Following is the text of the joint statement of the meeting between President Asif Ali Zardari and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Chief Muhammad Nawaz Sharif:-
1. President Asif Ali Zardari on Friday visited Raiwind to meet the PML-N Quaid Muhammad Nawaz Sharif.
2. The meeting was in pursuance of the telephonic talk between the two leaders on Monday during which they had agreed to meet.
3. The Pakistan People’s Party side consisted of President and PPP Co-Chairman Mr Asif Ali Zardari, Raja Pervez Ashraf, Mian Raza Rabbani, Jehangir Badar, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Babar Awan, Nazar Gondal, Syed Khrushid Shah and Farhatullah Babar. The PML-N side consisted of Mr Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif, Raja Zafarul Haq, Syed Ghous Ali Shah, Sardar Zulfiqar Ali Khan Khosa, Pervez Rasheed, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Khawaja Saad Rafique, Sardar Mehtab Abbasi and Sardar Yaqoob Nasir.
4. The two parties reiterated that dialogue and discussion was the essence of the democratic process and that the doors to meaningful and result-oriented dialogue should always remain open.
5. They reiterated that after the February 2008 elections, the installation of democratic government and the restoration of presidency to democratic forces, it was necessary to remove from the constitution those undemocratic clauses that had been inserted by successive dictatorships without reference to the wishes of the people.
6. The two parties reiterated commitment to the principles laid down in the Charter of Democracy to democratise the constitution and rid it of all undemocratic clauses including the 17th Amendment.
7. They expressed hope that the parliamentary committee, set up to review the constitution, will complete its task in the shortest possible time and propose suitable amendments to it.
8. The two parties expressed the view that the situation in Balochistan needed to be addressed urgently and seriously. Political dialogue and development of the province should be pressed into service to remove the sense of alienation of the people of the province. They expressed the view that parliament should play a more proactive role in visibly meeting the aspirations of the people of Balochistan.
9. Both sides agreed that the problems faced by the country were too stupendous to be resolved by any one political party or state institutions and required collective efforts of all political forces and parties.
10. The two parties also agreed that militancy posed the most serious threat to national security and that a holistic approach was needed to address the issue. They agreed that the militants should not be allowed to impose their agenda on the people through guns and bullets.
11. They agreed that more such contacts and meetings will help push forward the process of democratisation of the constitution in the light of the CoD and to find solutions to the problems faced by the country, particularly national security, economy and energy crisis, price hike and unemployment compounded by the military dictatorship.
17 July, 2009
Iran, Iraq sign energy MOU.
UPI
16 July 2009
Iran and Iraq signed two memorandums of understanding regarding the management of joint oil fields and bilateral energy issues following three days of talks.
Several oil fields straddle the Iranian border with Iraq. Iraq is keen on moving toward recovery in its national energy sector as it emerges from years of conflict following the U.S.-led invasion of 2003. Iran, for its part, has pushed to develop its own resources in spite of crippling economic sanctions.
Seifollah Jashnsaz, managing director at the National Iranian Oil Co., led a delegation to Iraq to negotiate the way forward on bilateral energy cooperation, the Petroenergy Information Network reports.
The memorandums deal with the training of personnel in the energy sector as well as drilling service operations and research and development.
A bilateral delegation will shuttle between both countries to direct the provisions outlined in the MOUs. Iran said it was interested and ready to provide Iraq with a partner in engineering, seismology and drilling operations.
"Iran can provide Iraq oil industry with its most needed services," said Jashnsaz.
16 July 2009
Iran and Iraq signed two memorandums of understanding regarding the management of joint oil fields and bilateral energy issues following three days of talks.
Several oil fields straddle the Iranian border with Iraq. Iraq is keen on moving toward recovery in its national energy sector as it emerges from years of conflict following the U.S.-led invasion of 2003. Iran, for its part, has pushed to develop its own resources in spite of crippling economic sanctions.
Seifollah Jashnsaz, managing director at the National Iranian Oil Co., led a delegation to Iraq to negotiate the way forward on bilateral energy cooperation, the Petroenergy Information Network reports.
The memorandums deal with the training of personnel in the energy sector as well as drilling service operations and research and development.
A bilateral delegation will shuttle between both countries to direct the provisions outlined in the MOUs. Iran said it was interested and ready to provide Iraq with a partner in engineering, seismology and drilling operations.
"Iran can provide Iraq oil industry with its most needed services," said Jashnsaz.
Chinese Oil Majors Collect Stake in Angola's Block 32 for $1.3B.
Marathon Oil Corp.
7/17/2009
URL: http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=78345
Marathon announced that its subsidiary, Marathon International Petroleum Angola Block 32 Limited, has entered into a definitive agreement with CNOOC International Limited (CNOOC), and Sinopec International Petroleum Exploration and Production Corporation (SINOPEC) under which CNOOC and SINOPEC will purchase an undivided 20 percent participating interest in the Production Sharing Contract and Joint Operating Agreement in Block 32 offshore Angola. The transaction has a total value of $1.3 billion, excluding any purchase price adjustments at closing, with an effective date of Jan. 1, 2009. Marathon will retain a 10 percent working interest in Block 32.
The companies expect to close the transaction by year-end 2009, subject to Government and regulatory approvals. For transfer of working interests in Angola, the concessionaire and the other Block 32 partners have rights of first refusal.
"This sale demonstrates the significant amount of value being created through Marathon's exploration success in Angola and elsewhere around the world. With the divestiture of a portion of our Angola interest, we are able to bring better balance to our overall portfolio by capturing the sizable amount of value we have created and redeploying capital into other growth regions for the Company. At the same time, maintaining a 10 percent interest in both Blocks 31 and 32 provides Marathon with exposure to this important resource base," said David E. Roberts, Jr., Marathon executive vice president, Upstream.
"Our worldwide exploration success rate of over 60 percent with 48 significant discoveries over the past seven years -- and a very attractive portfolio of global opportunities yet to come -- further illustrates Marathon's value creation capability and places us well on track for continued growth," Roberts said.
Twelve previously announced discoveries on Block 32 include: Gindungo, Canela, Cola, Gengibre, Mostarda, Salsa, Caril, Manjericao, Louro, Cominhos, Colorau and Alho. Conceptual development studies are underway in order to establish the feasibility of a first development area in the central southeastern part of Block 32.
The concessionaire of Block 32 is Sonangol, Angola's state-owned oil company. The operator is TOTAL Exploration and Production Angola (Block 32 Ltd) with 30 percent interest. Sonangol P&P holds a 20 percent interest; Esso Exploration and Production Angola (Block 32) holds a 15 percent interest; and Petrogal holds a 5 percent interest.
Marathon's financial advisor for this transaction is Standard Chartered Bank.
7/17/2009
URL: http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=78345
Marathon announced that its subsidiary, Marathon International Petroleum Angola Block 32 Limited, has entered into a definitive agreement with CNOOC International Limited (CNOOC), and Sinopec International Petroleum Exploration and Production Corporation (SINOPEC) under which CNOOC and SINOPEC will purchase an undivided 20 percent participating interest in the Production Sharing Contract and Joint Operating Agreement in Block 32 offshore Angola. The transaction has a total value of $1.3 billion, excluding any purchase price adjustments at closing, with an effective date of Jan. 1, 2009. Marathon will retain a 10 percent working interest in Block 32.
The companies expect to close the transaction by year-end 2009, subject to Government and regulatory approvals. For transfer of working interests in Angola, the concessionaire and the other Block 32 partners have rights of first refusal.
"This sale demonstrates the significant amount of value being created through Marathon's exploration success in Angola and elsewhere around the world. With the divestiture of a portion of our Angola interest, we are able to bring better balance to our overall portfolio by capturing the sizable amount of value we have created and redeploying capital into other growth regions for the Company. At the same time, maintaining a 10 percent interest in both Blocks 31 and 32 provides Marathon with exposure to this important resource base," said David E. Roberts, Jr., Marathon executive vice president, Upstream.
"Our worldwide exploration success rate of over 60 percent with 48 significant discoveries over the past seven years -- and a very attractive portfolio of global opportunities yet to come -- further illustrates Marathon's value creation capability and places us well on track for continued growth," Roberts said.
Twelve previously announced discoveries on Block 32 include: Gindungo, Canela, Cola, Gengibre, Mostarda, Salsa, Caril, Manjericao, Louro, Cominhos, Colorau and Alho. Conceptual development studies are underway in order to establish the feasibility of a first development area in the central southeastern part of Block 32.
The concessionaire of Block 32 is Sonangol, Angola's state-owned oil company. The operator is TOTAL Exploration and Production Angola (Block 32 Ltd) with 30 percent interest. Sonangol P&P holds a 20 percent interest; Esso Exploration and Production Angola (Block 32) holds a 15 percent interest; and Petrogal holds a 5 percent interest.
Marathon's financial advisor for this transaction is Standard Chartered Bank.
Chinese Oil Majors Collect Stake in Angola's Block 32 for $1.3B.
Marathon Oil Corp.
7/17/2009
URL: http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=78345
Marathon announced that its subsidiary, Marathon International Petroleum Angola Block 32 Limited, has entered into a definitive agreement with CNOOC International Limited (CNOOC), and Sinopec International Petroleum Exploration and Production Corporation (SINOPEC) under which CNOOC and SINOPEC will purchase an undivided 20 percent participating interest in the Production Sharing Contract and Joint Operating Agreement in Block 32 offshore Angola. The transaction has a total value of $1.3 billion, excluding any purchase price adjustments at closing, with an effective date of Jan. 1, 2009. Marathon will retain a 10 percent working interest in Block 32.
The companies expect to close the transaction by year-end 2009, subject to Government and regulatory approvals. For transfer of working interests in Angola, the concessionaire and the other Block 32 partners have rights of first refusal.
"This sale demonstrates the significant amount of value being created through Marathon's exploration success in Angola and elsewhere around the world. With the divestiture of a portion of our Angola interest, we are able to bring better balance to our overall portfolio by capturing the sizable amount of value we have created and redeploying capital into other growth regions for the Company. At the same time, maintaining a 10 percent interest in both Blocks 31 and 32 provides Marathon with exposure to this important resource base," said David E. Roberts, Jr., Marathon executive vice president, Upstream.
"Our worldwide exploration success rate of over 60 percent with 48 significant discoveries over the past seven years -- and a very attractive portfolio of global opportunities yet to come -- further illustrates Marathon's value creation capability and places us well on track for continued growth," Roberts said.
Twelve previously announced discoveries on Block 32 include: Gindungo, Canela, Cola, Gengibre, Mostarda, Salsa, Caril, Manjericao, Louro, Cominhos, Colorau and Alho. Conceptual development studies are underway in order to establish the feasibility of a first development area in the central southeastern part of Block 32.
The concessionaire of Block 32 is Sonangol, Angola's state-owned oil company. The operator is TOTAL Exploration and Production Angola (Block 32 Ltd) with 30 percent interest. Sonangol P&P holds a 20 percent interest; Esso Exploration and Production Angola (Block 32) holds a 15 percent interest; and Petrogal holds a 5 percent interest.
Marathon's financial advisor for this transaction is Standard Chartered Bank.
7/17/2009
URL: http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=78345
Marathon announced that its subsidiary, Marathon International Petroleum Angola Block 32 Limited, has entered into a definitive agreement with CNOOC International Limited (CNOOC), and Sinopec International Petroleum Exploration and Production Corporation (SINOPEC) under which CNOOC and SINOPEC will purchase an undivided 20 percent participating interest in the Production Sharing Contract and Joint Operating Agreement in Block 32 offshore Angola. The transaction has a total value of $1.3 billion, excluding any purchase price adjustments at closing, with an effective date of Jan. 1, 2009. Marathon will retain a 10 percent working interest in Block 32.
