvenience. It enables this president and his
successors to develop the missile defenses needed to defend the nation, our deployed forces abroad and our
allies and partners from the threat of ballistic missile attacks," said Miller.
The treaty, if ratified by both sides, would reduce U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals by 30 percent,
leaving each side with about 1,500 strategic nuclear weapons
/The Voice of America/ http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/usa/US-Defense-Department-Backs-
Quick-Ratification-of-New-START-Treaty-with-Russia-96498694.html
25th June
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his US counterpart Barack Obama have marked a warming in
ties between their countries on the Russian leader's first visit to the White House.
Speaking after their talks, Mr Obama said the pair had "succeeded at resetting our relationship".
He said the US was backing Russia's World Trade Organisation accession.
Earlier, the two ate hamburgers and chips at an eatery close to Washington while amused bystanders
looked on.Mr Obama also announced that Moscow would allow the US to resume poultry exports to Russia
after a ban of almost six months. "Our country is more secure and the world is safer when the US and Russia
get along well together," Mr Obama told reporters.But, he added, there were some issues which the two
countries did not agree on, such as the former Soviet republic of Georgia, with which Russia fought a brief
war nearly two years ago.
Mr Medvedev later flew to Canada, arriving in Toronto for the G8 and G20 summits this weekend.
The two nations also agreed on humanitarian aid to Kyrgyzstan, following deadly ethnic clashes in the
Central Asian country.Mr Medvedev said he believed the situation was vulnerable to "radical elements" and
could "degenerate"."We are very concerned about these conditions, the radicals could come to power," he
said.The two leaders also stressed their cooperation on fighting terrorism, and reiterated a commitment to
ratify a treaty signed in April to reduce nuclear weapons.
Mr Obama welcomed Russian support for sanctions against Iran. After years of cool relations, Mr
Obama said such discussions with Moscow would have been unlikely just 17 months ago. "When I came into
office, the relationship between the United States and Russia had drifted, perhaps to its lowest point since the
Cold War," he said. "There was too much mistrust and too little real work on issues of common concern."
Mr Medvedev visited Washington for a 47-nation nuclear summit in April but it was the first time he had
been received at the White House. Russia has wanted WTO membership for some time but the US
previously insisted Moscow must do more to safeguard intellectual property rights. Mr Obama said on
Thursday that any technical barriers to Russia's accession should be resolved swifly.
He said the agreement over poultry exports sent an "important signal about Russia's seriousness about
achieving membership in the WTO." Earlier in the day, in a surprise foray outside the White House, the
leaders took a trip for a lunchtime burger in Arlington, Virginia. During their meal, the pair sat with their
interpreters, chatting. Obama drank iced tea, while Medvedev sipped a Coca-Cola. US officials said the talks
were testament to the effectiveness of the new approach to Russia. But Mr Obama's critics accuse him of
being too conciliatory, compromising Washington's influence.They argue that his approach has not resolved
key disputes, such as Moscow's human rights record, missile defence, or the legacy of the Russia-Georgia
war. The two leaders go to Canada this weekend for the G20 summit.
/BBC News/ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/10404912.stm
29th June
All administrations have ups and downs in foreign policy. It's like hitting a baseball: When you fail 70
percent of the time, you make the all-star team. So when the Obama administration has a month like this past
one, it deserves recognition.
President Obama's biggest move, of course, was naming Gen. David Petraeus commander in
Afghanistan. The decision signaled Obama's determination to succeed in Afghanistan, despite the growing
chorus of wise men counseling, as our wise men always seem to do, a rapid retreat. Those in the region who
have been calculating on an American departure in July 2011, regardless of conditions on the ground, should
think again. That date was never realistic, and the odds that Petraeus will counsel a premature withdrawal --
or be ordered to withdraw regardless of his assessment of the situation -- is infinitesimal.
The second success was the U.N. Security Council resolution on Iran. Yes, it was too mild, badly
watered down by China and Russia. Yes, the administration oversold how much Russia acceded to American
desires. But the administration did get a resolution, only a little later than planned, and passage kicked off
additional sanctions by Europeans and others. Will this by itself stop Iran from getting a bomb? No. But it
does increase the pressure on the Tehran regime, which may indirectly help those Iranians who dare to
struggle for a new kind of government.
Nor did Turkey and Brazil's votes against the resolution, following their pro-Iranian diplomacy, do more
than discredit their leaders in decent world opinion -- imagine voting no even as China and Russia vote yes.
The idea that their actions heralded their emergence as world powers is off the mark. If anything, they
diminished and slowed what had been their rise to global respectability. Brazil's Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
looked silly and out of his depth. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan solidified Turkey's image as the lone
NATO member that chooses Iran and Syria over its allies. Good work.
But the administration handled that well, too. A Jimmy Carter might have felt compelled to applaud
Turkey and Brazil. An administration determined to avoid confrontation with Iran might even have swung
behind their diplomatic efforts. Led by Hillary Clinton, this administration gave them the back of its hand and
made clear that they were not ready to play in the big leagues. Going a step further, it has declared that
Turkey's behavior is damaging its relationship with the United States and its NATO allies. Assistant
Secretary of State Philip Gordon warned last week that Turkish actions have placed its "orientation" in doubt
and were making it "harder for the United States to support some of the things that Turkey would like to see
us support." That was exactly the right message.
The administration's policy toward Japan hasn't been pretty, but it has worked. Prime Minister Yukio
Hatoyama's resignation this month had to do with his mishandling of the dispute over the American base in
Okinawa and his broader attempt to reorient Japanese foreign policy toward a middle course between the
United States and China. The Obama administration was firm but engaged, and the result has been Japanese
reaffirmation of its commitment to the U.S. alliance. This has more to do with Japan's fear of China than
anything else, but the administration deserves credit for helping steer it in the right direction.
/The Washington Post/ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-
dyn/content/article/2010/06/28/AR2010062803754.html