The companies expect to close the transaction by year-end 2009, subject to Government and regulatory approvals. For transfer of working interests in Angola, the concessionaire and the other Block 32 partners have rights of first refusal.
"This sale demonstrates the significant amount of value being created through Marathon's exploration success in Angola and elsewhere around the world. With the divestiture of a portion of our Angola interest, we are able to bring better balance to our overall portfolio by capturing the sizable amount of value we have created and redeploying capital into other growth regions for the Company. At the same time, maintaining a 10 percent interest in both Blocks 31 and 32 provides Marathon with exposure to this important resource base," said David E. Roberts, Jr., Marathon executive vice president, Upstream.
"Our worldwide exploration success rate of over 60 percent with 48 significant discoveries over the past seven years -- and a very attractive portfolio of global opportunities yet to come -- further illustrates Marathon's value creation capability and places us well on track for continued growth," Roberts said.
Twelve previously announced discoveries on Block 32 include: Gindungo, Canela, Cola, Gengibre, Mostarda, Salsa, Caril, Manjericao, Louro, Cominhos, Colorau and Alho. Conceptual development studies are underway in order to establish the feasibility of a first development area in the central southeastern part of Block 32.
The concessionaire of Block 32 is Sonangol, Angola's state-owned oil company. The operator is TOTAL Exploration and Production Angola (Block 32 Ltd) with 30 percent interest. Sonangol P&P holds a 20 percent interest; Esso Exploration and Production Angola (Block 32) holds a 15 percent interest; and Petrogal holds a 5 percent interest.
Marathon's financial advisor for this transaction is Standard Chartered Bank.
ExxonMobil Starts Drilling Libya's First Deepwater Well.
Exxon Mobil Corp.
7/16/2009
URL: http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=78281
ExxonMobil Exploration Company announced today that its affiliate, ExxonMobil Libya Limited, has started drilling the first deepwater exploration well in Libya. The A1-20/3 well is being drilled in Contract Area 20 (CA 20) located offshore in the Sirte Basin, northeast of the city of Misrata, in the Libyan Mediterranean Sea.
The rig, contracted from Noble Africa Limited and named the Noble Homer Ferrington, is capable of operating in water depths up to 7,200 feet (2,195 meters), and can drill to a depth of 30,000 feet (9,144 meters). It is designed for high efficiency and safety, and is able to operate in many global deepwater environments.
Phil Goss, President of ExxonMobil Libya Limited, said, "ExxonMobil has a long and successful history of working in Libya, where we previously operated as Esso and Mobil.
"We are pleased to start drilling our first deepwater exploration well in Libya based on the rigorous technical work conducted by our Libyan National and expatriate scientists, and in collaboration with the National Oil Corporation (NOC) to progress our exploration program."
ExxonMobil has an unwavering commitment to operations safety and integrity and to protecting the environment. These core values are embedded in the way we work and implemented globally through our management systems. ExxonMobil has a proven track record of operating to the highest industry standards in all aspects of our business.
Elsewhere in Libya, ExxonMobil Libya Limited has completed two 3D seismic surveys in offshore Contract Areas 20 and 21, and three 2D seismic surveys in offshore Contract Areas 44, 20, and 21.
7/16/2009
URL: http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=78281
ExxonMobil Exploration Company announced today that its affiliate, ExxonMobil Libya Limited, has started drilling the first deepwater exploration well in Libya. The A1-20/3 well is being drilled in Contract Area 20 (CA 20) located offshore in the Sirte Basin, northeast of the city of Misrata, in the Libyan Mediterranean Sea.
The rig, contracted from Noble Africa Limited and named the Noble Homer Ferrington, is capable of operating in water depths up to 7,200 feet (2,195 meters), and can drill to a depth of 30,000 feet (9,144 meters). It is designed for high efficiency and safety, and is able to operate in many global deepwater environments.
Phil Goss, President of ExxonMobil Libya Limited, said, "ExxonMobil has a long and successful history of working in Libya, where we previously operated as Esso and Mobil.
"We are pleased to start drilling our first deepwater exploration well in Libya based on the rigorous technical work conducted by our Libyan National and expatriate scientists, and in collaboration with the National Oil Corporation (NOC) to progress our exploration program."
ExxonMobil has an unwavering commitment to operations safety and integrity and to protecting the environment. These core values are embedded in the way we work and implemented globally through our management systems. ExxonMobil has a proven track record of operating to the highest industry standards in all aspects of our business.
Elsewhere in Libya, ExxonMobil Libya Limited has completed two 3D seismic surveys in offshore Contract Areas 20 and 21, and three 2D seismic surveys in offshore Contract Areas 44, 20, and 21.
Decision on the meeting of African States parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
14 July 2009
The Commission of the African Union (AUC) has learned of the statements made by some International Non-Governmental Organisations following the adoption by the African Union Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the decision on the Meeting of African States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and wishes to state that;
1. In conformity with Rule 18 of the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly of the Union, decisions of the Assembly of the African Union are arrived at by consensus, failing which, by two thirds majority of the Member States eligible to vote.
2. The decision by the Assembly on the Meeting of African States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court was arrived at by Consensus after due consideration by the Executive Council at which a number of amendments were made to the draft decision. At the level of the Assembly, the decision was adopted by consensus with only one opinion to the contrary, which was duly recorded as a reservation.
3. The contents of the decision were arrived on the basis of the recommendations of the meeting of African States Parties to the Rome Statute held on 9 June 2009 and the recommendations made by the Executive Council itself was guided in its decision by recommendation of a Committee of Six that was set up by the Executive Council in Sirte, Libya to resolve some outstanding issues. The decision reflects the consistent position of the AU of unflinching commitment of AU member states to combating impunity and promoting democracy, the rule of law and good governance on the continent as enunciated in the constitutive Act of the Union. It also underlines the need to empower the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights to deal with serious crimes of international concern in a manner complementary to national jurisdiction.
4. The decision by the AU Assembly not to cooperate with the ICC pursuant to the provisions of Article 98 of the Rome Statute relating to immunities for the arrest and surrender of President Omar El Bashir of The Sudan is a logical consequence of the stated position of the AU on the manner in which the prosecution against President Bashir has been conducted, the publicity-seeking approach of the ICC Prosecutor, the refusal by the UN Security Council to address the request made by the African Union and other important International groupings for deferment of the indictment against President Bashir of The Sudan, under Article 16 of the Rome Statute of the ICC.
5. The decision bears testimony to the glaring reality that the situation in Darfur is too serious and complex an issue to be resolved without recourse to an harmonized approach to justice and peace, neither of which should be pursued at the expense of the other. Furthermore, the decision was taken after due evaluation of the situation in Darfur informed by the commitment of Member States to finding a lasting solution to the problem in Darfur with a view to restoring peace, security and stability In The Sudan and the whole region and prevent further displacement and killings in that country.
6. Finally, the AU commission wishes to underscore that the decision on the ICC was taken in conformity with the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly and the Executive Council and was not and could not have been dictated by any one Member State against all the others as implied in some press statements.
7. The AU decision should be received as a very significant pronouncement by the supreme AU decision-making body and a balanced expression of willingness to promote both peace and justice in Darfour and in The Sudan as a whole. It is now incumbent upon the United Nations Security Council to seriously consider the request by the AU for the deferral of the process initiated by the ICC, in accordance with Article 16 of the Rome Statute.
The Commission of the African Union (AUC) has learned of the statements made by some International Non-Governmental Organisations following the adoption by the African Union Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the decision on the Meeting of African States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and wishes to state that;
1. In conformity with Rule 18 of the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly of the Union, decisions of the Assembly of the African Union are arrived at by consensus, failing which, by two thirds majority of the Member States eligible to vote.
2. The decision by the Assembly on the Meeting of African States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court was arrived at by Consensus after due consideration by the Executive Council at which a number of amendments were made to the draft decision. At the level of the Assembly, the decision was adopted by consensus with only one opinion to the contrary, which was duly recorded as a reservation.
3. The contents of the decision were arrived on the basis of the recommendations of the meeting of African States Parties to the Rome Statute held on 9 June 2009 and the recommendations made by the Executive Council itself was guided in its decision by recommendation of a Committee of Six that was set up by the Executive Council in Sirte, Libya to resolve some outstanding issues. The decision reflects the consistent position of the AU of unflinching commitment of AU member states to combating impunity and promoting democracy, the rule of law and good governance on the continent as enunciated in the constitutive Act of the Union. It also underlines the need to empower the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights to deal with serious crimes of international concern in a manner complementary to national jurisdiction.
4. The decision by the AU Assembly not to cooperate with the ICC pursuant to the provisions of Article 98 of the Rome Statute relating to immunities for the arrest and surrender of President Omar El Bashir of The Sudan is a logical consequence of the stated position of the AU on the manner in which the prosecution against President Bashir has been conducted, the publicity-seeking approach of the ICC Prosecutor, the refusal by the UN Security Council to address the request made by the African Union and other important International groupings for deferment of the indictment against President Bashir of The Sudan, under Article 16 of the Rome Statute of the ICC.
5. The decision bears testimony to the glaring reality that the situation in Darfur is too serious and complex an issue to be resolved without recourse to an harmonized approach to justice and peace, neither of which should be pursued at the expense of the other. Furthermore, the decision was taken after due evaluation of the situation in Darfur informed by the commitment of Member States to finding a lasting solution to the problem in Darfur with a view to restoring peace, security and stability In The Sudan and the whole region and prevent further displacement and killings in that country.
6. Finally, the AU commission wishes to underscore that the decision on the ICC was taken in conformity with the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly and the Executive Council and was not and could not have been dictated by any one Member State against all the others as implied in some press statements.
7. The AU decision should be received as a very significant pronouncement by the supreme AU decision-making body and a balanced expression of willingness to promote both peace and justice in Darfour and in The Sudan as a whole. It is now incumbent upon the United Nations Security Council to seriously consider the request by the AU for the deferral of the process initiated by the ICC, in accordance with Article 16 of the Rome Statute.
WASHINGTON AND BOGOTÁ DISCUSS “TRANSFER” OF MANTA BASE.
MISNA
17 July 2009
As expected, the USA will move their anti-drug trafficking operations, from Ecuador to Colombia. The Ecuadorian government did not renew the lease for its Manta air base, which the USA had used since 1999. While talks continue, the Colombian press says that president Uribe has already given the US armed forces his approval for the use of three bases in Malambo (north), Palanquero and Apiay (centre); US military staff may also be assigned to two other bases in Larandia (south) and Tolemaida (centre). “Securing accords with countries like the USA such that, in respect of Colombia’s Constitution and Autonomy, they helps us confront narcotics traffickers, is very convenient for the country” said Uribe. The US ambassador to Bogota, William Brownfield, also spoke of “collaboration with Colombia against a shared threat”; he did not specify whether or not US troops would also be involved in anti-guerrilla operations. The USA and Colombia have had a military cooperation relationship for 50 years; it was intensified during the G.W. Bush administration with anti drug and anti-guerrilla ‘Plan Colombia’ launched in 2000 (said to have largely been a failure by the US ‘Government accountability office’). Plan Colombia has already cost over USD 6 billion. The government has been criticized over issues of national sovereignty. Sociologist and anti-drug trafficking expert Ricardo Vargas said: “the condition holding Colombia as a bridge through which the USA maintain their presence in Latin America comporting a diplomatic and political price”. Former defense minister and 2010 presidential candidate Ricardo Pardo is concerned by the “lack of control overt the military and intelligence operations of another country”. The president of Bolivia, which is celebrating the 200th anniversary of the Bolivarian revolt, described Latin American leaders who accept the installation of US military bases in their countries as “traitors”.
17 July 2009
As expected, the USA will move their anti-drug trafficking operations, from Ecuador to Colombia. The Ecuadorian government did not renew the lease for its Manta air base, which the USA had used since 1999. While talks continue, the Colombian press says that president Uribe has already given the US armed forces his approval for the use of three bases in Malambo (north), Palanquero and Apiay (centre); US military staff may also be assigned to two other bases in Larandia (south) and Tolemaida (centre). “Securing accords with countries like the USA such that, in respect of Colombia’s Constitution and Autonomy, they helps us confront narcotics traffickers, is very convenient for the country” said Uribe. The US ambassador to Bogota, William Brownfield, also spoke of “collaboration with Colombia against a shared threat”; he did not specify whether or not US troops would also be involved in anti-guerrilla operations. The USA and Colombia have had a military cooperation relationship for 50 years; it was intensified during the G.W. Bush administration with anti drug and anti-guerrilla ‘Plan Colombia’ launched in 2000 (said to have largely been a failure by the US ‘Government accountability office’). Plan Colombia has already cost over USD 6 billion. The government has been criticized over issues of national sovereignty. Sociologist and anti-drug trafficking expert Ricardo Vargas said: “the condition holding Colombia as a bridge through which the USA maintain their presence in Latin America comporting a diplomatic and political price”. Former defense minister and 2010 presidential candidate Ricardo Pardo is concerned by the “lack of control overt the military and intelligence operations of another country”. The president of Bolivia, which is celebrating the 200th anniversary of the Bolivarian revolt, described Latin American leaders who accept the installation of US military bases in their countries as “traitors”.
Amid Arms Race, U.S. Training South Sudan Army.
Wired Danger Room Blog
10 July 2009
By Nathan Hodge
The conflict in Sudan’s Darfur region gets the most headlines. But the simmering north-south conflict has the potential to eclipse Darfur. While the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) forbids both sides from rearming, strong evidence suggests the two may be tooling up in advance of a crucial 2011 referendum that could lead to independence for the south. Last year, the Khartoum government confirmed the purchase of around a dozen MiG-29 fighter aircraft; and earlier this week, Jane’s Defence Weekly used satellite imagery to track apparent shipments of heavy weaponry to the government of South Sudan.
The South is also benefiting from some low-key military support from the United States — albeit in a very limited way. The State Department last year awarded a contract to security firm USIS to send military training and advisory teams to Juba, the capital of South Sudan, Danger Room has learned. The teams will reportedly provide training and mentoring to Sudan People’s Liberation Army soldiers and senior officers, teaching them how to shoot, move and communicate like a conventional military.
In a recent interview with Danger Room, a State Department official said the purpose of this program — the price tag of which has not been disclosed — is “take them [the SPLA] out of the bush, basically, within the construct of the CPA – as a force that can come together in a unity government. Or if in 2011, the south secedes, that force could become the element of a South Sudan that’s sovereign.”
In support of the peace deal, the Department of State is said to be helping transform the SPLA from a guerrilla force to a regular military. Depending on the outcome of the referendum, that force will either become the standing army of an independent South Sudan or become part of Sudan’s national army. Sudan is currently under sanction, but the United States government has authority to provide non-lethal equipment to support security sector reform in south Sudan under a presidential waiver. “We have not provided arms and ammunition,” the official claimed.
Jane’s Defence Weekly, however, has confirmed a series of arms shipments to South Sudan from Ukraine, including tanks and artillery. With the latest news, however, it’s worth wondering whether the United States is turning a blind eye to a rearmament push. The situation in Sudan is incredibly complicated: Banditry and insecurity still haunt Darfur; Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court for war crimes; while South Sudan is taking halting steps toward disarming and reintegrating former SPLA fighters. One hopes that the policymakers know what they are doing.
10 July 2009
By Nathan Hodge
The conflict in Sudan’s Darfur region gets the most headlines. But the simmering north-south conflict has the potential to eclipse Darfur. While the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) forbids both sides from rearming, strong evidence suggests the two may be tooling up in advance of a crucial 2011 referendum that could lead to independence for the south. Last year, the Khartoum government confirmed the purchase of around a dozen MiG-29 fighter aircraft; and earlier this week, Jane’s Defence Weekly used satellite imagery to track apparent shipments of heavy weaponry to the government of South Sudan.
The South is also benefiting from some low-key military support from the United States — albeit in a very limited way. The State Department last year awarded a contract to security firm USIS to send military training and advisory teams to Juba, the capital of South Sudan, Danger Room has learned. The teams will reportedly provide training and mentoring to Sudan People’s Liberation Army soldiers and senior officers, teaching them how to shoot, move and communicate like a conventional military.
In a recent interview with Danger Room, a State Department official said the purpose of this program — the price tag of which has not been disclosed — is “take them [the SPLA] out of the bush, basically, within the construct of the CPA – as a force that can come together in a unity government. Or if in 2011, the south secedes, that force could become the element of a South Sudan that’s sovereign.”
In support of the peace deal, the Department of State is said to be helping transform the SPLA from a guerrilla force to a regular military. Depending on the outcome of the referendum, that force will either become the standing army of an independent South Sudan or become part of Sudan’s national army. Sudan is currently under sanction, but the United States government has authority to provide non-lethal equipment to support security sector reform in south Sudan under a presidential waiver. “We have not provided arms and ammunition,” the official claimed.
Jane’s Defence Weekly, however, has confirmed a series of arms shipments to South Sudan from Ukraine, including tanks and artillery. With the latest news, however, it’s worth wondering whether the United States is turning a blind eye to a rearmament push. The situation in Sudan is incredibly complicated: Banditry and insecurity still haunt Darfur; Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court for war crimes; while South Sudan is taking halting steps toward disarming and reintegrating former SPLA fighters. One hopes that the policymakers know what they are doing.
Key Suspect Flees, Okiro Gets Monday Deadline.
Vanguard
17 July 2009
By Kingsley Omonobi
Indications emerged, yesterday, in Abuja that the five-man inter-agency panel headed by the Inspector General of Police, Mike Okiro, investigating the $190million Halliburton scandal has been ordered by President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua to submit an interim report on or before Monday.
Meanwhile the panel is set to travel to Switzerland and other European countries to investigate the involvement of some former heads of state.
The order by Yar'Adua that an interim report be submitted according to sources, was aimed at ensuring that it was not compromised or influenced during the visit abroad.
This is coming on the heels of a discovery that a cousin to former Head of state, Alhaji Abdukadir Abacha who was invited by the panel for interrogation, may have been on the run.
Abdukadir Abacha (cousin of Maximum ruler General Sani Abacha ) is alleged to have represented the interest of the former head of state at the disbursement of the Halliburton bribe shortly after the death of his brother.
All attempts to locate his whereabouts within the country has failed, forcing the panel to direct all border and airports security operatives to be on the alert for him.
A reliable source, however, said it was unlikely that Abdukadir would be in the country.
Sources further hinted Vanguard, based on the findings of the panel, a former Chief of Air Staff, whose account was used to move about $150million, brother to a governor, in whose account the sum of $11. 5million of the alleged Halliburton money was found, a former Group Managing Director of NNPC, Gaius Obaseki who allegedly facilitated the distribution of about $11million to various persons and concerns including a leading political party, a former Board of Trustees Chairman, and a Deputy Senate President among others, as well as a former Managing Director of defunct Metropolitan Bank, M.G. Bakare and the construction giant, Julius Berger, were among those indicted in the interim report.
Abdukadir Abacha, the source said had already been indicted even though he is allegedly on the run since the roles he was said to have played were the most glaring, especially how he benefitted from the scam.
On how investigation into the role of Abdukadir Abacha in the Halliburton scam opened the eyes of the panel to shocking discoveries of looting during the Abacha administration, the source said "our investigations took us to the records of the Central Bank of Nigeria and what was discovered was shocking."
"The panel discovered that the signatures of Abdukadir Abacha and Abacha's, son, Mohammed Abacha, were in the Central Bank records and there were many instances where both of them signed for the transfer of hundreds of millions of dollars, pounds sterlings to foreign banks, in the sum ranging from $400million and £300million without questions during the rule of the late maximum ruler, General Abacha."
When Vanguard sought to know how it was possible for members of late Abacha's family to sign cheques or order the movement of hundreds of foreign currencies out of the Nigerian Central Bank to other countries particularly when they were neither Governor of the CBN or Accountant General of the Federation, the source said the panel members themselves were dumbfounded over the discovery.
Concerning the proposed trip of the panel to Switzerland, the source told Vanguard that they would probably proceed next week as visas and other travel documents were yet to be procurred
"Yes the trip is still on. The fact that we have not gone does not mean it has been shelved. The panel is still working while we are here because it is a lot of work.
With the work we have even done while the arrangements for the trip are being made, we will be in a better position to get what we want when we eventually get there," the source said.
On the fate of the former heads of state who are yet to be interrogated, the source said, the submission of the interim report would not affect investigations into the roles they played or the extent towhich they benefitted, noting that the panel would be in a better position to tackle them if really they were involved.
Reminded that the panel was given eight weeks to submit its report which end this weekend, the source said, that is why Mr. President requested for the interim report but that the president himself wants all loopholes in the investigations to be covered hence his approval that the panel proceeds to Europe for further investigations.
The source added that there wouldn't have been need for the panel to travel to Europe for investigation if the American authorities who had earlier carried out there own investigations into the Halliburton scam obliged the Okiro panel certain vital information in their possession which would have helped to determine the extent to which former haeds of states were allegedly involved.
17 July 2009
By Kingsley Omonobi
Indications emerged, yesterday, in Abuja that the five-man inter-agency panel headed by the Inspector General of Police, Mike Okiro, investigating the $190million Halliburton scandal has been ordered by President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua to submit an interim report on or before Monday.
Meanwhile the panel is set to travel to Switzerland and other European countries to investigate the involvement of some former heads of state.
The order by Yar'Adua that an interim report be submitted according to sources, was aimed at ensuring that it was not compromised or influenced during the visit abroad.
This is coming on the heels of a discovery that a cousin to former Head of state, Alhaji Abdukadir Abacha who was invited by the panel for interrogation, may have been on the run.
Abdukadir Abacha (cousin of Maximum ruler General Sani Abacha ) is alleged to have represented the interest of the former head of state at the disbursement of the Halliburton bribe shortly after the death of his brother.
All attempts to locate his whereabouts within the country has failed, forcing the panel to direct all border and airports security operatives to be on the alert for him.
A reliable source, however, said it was unlikely that Abdukadir would be in the country.
Sources further hinted Vanguard, based on the findings of the panel, a former Chief of Air Staff, whose account was used to move about $150million, brother to a governor, in whose account the sum of $11. 5million of the alleged Halliburton money was found, a former Group Managing Director of NNPC, Gaius Obaseki who allegedly facilitated the distribution of about $11million to various persons and concerns including a leading political party, a former Board of Trustees Chairman, and a Deputy Senate President among others, as well as a former Managing Director of defunct Metropolitan Bank, M.G. Bakare and the construction giant, Julius Berger, were among those indicted in the interim report.
Abdukadir Abacha, the source said had already been indicted even though he is allegedly on the run since the roles he was said to have played were the most glaring, especially how he benefitted from the scam.
On how investigation into the role of Abdukadir Abacha in the Halliburton scam opened the eyes of the panel to shocking discoveries of looting during the Abacha administration, the source said "our investigations took us to the records of the Central Bank of Nigeria and what was discovered was shocking."
"The panel discovered that the signatures of Abdukadir Abacha and Abacha's, son, Mohammed Abacha, were in the Central Bank records and there were many instances where both of them signed for the transfer of hundreds of millions of dollars, pounds sterlings to foreign banks, in the sum ranging from $400million and £300million without questions during the rule of the late maximum ruler, General Abacha."
When Vanguard sought to know how it was possible for members of late Abacha's family to sign cheques or order the movement of hundreds of foreign currencies out of the Nigerian Central Bank to other countries particularly when they were neither Governor of the CBN or Accountant General of the Federation, the source said the panel members themselves were dumbfounded over the discovery.
Concerning the proposed trip of the panel to Switzerland, the source told Vanguard that they would probably proceed next week as visas and other travel documents were yet to be procurred
"Yes the trip is still on. The fact that we have not gone does not mean it has been shelved. The panel is still working while we are here because it is a lot of work.
With the work we have even done while the arrangements for the trip are being made, we will be in a better position to get what we want when we eventually get there," the source said.
On the fate of the former heads of state who are yet to be interrogated, the source said, the submission of the interim report would not affect investigations into the roles they played or the extent towhich they benefitted, noting that the panel would be in a better position to tackle them if really they were involved.
Reminded that the panel was given eight weeks to submit its report which end this weekend, the source said, that is why Mr. President requested for the interim report but that the president himself wants all loopholes in the investigations to be covered hence his approval that the panel proceeds to Europe for further investigations.
The source added that there wouldn't have been need for the panel to travel to Europe for investigation if the American authorities who had earlier carried out there own investigations into the Halliburton scam obliged the Okiro panel certain vital information in their possession which would have helped to determine the extent to which former haeds of states were allegedly involved.
Sweden stops extradition of Rwanda genocide suspect.
AFP
16 July 2009
Sweden has suspended the extradition of a Rwandan accused of participating in genocide following a request by the European Court of Human Rights, a government official said Thursday.
"The court has decided to indicate to the Swedish government that Mr (Sylvere) Ahorugeze should not be extradited to Rwanda until further notice," said Cecilia Riddselius, the justice ministry in charge of the case told AFP.
"The Swedish government considers that this decision of the court will be respected," she added.
Ahorugeze is accused of murdering 28 Tutsis in a suburb of the Rwandan capital Kigali on April 7, 1994.
Sweden's Justice Minister Beatrice Ask originally said last week that Ahorugeze, a 53-year-old former director of Rwanda's civil aviation authority, would be extradited.
Ahorugeze was arrested in July 2008 after being recognised at the Rwandan embassy in Sweden while a refugee in neigbouring Denmark. Rwanda requested his extradition a month later.
The country's Supreme Court originally ruled on May 27 that Ahorugeze could return home to stand trial, saying there was nothing in Swedish or European law that prevented someone suspected of genocide from being extradited.
Many nations, including Switzerland, have been very reluctant to extradite suspects to Rwanda, citing serious concerns over the central African nation's human rights record and the independence of its judiciary.
16 July 2009
Sweden has suspended the extradition of a Rwandan accused of participating in genocide following a request by the European Court of Human Rights, a government official said Thursday.
"The court has decided to indicate to the Swedish government that Mr (Sylvere) Ahorugeze should not be extradited to Rwanda until further notice," said Cecilia Riddselius, the justice ministry in charge of the case told AFP.
"The Swedish government considers that this decision of the court will be respected," she added.
Ahorugeze is accused of murdering 28 Tutsis in a suburb of the Rwandan capital Kigali on April 7, 1994.
Sweden's Justice Minister Beatrice Ask originally said last week that Ahorugeze, a 53-year-old former director of Rwanda's civil aviation authority, would be extradited.
Ahorugeze was arrested in July 2008 after being recognised at the Rwandan embassy in Sweden while a refugee in neigbouring Denmark. Rwanda requested his extradition a month later.
The country's Supreme Court originally ruled on May 27 that Ahorugeze could return home to stand trial, saying there was nothing in Swedish or European law that prevented someone suspected of genocide from being extradited.
Many nations, including Switzerland, have been very reluctant to extradite suspects to Rwanda, citing serious concerns over the central African nation's human rights record and the independence of its judiciary.
Leaked manual outlines talking points for pro-Israel activists in US.
The Daily Star
17 July 2009
By Josie Ensor
How can you sell the American public on the idea that Israel has the right to expand Jewish settlements in the Occupied West Bank? Use positive language, steer away from talk of settlements and toward discussion of peace, and draw parallels between the threat of terrorist invasion from 9/11 and that of mass Palestinian immigration.
These are just three of the recommendations from a leaked hasbara handbook written by Republican political consultant Dr. Frank Luntz for the Washington-based The Israel Project (TIP), distributed to US activists, journalists and policymakers on how to present a pro-Israel message to the public.
The 116-page manual, entitled “2009 Global Language Dictionary,” was commissioned by non-profit TIP to shape the public debate on settlement activity in their favor, with chapters such as “The Language of Tackling a Nuclear Iran,” “Gaza: Israel’s right to self-defense” and “Talking to the American Left.”
The handbook, leaked to Newsweek earlier this week, is based on an internal study for TIP conducted by pollster Luntz and data drawn from focus groups. Luntz outlines the need for their manual in the foreword: “Since [our] first dictionary in 2003, Israel found itself the victim of attack from its northern and southern borders, and has suffered greatly in the court of public opinion.
“On the other hand, the daily suicide bombings have stopped and Hamas and Hizbullah have shown themselves to be the brutal terrorist organizations that Israel has warned about.”
The manual is strewn with bolded examples of “Words that work,” and ones that don’t in the settlement debate and are taken from speeches made by Israeli representatives in the last decade.
It is best not to use words such as “allow,” “permit” and “instruct” when referring to Palestinian settlement growth in the Occupied West Bank. Instead, talk of Palestine as an equal, trusted partner on the path to peace; use words that do not imply subordination and never speak in declarative statements. Remind people again and again that Israel wants peace and remember to concede at least one point to the other side in an interview to seem sympathetic. These are just a few suggestions the manual gives.
If in doubt, TIP offers the mantra: “it is not what you say that counts, it’s what people hear.”
The pro-Israel lobby claim Americans want a team to cheer for and it is their job to let the public know the good things about Israel, such as their “remarkable advances in alternative energy” and the work Israel has done in Arab neighborhoods to raise health care standards. When conducting interviews, the manual says activists should always be answering the silent question in Americans’ minds – “What’s in it for my country and for me to support Israel?”
It emphasizes the need to draw parallels between America and Israel if they are to win the support of those who are neutral. “Israel is an important US ally in the war against terrorism and the ongoing fight against this terror that came from the attack on 9/11 can be likened to the Palestinian threat – What would America do if their neighbors in Canada and Mexico were firing rockets into America?” it asks.
This idea of invasion should be labored to appeal to Americans’ fears: “Thanks to 9/11 and the continuing threat of terrorism, Americans are particularly afraid of the mass migration of anyone,” reads the report. “Comparing the challenges facing Americans in dealing with unrestricted immigration and Israel’s situation will be well received.”
Israel should be presented as an ally among “terrorists” and its “good record for human rights” stressed, “in contrast to those in the Middle East who indoctrinate their children to become hate-mongers and suicide bombers,” the manual proffers. “Israel is the one place in the Middle East where a young girl can grow up to be anything she wants – from a doctor to a mommy, to a businessperson and even a prime minister!”
According to a national survey conducted by Luntz for the manual, almost 40 percent of those asked who their most important ally was in the Middle East gave the answer “Israel,” with 29 percent saying the best reason for the US to stand with Israel was because “Israel is a partner with the US in our fight against terrorism.” And 16 percent answered that they should stand with them because “God gave the land to the Jews who have lived there for thousands of years.”
In response to the question of whether the US should support Israel, 48 percent answered “yes” in the months before the 2006 war on Lebanon, but this figure rose by 23 percent in the weeks after. The rate decreased slightly to 58 percent earlier this year in the wake of the war on Gaza.
Perhaps the most difficult audience to win over, a different linguistic strategy proposed by TIP must be used for liberals: the American left. “Israel may represent the only democratic country in a region dominated by brutal, extremist nations that are entrenched in non-Western doctrine, but the elites on the American Left see Israeli militarism as extreme and unjustified,” the manual reads. A different tack must be taken to get them on side.
In the chapter ‘Talking to the American Left,” TIP explain how many on the left see an Israel v. Palestinian crisis where Israel is Goliath and Palestine David, and in order to win them over they must understand that this is an Arab-Israeli crisis and the force undermining the peace is Iran and their proxies Hizbullah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Their advice is not to call Hamas just Hamas, but call them what they are: Iran-backed Hamas. “Indeed, if they know that Iran is behind Hamas and Hizbullah, they are much more supportive of Israel.” The manual suggests that it is critical to make sure liberals understand it is a fight between Israel and Iran and its proxies, not just a territorial dispute between Israelis and Palestinians.
The left, the organization says, are also not interested in hearing the “melting-pot argument”– that is making the case that Israel takes in the distressed people of the world. “Today, immigration is a dirty word. This is simply not a strong argument with most Americans right now.”
In a chapter most relevant today with the US in talks with Israel over West Bank expansion, “Lessons to Learn from President Obama’s language,” President Barack Obama’s speeches on settlement activity are described by TIP as templates for how to effectively present a pro-Israel argument. They say Obama’s complete reshaping of American public discussions on the Middle East is based on the same language they have been recommending for use for years.
The administration’s language marks a sharp departure from the previous administration, TIP says, in particular Obama’s words bear close inspection on the issue of the peace process between Israel and Palestinians.
The lessons to be learned from the president’s language are to humanize the issue of settlement activity; stress the conflict is over ideology rather than territory, acknowledge past errors but focus on the future and lastly to make a call for progress.
17 July 2009
By Josie Ensor
How can you sell the American public on the idea that Israel has the right to expand Jewish settlements in the Occupied West Bank? Use positive language, steer away from talk of settlements and toward discussion of peace, and draw parallels between the threat of terrorist invasion from 9/11 and that of mass Palestinian immigration.
These are just three of the recommendations from a leaked hasbara handbook written by Republican political consultant Dr. Frank Luntz for the Washington-based The Israel Project (TIP), distributed to US activists, journalists and policymakers on how to present a pro-Israel message to the public.
The 116-page manual, entitled “2009 Global Language Dictionary,” was commissioned by non-profit TIP to shape the public debate on settlement activity in their favor, with chapters such as “The Language of Tackling a Nuclear Iran,” “Gaza: Israel’s right to self-defense” and “Talking to the American Left.”
The handbook, leaked to Newsweek earlier this week, is based on an internal study for TIP conducted by pollster Luntz and data drawn from focus groups. Luntz outlines the need for their manual in the foreword: “Since [our] first dictionary in 2003, Israel found itself the victim of attack from its northern and southern borders, and has suffered greatly in the court of public opinion.
“On the other hand, the daily suicide bombings have stopped and Hamas and Hizbullah have shown themselves to be the brutal terrorist organizations that Israel has warned about.”
The manual is strewn with bolded examples of “Words that work,” and ones that don’t in the settlement debate and are taken from speeches made by Israeli representatives in the last decade.
It is best not to use words such as “allow,” “permit” and “instruct” when referring to Palestinian settlement growth in the Occupied West Bank. Instead, talk of Palestine as an equal, trusted partner on the path to peace; use words that do not imply subordination and never speak in declarative statements. Remind people again and again that Israel wants peace and remember to concede at least one point to the other side in an interview to seem sympathetic. These are just a few suggestions the manual gives.
If in doubt, TIP offers the mantra: “it is not what you say that counts, it’s what people hear.”
The pro-Israel lobby claim Americans want a team to cheer for and it is their job to let the public know the good things about Israel, such as their “remarkable advances in alternative energy” and the work Israel has done in Arab neighborhoods to raise health care standards. When conducting interviews, the manual says activists should always be answering the silent question in Americans’ minds – “What’s in it for my country and for me to support Israel?”
It emphasizes the need to draw parallels between America and Israel if they are to win the support of those who are neutral. “Israel is an important US ally in the war against terrorism and the ongoing fight against this terror that came from the attack on 9/11 can be likened to the Palestinian threat – What would America do if their neighbors in Canada and Mexico were firing rockets into America?” it asks.
This idea of invasion should be labored to appeal to Americans’ fears: “Thanks to 9/11 and the continuing threat of terrorism, Americans are particularly afraid of the mass migration of anyone,” reads the report. “Comparing the challenges facing Americans in dealing with unrestricted immigration and Israel’s situation will be well received.”
Israel should be presented as an ally among “terrorists” and its “good record for human rights” stressed, “in contrast to those in the Middle East who indoctrinate their children to become hate-mongers and suicide bombers,” the manual proffers. “Israel is the one place in the Middle East where a young girl can grow up to be anything she wants – from a doctor to a mommy, to a businessperson and even a prime minister!”
According to a national survey conducted by Luntz for the manual, almost 40 percent of those asked who their most important ally was in the Middle East gave the answer “Israel,” with 29 percent saying the best reason for the US to stand with Israel was because “Israel is a partner with the US in our fight against terrorism.” And 16 percent answered that they should stand with them because “God gave the land to the Jews who have lived there for thousands of years.”
In response to the question of whether the US should support Israel, 48 percent answered “yes” in the months before the 2006 war on Lebanon, but this figure rose by 23 percent in the weeks after. The rate decreased slightly to 58 percent earlier this year in the wake of the war on Gaza.
Perhaps the most difficult audience to win over, a different linguistic strategy proposed by TIP must be used for liberals: the American left. “Israel may represent the only democratic country in a region dominated by brutal, extremist nations that are entrenched in non-Western doctrine, but the elites on the American Left see Israeli militarism as extreme and unjustified,” the manual reads. A different tack must be taken to get them on side.
In the chapter ‘Talking to the American Left,” TIP explain how many on the left see an Israel v. Palestinian crisis where Israel is Goliath and Palestine David, and in order to win them over they must understand that this is an Arab-Israeli crisis and the force undermining the peace is Iran and their proxies Hizbullah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Their advice is not to call Hamas just Hamas, but call them what they are: Iran-backed Hamas. “Indeed, if they know that Iran is behind Hamas and Hizbullah, they are much more supportive of Israel.” The manual suggests that it is critical to make sure liberals understand it is a fight between Israel and Iran and its proxies, not just a territorial dispute between Israelis and Palestinians.
The left, the organization says, are also not interested in hearing the “melting-pot argument”– that is making the case that Israel takes in the distressed people of the world. “Today, immigration is a dirty word. This is simply not a strong argument with most Americans right now.”
In a chapter most relevant today with the US in talks with Israel over West Bank expansion, “Lessons to Learn from President Obama’s language,” President Barack Obama’s speeches on settlement activity are described by TIP as templates for how to effectively present a pro-Israel argument. They say Obama’s complete reshaping of American public discussions on the Middle East is based on the same language they have been recommending for use for years.
The administration’s language marks a sharp departure from the previous administration, TIP says, in particular Obama’s words bear close inspection on the issue of the peace process between Israel and Palestinians.
The lessons to be learned from the president’s language are to humanize the issue of settlement activity; stress the conflict is over ideology rather than territory, acknowledge past errors but focus on the future and lastly to make a call for progress.
Israeli navy in Suez Canal prepares for potential attack on Iran.
Times Online
16 July 2009
By Sheera Frenkel
Two Israeli missile class warships have sailed through the Suez Canal ten days after a submarine capable of launching a nuclear missile strike, in preparation for a possible attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
The deployment into the Red Sea, confirmed by Israeli officials, was a clear signal that Israel was able to put its strike force within range of Iran at short notice. It came before long-range exercises by the Israeli air force in America later this month and the test of a missile defence shield at a US missile range in the Pacific Ocean.
Israel has strengthened ties with Arab nations who also fear a nuclear-armed Iran. In particular, relations with Egypt have grown increasingly strong this year over the “shared mutual distrust of Iran”, according to one Israeli diplomat. Israeli naval vessels would likely pass through the Suez Canal for an Iranian strike.
“This is preparation that should be taken seriously. Israel is investing time in preparing itself for the complexity of an attack on Iran. These manoeuvres are a message to Iran that Israel will follow up on its threats,” an Israeli defence official said.
It is believed that Israel’s missile-equipped submarines, and its fleet of advanced aircraft, could be used to strike at in excess of a dozen nuclear-related targets more than 800 miles from Israel.
Ahmed Aboul Gheit, the Egyptian Foreign Minister, said that his Government explicitly allowed passage of Israeli vessels, and an Israeli admiral said that the drills were “run regularly with the full co-operation of the Egyptians.”
Two Israeli Saar class missile boats and a Dolphin class submarine have passed through Suez. Israel has six Dolphin-class submarines, three of which are widely believed to carry nuclear missiles.
Israel will also soon test an Arrow interceptor missile on a US missile range in the Pacific Ocean. The system is designed to defend Israel from ballistic missile attacks by Iran and Syria. Lieutenant-General Patrick O’Reilly, the director of the Pentagon’s Missile Defence Agency, said that Israel would test against a target with a range of more than 630 miles (1,000km) — too long for previous Arrow test sites in the eastern Mediterranean.
The Israeli air force, meanwhile, will send F16C fighter jets to participate in exercises at Nellis Air Force base in Nevada this month. Israeli C130 Hercules transport aircraft will also compete in the Rodeo 2009 competition at McChord Air Force base in Washington.
“It is not by chance that Israel is drilling long-range manoeuvres in a public way. This is not a secret operation. This is something that has been published and which will showcase Israel’s abilities,” said an Israeli defence official.
He added that in the past, Israel had run a number of covert long-range drills. A year ago, Israeli jets flew over Greece in one such drill, while in May, reports surfaced that Israeli air force aircraft were staging exercises over Gibraltar. An Israeli attack on a weapons convoy in Sudan bound for militants in the Gaza Strip earlier this year was also seen as a rehearsal for hitting moving convoys.
The exercises come at a time when Western diplomats are offering support for an Israeli strike on Iran in return for Israeli concessions on the formation of a Palestinian state.
If agreed it would make an Israeli strike on Iran realistic “within the year” said one British official.
Diplomats said that Israel had offered concessions on settlement policy, Palestinian land claims and issues with neighboring Arab states, to facilitate a possible strike on Iran.
“Israel has chosen to place the Iranian threat over its settlements,” said a senior European diplomat.
16 July 2009
By Sheera Frenkel
Two Israeli missile class warships have sailed through the Suez Canal ten days after a submarine capable of launching a nuclear missile strike, in preparation for a possible attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
The deployment into the Red Sea, confirmed by Israeli officials, was a clear signal that Israel was able to put its strike force within range of Iran at short notice. It came before long-range exercises by the Israeli air force in America later this month and the test of a missile defence shield at a US missile range in the Pacific Ocean.
Israel has strengthened ties with Arab nations who also fear a nuclear-armed Iran. In particular, relations with Egypt have grown increasingly strong this year over the “shared mutual distrust of Iran”, according to one Israeli diplomat. Israeli naval vessels would likely pass through the Suez Canal for an Iranian strike.
“This is preparation that should be taken seriously. Israel is investing time in preparing itself for the complexity of an attack on Iran. These manoeuvres are a message to Iran that Israel will follow up on its threats,” an Israeli defence official said.
It is believed that Israel’s missile-equipped submarines, and its fleet of advanced aircraft, could be used to strike at in excess of a dozen nuclear-related targets more than 800 miles from Israel.
Ahmed Aboul Gheit, the Egyptian Foreign Minister, said that his Government explicitly allowed passage of Israeli vessels, and an Israeli admiral said that the drills were “run regularly with the full co-operation of the Egyptians.”
Two Israeli Saar class missile boats and a Dolphin class submarine have passed through Suez. Israel has six Dolphin-class submarines, three of which are widely believed to carry nuclear missiles.
Israel will also soon test an Arrow interceptor missile on a US missile range in the Pacific Ocean. The system is designed to defend Israel from ballistic missile attacks by Iran and Syria. Lieutenant-General Patrick O’Reilly, the director of the Pentagon’s Missile Defence Agency, said that Israel would test against a target with a range of more than 630 miles (1,000km) — too long for previous Arrow test sites in the eastern Mediterranean.
The Israeli air force, meanwhile, will send F16C fighter jets to participate in exercises at Nellis Air Force base in Nevada this month. Israeli C130 Hercules transport aircraft will also compete in the Rodeo 2009 competition at McChord Air Force base in Washington.
“It is not by chance that Israel is drilling long-range manoeuvres in a public way. This is not a secret operation. This is something that has been published and which will showcase Israel’s abilities,” said an Israeli defence official.
He added that in the past, Israel had run a number of covert long-range drills. A year ago, Israeli jets flew over Greece in one such drill, while in May, reports surfaced that Israeli air force aircraft were staging exercises over Gibraltar. An Israeli attack on a weapons convoy in Sudan bound for militants in the Gaza Strip earlier this year was also seen as a rehearsal for hitting moving convoys.
The exercises come at a time when Western diplomats are offering support for an Israeli strike on Iran in return for Israeli concessions on the formation of a Palestinian state.
If agreed it would make an Israeli strike on Iran realistic “within the year” said one British official.
Diplomats said that Israel had offered concessions on settlement policy, Palestinian land claims and issues with neighboring Arab states, to facilitate a possible strike on Iran.
“Israel has chosen to place the Iranian threat over its settlements,” said a senior European diplomat.
16 July, 2009
US private military firms vie for Mexico drug war contracts.
Reuters
16 July 2009
By Mica Rosenberg
As Mexico battles to keep a lid on raging drug murders, American companies are vying for millions of dollars worth of contracts for military equipment and training under a long-promised U.S aid package.
Private U.S. security firms will get the bulk of a $1.4 billion package pledged by the United States in 2007 to help its southern neighbor crush rampant drug gang violence. Only a fraction of the aid has been delivered so far.
Almost all of an initial $400 million tranche approved by the U.S. Congress in 2008 and being released bit by bit to buy helicopters and inspection gear and train Mexican police will be doled out to 30 or 40 U.S. companies, said an official at the U.S. embassy in Mexico City, asking not to be named.
The state-of-the art equipment, promised by former President George W. Bush at a meeting with President Felipe Calderon in the colonial city of Merida, is badly needed in Mexico as the death toll from a 2 1/2-year drug war tops 12,800.
"We would love to get in on some of that Merida money," said Scott Newman, an executive from Texas firm Texcalibur, which specializes in bulletproofing cars used in war zones.
"You see these trucks that aren't armored and they've got the Mexican police in the back holding on to roll bars. They are exposed. The narcos have bigger more powerful weapons and they just spray them with bullets," said Newman, whose firm recently attended a security fair in Mexico to hawk its wares.
The Mexican government has welcomed the so-called "Merida Initiative" and a promise by President Barack Obama to try to stem the smuggling of U.S. guns to Mexico but is not holding its breath for the gear to arrive.
Calderon has poured some $7 billion into a high-stakes army crackdown on drug cartels but his security forces struggle to match the clout of powerful gangs that shunt $40 billion worth of drugs across the U.S. border each year and smuggle back sophisticated weaponry and technology.
The deployment of thousands of troops since Calderon took office in late 2006 has stoked fresh turf wars between rival gangs. Hitmen often shoot their victims at close range, behead them or slowly torture them to death in cartel safe houses.
U.S. COMPANIES TOUT MIDEAST EXPERIENCE
Many U.S. security companies that supported anti-drug operations in Colombia or worked in Middle Eastern or African conflict zones say they have the expertise to help Mexico.
Hurt by the economic downturn, dozens are queuing up for Merida contracts, the U.S. Embassy official told Reuters.
Meanwhile, delays due in part to concerns in the U.S. Congress about possible human rights abuses by Mexican troops and in part to complicated contracting requirements spread across various U.S. agencies mean very little of the equipment promised under the Merida plan has actually arrived.
Some expect what is eventually delivered may look like less than the $1.4 billion promised to Mexico and Central America.
"I have heard Mexican authorities say the amounts awarded under Merida are false because such a large percentage stays in U.S. hands, in salaries and contracts and a lot of spending on bureaucracy," said Mexican security analyst Raul Benitez.
The economic downturn prompted the U.S. Congress to reduce the 2009 tranche of the Merida plan by 30 percent, approving just $300 million this year just as drug killings in Mexico are skyrocketing to unprecedented levels.
Five Bell helicopters that cost more than $50 million are the first major batch of equipment to be bought under the package but they have yet to land in Mexico.
Other big contracts will go to scanners to detect traces of drugs, secure communications systems and forensic tools.
A growing trend toward military outsourcing by the U.S. government has come under scrutiny in Iraq after Blackwater security guards were accused of killing civilians and a Halliburton subsidiary allegedly overcharged by millions.
Some of the largest private security firms like Dyncorp, Northrop Grumman Corp and Blackwater, which has changed its name to Xe Services, declined to say if they were bidding on Merida contracts for equipment or training.
The Mexican government is being picky about contractors, carefully checking their reputations. "There is a sensitivity on (their) part about Merida looking like Iraq, Afghanistan, or Colombia," the U.S. embassy official said.
U.S. Democratic congresswoman Jan Schakowsky has raised concerns about using private contractors in the drug war abroad, saying monitoring their activities can be difficult.
"When they wear the badge of the United States there is a very clear chain of command and very clear rules," she told Reuters. "These contractors tend to be very much independent operators."
(Editing by Bill Trott)
16 July 2009
By Mica Rosenberg
As Mexico battles to keep a lid on raging drug murders, American companies are vying for millions of dollars worth of contracts for military equipment and training under a long-promised U.S aid package.
Private U.S. security firms will get the bulk of a $1.4 billion package pledged by the United States in 2007 to help its southern neighbor crush rampant drug gang violence. Only a fraction of the aid has been delivered so far.
Almost all of an initial $400 million tranche approved by the U.S. Congress in 2008 and being released bit by bit to buy helicopters and inspection gear and train Mexican police will be doled out to 30 or 40 U.S. companies, said an official at the U.S. embassy in Mexico City, asking not to be named.
The state-of-the art equipment, promised by former President George W. Bush at a meeting with President Felipe Calderon in the colonial city of Merida, is badly needed in Mexico as the death toll from a 2 1/2-year drug war tops 12,800.
"We would love to get in on some of that Merida money," said Scott Newman, an executive from Texas firm Texcalibur, which specializes in bulletproofing cars used in war zones.
"You see these trucks that aren't armored and they've got the Mexican police in the back holding on to roll bars. They are exposed. The narcos have bigger more powerful weapons and they just spray them with bullets," said Newman, whose firm recently attended a security fair in Mexico to hawk its wares.
The Mexican government has welcomed the so-called "Merida Initiative" and a promise by President Barack Obama to try to stem the smuggling of U.S. guns to Mexico but is not holding its breath for the gear to arrive.
Calderon has poured some $7 billion into a high-stakes army crackdown on drug cartels but his security forces struggle to match the clout of powerful gangs that shunt $40 billion worth of drugs across the U.S. border each year and smuggle back sophisticated weaponry and technology.
The deployment of thousands of troops since Calderon took office in late 2006 has stoked fresh turf wars between rival gangs. Hitmen often shoot their victims at close range, behead them or slowly torture them to death in cartel safe houses.
U.S. COMPANIES TOUT MIDEAST EXPERIENCE
Many U.S. security companies that supported anti-drug operations in Colombia or worked in Middle Eastern or African conflict zones say they have the expertise to help Mexico.
Hurt by the economic downturn, dozens are queuing up for Merida contracts, the U.S. Embassy official told Reuters.
Meanwhile, delays due in part to concerns in the U.S. Congress about possible human rights abuses by Mexican troops and in part to complicated contracting requirements spread across various U.S. agencies mean very little of the equipment promised under the Merida plan has actually arrived.
Some expect what is eventually delivered may look like less than the $1.4 billion promised to Mexico and Central America.
"I have heard Mexican authorities say the amounts awarded under Merida are false because such a large percentage stays in U.S. hands, in salaries and contracts and a lot of spending on bureaucracy," said Mexican security analyst Raul Benitez.
The economic downturn prompted the U.S. Congress to reduce the 2009 tranche of the Merida plan by 30 percent, approving just $300 million this year just as drug killings in Mexico are skyrocketing to unprecedented levels.
Five Bell
Other big contracts will go to scanners to detect traces of drugs, secure communications systems and forensic tools.
A growing trend toward military outsourcing by the U.S. government has come under scrutiny in Iraq after Blackwater security guards were accused of killing civilians and a Halliburton subsidiary allegedly overcharged by millions.
Some of the largest private security firms like Dyncorp
The Mexican government is being picky about contractors, carefully checking their reputations. "There is a sensitivity on (their) part about Merida looking like Iraq, Afghanistan, or Colombia," the U.S. embassy official said.
U.S. Democratic congresswoman Jan Schakowsky has raised concerns about using private contractors in the drug war abroad, saying monitoring their activities can be difficult.
"When they wear the badge of the United States there is a very clear chain of command and very clear rules," she told Reuters. "These contractors tend to be very much independent operators."
(Editing by Bill Trott)
Randgold, AngloGold bid $546-million for Moto Goldmines.
Reuters
16 July 2009
African miners Randgold Resources and AngloGold Ashanti teamed up on Thursday to make a counterbid worth C$546 million (297 million pounds) for Moto Goldmines , which owns a project in the mineral-rich Democratic Republic of Congo. They said their cash-and-shares bid worth C$5.00 per share was superior to a friendly all-share deal with Red Back Mining announced on June 1.
Moto shares in Toronto jumped 10.1 percent to C$5.14, implying investors expect a bidding war may emerge.
The deal will boost growth prospects for Randgold as its extends its reach from West Africa into Congo, where many rivals have been wary of entering due to an unstable political situation and continued unrest in the east.
Randgold has experience in risky countries -- it is currently developing the Tongon mine in Ivory Coast, which is still recovering from a bitter civil war in 2002-03.
"Randgold's strong, experienced technical and management teams ... will be combined in the development of the Moto Gold project with the technical and financial capabilities of AngloGold, Africa's largest gold producer," a statement said.
Randgold shares fell 1.6 percent to 3,810 pence by 1415 GMT, lagging the UK mining index , while AngloGold shares in Johannesburg shed 1.6 percent to 295.29 rand, but analysts were largely positive.
"The transaction would represent a sensible use of RRS's equity... and would provide additional long-term growth potential beyond the already substantial organic growth the company has," Citigroup analyst Liam Fitzpatrick said.
STRONG BALANCE SHEET
Randgold said in February its healthy balance sheet would allow it to keep expanding mines and looking for takeovers while rivals were scrambling to pay off debt amid the global downturn. The firm had net cash of $255 million at the end of last year. [ID:nL6583184]
Randgold said it would offer 0.7061 of one of its London shares or $4.47 (2.72 pounds) in cash for each Moto share, with the total cash payment capped at $244 million.
The price represents a premium of 7 percent based on Wednesday's closing share prices or a premium of 60 percent based on share prices before the Red Back offer was announced.
South Africa's AngloGold , the world's third biggest mining group, will finance the cash portion of the offer as partial payment for an indirect 50 percent interest in Moto.
Randgold and AngloGold are already partners at the Morila gold mine in Mali.
Randgold would be the operator of the Moto project, which is located in the northeast of Congo and has a lease area of 1,841 sq km.
More than 3 million ounces of gold have been produced in the Moto region, mostly during the 1950s and 1960s by the Belgians.
In March, a feasibility study estimated that Moto's project contained 5.5 million ounces of probable mineral reserves.
HSBC advised Randgold on the offer and CIBC advised AngloGold.
(Reporting by Eric Onstad; Editing by Jon Loades-Carter and David Cowell)
16 July 2009
African miners Randgold Resources and AngloGold Ashanti teamed up on Thursday to make a counterbid worth C$546 million (297 million pounds) for Moto Goldmines , which owns a project in the mineral-rich Democratic Republic of Congo. They said their cash-and-shares bid worth C$5.00 per share was superior to a friendly all-share deal with Red Back Mining announced on June 1.
Moto shares in Toronto jumped 10.1 percent to C$5.14, implying investors expect a bidding war may emerge.
The deal will boost growth prospects for Randgold as its extends its reach from West Africa into Congo, where many rivals have been wary of entering due to an unstable political situation and continued unrest in the east.
Randgold has experience in risky countries -- it is currently developing the Tongon mine in Ivory Coast, which is still recovering from a bitter civil war in 2002-03.
"Randgold's strong, experienced technical and management teams ... will be combined in the development of the Moto Gold project with the technical and financial capabilities of AngloGold, Africa's largest gold producer," a statement said.
Randgold shares fell 1.6 percent to 3,810 pence by 1415 GMT, lagging the UK mining index , while AngloGold shares in Johannesburg shed 1.6 percent to 295.29 rand, but analysts were largely positive.
"The transaction would represent a sensible use of RRS's equity... and would provide additional long-term growth potential beyond the already substantial organic growth the company has," Citigroup analyst Liam Fitzpatrick said.
STRONG BALANCE SHEET
Randgold said in February its healthy balance sheet would allow it to keep expanding mines and looking for takeovers while rivals were scrambling to pay off debt amid the global downturn. The firm had net cash of $255 million at the end of last year. [ID:nL6583184]
Randgold said it would offer 0.7061 of one of its London shares or $4.47 (2.72 pounds) in cash for each Moto share, with the total cash payment capped at $244 million.
The price represents a premium of 7 percent based on Wednesday's closing share prices or a premium of 60 percent based on share prices before the Red Back offer was announced.
South Africa's AngloGold , the world's third biggest mining group, will finance the cash portion of the offer as partial payment for an indirect 50 percent interest in Moto.
Randgold and AngloGold are already partners at the Morila gold mine in Mali.
Randgold would be the operator of the Moto project, which is located in the northeast of Congo and has a lease area of 1,841 sq km.
More than 3 million ounces of gold have been produced in the Moto region, mostly during the 1950s and 1960s by the Belgians.
In March, a feasibility study estimated that Moto's project contained 5.5 million ounces of probable mineral reserves.
HSBC advised Randgold on the offer and CIBC advised AngloGold.
(Reporting by Eric Onstad; Editing by Jon Loades-Carter and David Cowell)
US advising Honduran Micheletti.
Daily News
16 July 2009
The head of the Honduran de facto Government Roberto Micheletti had the US advisory for talks in Costa Rica, a meeting meant to put an end to the situation that the country is undergoing, The New York Times said on Monday.
Each proposal presented by Micheletti's group was written by a US citizen, member of the negotiating team, said officials quoted in an article published by the daily.
Ginger Thompson, a journalist of The New York Times, said the comment referred to Bennett Ratcliff, who was in San Jose last week, during the talks between the pro-coup faction members and representatives of Honduran constitutional President Manuel Zelaya.
Ratcliff is an expert in public relations who worked for President William Clinton (1993-2001), the journalist said. Thompson asserted that Micheletti is involved in a media offensive, in which there is an increasing hiring of US high-profile lawyers, closely related to US power circles.
One of those that joined is Lanny Davis, known for serving as Clinton's personal lawyer and member of his campaign, she said.
The journalist of the influential newspaper commented on the measures adopted by Barack Obama's administration against the coup regime, although she said that Washington's ambassador has stayed in Tegucigalpa, in contrast to the withdrawal of diplomats by most of the Governments in the hemisphere.
16 July 2009
The head of the Honduran de facto Government Roberto Micheletti had the US advisory for talks in Costa Rica, a meeting meant to put an end to the situation that the country is undergoing, The New York Times said on Monday.
Each proposal presented by Micheletti's group was written by a US citizen, member of the negotiating team, said officials quoted in an article published by the daily.
Ginger Thompson, a journalist of The New York Times, said the comment referred to Bennett Ratcliff, who was in San Jose last week, during the talks between the pro-coup faction members and representatives of Honduran constitutional President Manuel Zelaya.
Ratcliff is an expert in public relations who worked for President William Clinton (1993-2001), the journalist said. Thompson asserted that Micheletti is involved in a media offensive, in which there is an increasing hiring of US high-profile lawyers, closely related to US power circles.
One of those that joined is Lanny Davis, known for serving as Clinton's personal lawyer and member of his campaign, she said.
The journalist of the influential newspaper commented on the measures adopted by Barack Obama's administration against the coup regime, although she said that Washington's ambassador has stayed in Tegucigalpa, in contrast to the withdrawal of diplomats by most of the Governments in the hemisphere.
India, Pakistan prime ministers' joint statement.
16 July 2009
The two prime ministers had a cordial and constructive meeting. They considered the entire gamut of bilateral relations with a view to charting the way forward in India-Pakistan relations.
Both leaders agreed that terrorism is the main threat to both countries. Both leaders affirmed their resolve to fight terrorism and to cooperate with each other to this end.
Prime Minister Singh reiterated the need to bring the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks to justice. Prime Minister Gilani assured that Pakistan will do everything in its power in this regard. He said that Pakistan has provided an updated status dossier on the investigations of the Mumbai attacks and had sought additional information/evidence. Prime Minister Singh said that the dossier is being reviewed.
Both leaders agreed that the two countries will share real time credible and actionable information on any future terrorist threats.
Prime Minister Gilani mentioned that Pakistan has some information on threats in Balochistan and other areas.
Both prime ministers recognised that dialogue is the only way forward. Action on terrorism should not be linked to the Composite Dialogue process and these should not be bracketed.
Prime Minister Singh said that India was ready to discuss all issues with Pakistan, including all outstanding issues.
Prime Minister Singh reiterated India's interest in a stable, democratic Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
Both leaders agreed that the real challenge is development and the elimination of poverty. Both leaders are resolved to eliminate those factors which prevent our countries from realising their full potential. Both agreed to work to create an atmosphere of mutual trust and confidence.
Both leaders reaffirmed their intention to promote regional cooperation.
Both foreign secretaries should meet as often as necessary and report to the two foreign ministers, who will be meeting on the sidelines of the forthcoming U.N. General Assembly.
The two prime ministers had a cordial and constructive meeting. They considered the entire gamut of bilateral relations with a view to charting the way forward in India-Pakistan relations.
Both leaders agreed that terrorism is the main threat to both countries. Both leaders affirmed their resolve to fight terrorism and to cooperate with each other to this end.
Prime Minister Singh reiterated the need to bring the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks to justice. Prime Minister Gilani assured that Pakistan will do everything in its power in this regard. He said that Pakistan has provided an updated status dossier on the investigations of the Mumbai attacks and had sought additional information/evidence. Prime Minister Singh said that the dossier is being reviewed.
Both leaders agreed that the two countries will share real time credible and actionable information on any future terrorist threats.
Prime Minister Gilani mentioned that Pakistan has some information on threats in Balochistan and other areas.
Both prime ministers recognised that dialogue is the only way forward. Action on terrorism should not be linked to the Composite Dialogue process and these should not be bracketed.
Prime Minister Singh said that India was ready to discuss all issues with Pakistan, including all outstanding issues.
Prime Minister Singh reiterated India's interest in a stable, democratic Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
Both leaders agreed that the real challenge is development and the elimination of poverty. Both leaders are resolved to eliminate those factors which prevent our countries from realising their full potential. Both agreed to work to create an atmosphere of mutual trust and confidence.
Both leaders reaffirmed their intention to promote regional cooperation.
Both foreign secretaries should meet as often as necessary and report to the two foreign ministers, who will be meeting on the sidelines of the forthcoming U.N. General Assembly.
IFC Loan Supports Offshore Oil Development.
The Chronicle
By Daniel Nonor
15 July 2009
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, on Monday signed a loan agreement for $100 million with Kosmos Energy, one of the key partners developing Ghana's Jubilee field, an offshore oil and gas project that will help diversify Ghana's economy and meet domestic power demand.
IFC's senior and junior loan tranches are part of a $750 million debt package for U.S.-based Kosmos that IFC helped mobilize, primarily from commercial banks. Earlier this year, IFC signed a $115 million loan agreement with British Tullow Oil, another key Jubilee partner, bringing IFC's support for the project to $215 million. Kosmos and Tullow are independent oil and gas exploration and production companies.
The project, located in deep water some 60 kilometers off the coast of Ghana, will produce domestic crude oil, generating foreign exchange income for the country and substituting expenditures for oil imports. It is also expected to boost government revenues, providing much needed income against the background of the global economic downturn.
"IFC's support for the Jubilee project is critical for the Jubilee partners and for Ghana," said W. Greg Dunlevy, Kosmos Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. "IFC's loan at this time of tight credit markets has been key in securing commercial bank financing in parallel. Equally important, IFC is assisting us in achieving the broad stakeholder participation that we are aiming for."
IFC is supporting Kosmos and Tullow in preparing environmental and social management plans for the project. The loans also are tied to other milestones such as management of biodiversity conservation, safehandling of waste, and emergency response procedures.
Next to oil, the Jubilee field is expected to produce gas to support about 400 megawatts of new power generation, equivalent to about 30 percent of Ghana's annual power consumption. The project also will stimulate the Ghanaian economy by purchasing goods and services locally. IFC is advising the companies on enhancing the project's benefits for local communities and stakeholder engagement.
"The Jubilee oil field is a landmark project for Ghana," said Somit Varma, IFC's Global Head for Oil, Gas, Mining, and Chemicals. "The project will provide a new and vital revenue source in a country that has one of the best governance track records in Sub-Saharan Africa."
By Daniel Nonor
15 July 2009
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, on Monday signed a loan agreement for $100 million with Kosmos Energy, one of the key partners developing Ghana's Jubilee field, an offshore oil and gas project that will help diversify Ghana's economy and meet domestic power demand.
IFC's senior and junior loan tranches are part of a $750 million debt package for U.S.-based Kosmos that IFC helped mobilize, primarily from commercial banks. Earlier this year, IFC signed a $115 million loan agreement with British Tullow Oil, another key Jubilee partner, bringing IFC's support for the project to $215 million. Kosmos and Tullow are independent oil and gas exploration and production companies.
The project, located in deep water some 60 kilometers off the coast of Ghana, will produce domestic crude oil, generating foreign exchange income for the country and substituting expenditures for oil imports. It is also expected to boost government revenues, providing much needed income against the background of the global economic downturn.
"IFC's support for the Jubilee project is critical for the Jubilee partners and for Ghana," said W. Greg Dunlevy, Kosmos Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. "IFC's loan at this time of tight credit markets has been key in securing commercial bank financing in parallel. Equally important, IFC is assisting us in achieving the broad stakeholder participation that we are aiming for."
IFC is supporting Kosmos and Tullow in preparing environmental and social management plans for the project. The loans also are tied to other milestones such as management of biodiversity conservation, safehandling of waste, and emergency response procedures.
Next to oil, the Jubilee field is expected to produce gas to support about 400 megawatts of new power generation, equivalent to about 30 percent of Ghana's annual power consumption. The project also will stimulate the Ghanaian economy by purchasing goods and services locally. IFC is advising the companies on enhancing the project's benefits for local communities and stakeholder engagement.
"The Jubilee oil field is a landmark project for Ghana," said Somit Varma, IFC's Global Head for Oil, Gas, Mining, and Chemicals. "The project will provide a new and vital revenue source in a country that has one of the best governance track records in Sub-Saharan Africa."
US, Colombia near base access deal.
AP
15 July 2009
By Frank Bajak
The United States and Colombia are nearing agreement on expanding the U.S. military's presence in this conflict-torn nation, likely basing several hundred Americans in a central valley in support of Air Force drug interdiction missions.
Both sides say they hope a fifth round of talks slated for later this month in Bogota will seal a 10-year lease deal.
Opponents worry a broadened U.S. military role in the world's No. 1 cocaine-producing nation could antagonize Colombia's leftist neighbors and draw Washington deeper into Colombia's complicated, long-running conflict involving leftist rebels and right-wing paramilitaries.
Most details of the negotiations are secret, but senior Colombian military and civilian officials familiar with negotiations told The Associated Press that the idea is to make Colombia a regional hub for Pentagon operations.
At a public hearing Wednesday called after criticism of secrecy surrounding the talks, three Colombian ministers defended the pending accord as vital in the fight against drug trafficking and "terrorism."
"We're not ceding even a piece of territory," said the acting defense minister, Gen. Freddy Padilla.
The accord would not authorize the U.S. military to use force in Colombia, and all its activities would have to be approved by the host government, he claimed. He added that the limit on 1,400 U.S. military personnel and contractors set by the U.S. Congress would not be exceeded.
Padilla said the deal would initially involve three air bases, principally Palanquero on the Magdalena river 100 kilometers (60 miles) northwest of Bogota. The other two bases are Apiay on Colombia's eastern plains and Malambo on the Caribbean coast.
The senior Colombian officials, who agreed to describe the negotiations only if their identities were not revealed, said the draft accord also specifies more frequent "visits" by U.S. warships to two naval bases, at Malaga Bay on the Pacific and Cartagena on the Caribbean. Colombia could also get preferential treatment in arms and aircraft purchases.
The U.S. interdiction missions that the Palanquero air base would reportedly take on — identifying suspect vessels and planes so Coast Guard and Navy ships can intercept them and look for drugs — have reportedly been flown out of Manta, Ecuador, on the Pacific Ocean. About 220 Americans shared space at Manta's international airport but were allowed no more than eight planes at a time.
The E-3 AWACs and P-3 Orion surveillance planes based in Manta were credited with about 60 percent of drug interdiction in the eastern Pacific. But the U.S. mission there is shutting down this week because President Rafael Correa refused to renew its lease, calling their presence a violation of Ecuador's sovereignty.
Colombia's Palanquero base had been off-limits to U.S. military operations until April 2008 because of human rights issues: A Colombian military helicopter operating from there killed 17 civilians in a 1998 bombing of a northern town that was initially covered up.
A bill passed by the U.S. House and pending in the Senate would earmark $46 million for construction at Palanquero, which has a 3,500-meter (11,550-foot) runway and two huge hangars. The base is home to Colombia's main fighter wing.
The money would be released 15 days after a base agreement is signed.
The U.S. Embassy declined to comment about the talks. Asked recently about the talks, U.S. Ambassador William Brownfield stressed that Washington would not be acquiring bases but rather obtaining increased access to Colombian facilities.
A spokesman for the U.S. military's Southern Command, Robert Appin, said the Pentagon would have no immediate comment.
However, one indication of the Pentagon's goals can be found in a U.S. Air Mobility Command document, "Global En Route Strategy," presented in early April at a symposium at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama.
Beyond counternarcotics, the document says, Palanquero could become a "cooperative security location" from which "mobility operations could be executed" — that is, a potential jumping-off point for operations by expeditionary forces.
"Nearly half the continent can be covered by a C-17 (military transport) without refueling" from Palanquero, the document says.
Rafael Pardo, a former Colombian defense minister who is running for president in the May 2010 election, has complained of secrecy surrounding the negotiations and worries about alienating other South American nations. The radar and communications intercept ability of U.S. aircraft extends well beyond Colombia's borders.
"If it's to launch surveillance flights over other nations then it seems to me that would be needless hostility by Colombia against its neighbors," Pardo said.
At Wednesday's hearing, Foreign Minister Jaime Bermudez said the agreement would specify that U.S. flights would not cross Colombia's borders without permission from affected countries. "This is a bilateral accord whose scope is exclusively in Colombian territory," he said.
About 600 U.S. military personnel and civilian contractors already work in Colombia, according to the most recent figures. Advisers are attached to Colombian army divisions, have their own offices at armed forces headquarters and have trained thousands of Colombian troops since 2000.
Under U.S. law, the number of Defense Department employees in Colombia cannot exceed 800 while the number of military contractors cannot top 600.
That number would not change under the draft accord, the senior Colombian officials said. Nor, they said, would U.S. troops lose their immunity from local criminal prosecution.
While drug interdiction is said to be the chief U.S. goal, some worry that bringing in more Americans will lead to the U.S. taking sides in a conflict in which leftist rebels and far-right death squads, often backed by the Columbian military, have killed tens of thousands of people.
The U.S. could be pushing Colombia to negotiate a settlement with the rebels, said John Lindsay-Poland of the U.S.-based Fellowship of Reconciliation. Instead, "this is an indicator that the United States is going to be supporting a military approach."
15 July 2009
By Frank Bajak
The United States and Colombia are nearing agreement on expanding the U.S. military's presence in this conflict-torn nation, likely basing several hundred Americans in a central valley in support of Air Force drug interdiction missions.
Both sides say they hope a fifth round of talks slated for later this month in Bogota will seal a 10-year lease deal.
Opponents worry a broadened U.S. military role in the world's No. 1 cocaine-producing nation could antagonize Colombia's leftist neighbors and draw Washington deeper into Colombia's complicated, long-running conflict involving leftist rebels and right-wing paramilitaries.
Most details of the negotiations are secret, but senior Colombian military and civilian officials familiar with negotiations told The Associated Press that the idea is to make Colombia a regional hub for Pentagon operations.
At a public hearing Wednesday called after criticism of secrecy surrounding the talks, three Colombian ministers defended the pending accord as vital in the fight against drug trafficking and "terrorism."
"We're not ceding even a piece of territory," said the acting defense minister, Gen. Freddy Padilla.
The accord would not authorize the U.S. military to use force in Colombia, and all its activities would have to be approved by the host government, he claimed. He added that the limit on 1,400 U.S. military personnel and contractors set by the U.S. Congress would not be exceeded.
Padilla said the deal would initially involve three air bases, principally Palanquero on the Magdalena river 100 kilometers (60 miles) northwest of Bogota. The other two bases are Apiay on Colombia's eastern plains and Malambo on the Caribbean coast.
The senior Colombian officials, who agreed to describe the negotiations only if their identities were not revealed, said the draft accord also specifies more frequent "visits" by U.S. warships to two naval bases, at Malaga Bay on the Pacific and Cartagena on the Caribbean. Colombia could also get preferential treatment in arms and aircraft purchases.
The U.S. interdiction missions that the Palanquero air base would reportedly take on — identifying suspect vessels and planes so Coast Guard and Navy ships can intercept them and look for drugs — have reportedly been flown out of Manta, Ecuador, on the Pacific Ocean. About 220 Americans shared space at Manta's international airport but were allowed no more than eight planes at a time.
The E-3 AWACs and P-3 Orion surveillance planes based in Manta were credited with about 60 percent of drug interdiction in the eastern Pacific. But the U.S. mission there is shutting down this week because President Rafael Correa refused to renew its lease, calling their presence a violation of Ecuador's sovereignty.
Colombia's Palanquero base had been off-limits to U.S. military operations until April 2008 because of human rights issues: A Colombian military helicopter operating from there killed 17 civilians in a 1998 bombing of a northern town that was initially covered up.
A bill passed by the U.S. House and pending in the Senate would earmark $46 million for construction at Palanquero, which has a 3,500-meter (11,550-foot) runway and two huge hangars. The base is home to Colombia's main fighter wing.
The money would be released 15 days after a base agreement is signed.
The U.S. Embassy declined to comment about the talks. Asked recently about the talks, U.S. Ambassador William Brownfield stressed that Washington would not be acquiring bases but rather obtaining increased access to Colombian facilities.
A spokesman for the U.S. military's Southern Command, Robert Appin, said the Pentagon would have no immediate comment.
However, one indication of the Pentagon's goals can be found in a U.S. Air Mobility Command document, "Global En Route Strategy," presented in early April at a symposium at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama.
Beyond counternarcotics, the document says, Palanquero could become a "cooperative security location" from which "mobility operations could be executed" — that is, a potential jumping-off point for operations by expeditionary forces.
"Nearly half the continent can be covered by a C-17 (military transport) without refueling" from Palanquero, the document says.
Rafael Pardo, a former Colombian defense minister who is running for president in the May 2010 election, has complained of secrecy surrounding the negotiations and worries about alienating other South American nations. The radar and communications intercept ability of U.S. aircraft extends well beyond Colombia's borders.
"If it's to launch surveillance flights over other nations then it seems to me that would be needless hostility by Colombia against its neighbors," Pardo said.
At Wednesday's hearing, Foreign Minister Jaime Bermudez said the agreement would specify that U.S. flights would not cross Colombia's borders without permission from affected countries. "This is a bilateral accord whose scope is exclusively in Colombian territory," he said.
About 600 U.S. military personnel and civilian contractors already work in Colombia, according to the most recent figures. Advisers are attached to Colombian army divisions, have their own offices at armed forces headquarters and have trained thousands of Colombian troops since 2000.
Under U.S. law, the number of Defense Department employees in Colombia cannot exceed 800 while the number of military contractors cannot top 600.
That number would not change under the draft accord, the senior Colombian officials said. Nor, they said, would U.S. troops lose their immunity from local criminal prosecution.
While drug interdiction is said to be the chief U.S. goal, some worry that bringing in more Americans will lead to the U.S. taking sides in a conflict in which leftist rebels and far-right death squads, often backed by the Columbian military, have killed tens of thousands of people.
The U.S. could be pushing Colombia to negotiate a settlement with the rebels, said John Lindsay-Poland of the U.S.-based Fellowship of Reconciliation. Instead, "this is an indicator that the United States is going to be supporting a military approach."
15 July, 2009
Cameroon, Total Sign Oil Exploration Deal for Southwest Region.
by Emmanuel Tumanjong
Dow Jones Newswires
7/15/2009
URL: http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=78236
Total-E&P Cameroon and the government-run National Hydrocarbons Corp., or SNH, signed a deal Tuesday permitting oil exploration in the West African nation's south-western locality of Rio del Ray, SNH said.
The agreement authorizes Total-E&P to explore for oil and gas within the 83 square kilometer Longahe block "for two years, renewable once, for an estimated cost of $10 million."
"The block is confirmed to have commercial hydrocarbons," said the statement signed by SNH Administrative General Manager Adolphe Moudiki.
It further stated that if oil is found the consortium will enter production for 20 years, with the possibility of a 10-year extension.
Total E&P, which accounts for 60% of Cameroon's oil output of 80,000-85,000 barrels a day, will invest 75% at the start of the project, while Cameroon, through SNH, will be responsible for the remainder.
Total E&P is a unit of French oil major Total SA.
Dow Jones Newswires
7/15/2009
URL: http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=78236
Total-E&P Cameroon and the government-run National Hydrocarbons Corp., or SNH, signed a deal Tuesday permitting oil exploration in the West African nation's south-western locality of Rio del Ray, SNH said.
The agreement authorizes Total-E&P to explore for oil and gas within the 83 square kilometer Longahe block "for two years, renewable once, for an estimated cost of $10 million."
"The block is confirmed to have commercial hydrocarbons," said the statement signed by SNH Administrative General Manager Adolphe Moudiki.
It further stated that if oil is found the consortium will enter production for 20 years, with the possibility of a 10-year extension.
Total E&P, which accounts for 60% of Cameroon's oil output of 80,000-85,000 barrels a day, will invest 75% at the start of the project, while Cameroon, through SNH, will be responsible for the remainder.
Total E&P is a unit of French oil major Total SA.
Tullow Gets Thumbs Up from Ghana Govt to Develop Jubilee.
Tullow Oil plc
7/15/2009
URL: http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=78238
Tullow Oil announced that on July 13, 2009, the Minister of Energy in Ghana formally approved the Jubilee field Phase 1 Development Plan and Unitization Agreement on behalf of the Government of Ghana.
The Jubilee field will be developed via a Floating, Production, Storage and Offtake vessel (FPSO) and will deliver a plateau oil rate of 120,000 bopd, water injection capacity of 230,000 bwpd and gas export and injection capacity of up to 160 mmscfd. Work on the FPSO and subsea facilities was initiated in July 2008 and is on track to deliver first oil in the second half of 2010. It is estimated that phase-one development will produce in excess of the planned 300 million barrels of recoverable oil.
The phase-one development plan calls for up to 17 wells, including up to nine oil producers, five water injection wells and three gas injection wells. Water, and possibly gas, injection wells are intended to enhance production and maximize oil recovery by maintaining reservoir pressure. The development process has been designed so that produced gas will be available for export to shore and/or reinjected into the reservoir, thereby eliminating gas flaring.
The Unitization Agreement has determined the partners' initial equity interests in the Jubilee field and provides for modification of these interests as further field data becomes available. Tullow's initial equity interest in the Jubilee Unit Area, which Tullow will operate, is 34.70%. Other partner interests are Kosmos Energy (23.49%), Anadarko Petroleum (23.49%), Sabre Oil & Gas (2.81%), EO Group (1.75%) and the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) (13.75% of which 10% is carried interest).
Commenting today, Paul McDade, Chief Operating Officer, said, "Receiving formal approval from the Government of Ghana is an important milestone for the Jubilee Phase 1 development and supports our decision to fast-track the project early in 2008. By securing rig capacity and commencing the construction and drilling phases in advance, Tullow is confident that it will deliver first oil from this deepwater project just over three years since the first discovery well was drilled."
7/15/2009
URL: http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=78238
Tullow Oil announced that on July 13, 2009, the Minister of Energy in Ghana formally approved the Jubilee field Phase 1 Development Plan and Unitization Agreement on behalf of the Government of Ghana.
The Jubilee field will be developed via a Floating, Production, Storage and Offtake vessel (FPSO) and will deliver a plateau oil rate of 120,000 bopd, water injection capacity of 230,000 bwpd and gas export and injection capacity of up to 160 mmscfd. Work on the FPSO and subsea facilities was initiated in July 2008 and is on track to deliver first oil in the second half of 2010. It is estimated that phase-one development will produce in excess of the planned 300 million barrels of recoverable oil.
The phase-one development plan calls for up to 17 wells, including up to nine oil producers, five water injection wells and three gas injection wells. Water, and possibly gas, injection wells are intended to enhance production and maximize oil recovery by maintaining reservoir pressure. The development process has been designed so that produced gas will be available for export to shore and/or reinjected into the reservoir, thereby eliminating gas flaring.
The Unitization Agreement has determined the partners' initial equity interests in the Jubilee field and provides for modification of these interests as further field data becomes available. Tullow's initial equity interest in the Jubilee Unit Area, which Tullow will operate, is 34.70%. Other partner interests are Kosmos Energy (23.49%), Anadarko Petroleum (23.49%), Sabre Oil & Gas (2.81%), EO Group (1.75%) and the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) (13.75% of which 10% is carried interest).
Commenting today, Paul McDade, Chief Operating Officer, said, "Receiving formal approval from the Government of Ghana is an important milestone for the Jubilee Phase 1 development and supports our decision to fast-track the project early in 2008. By securing rig capacity and commencing the construction and drilling phases in advance, Tullow is confident that it will deliver first oil from this deepwater project just over three years since the first discovery well was drilled."
U.S. vice president Biden set to visit Georgia.
RIA Novosti
15 July 2009
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden will visit Georgia on July 22-23 and meet with the Georgian leadership, the Georgian presidential press service said on Wednesday.
"The U.S. Vice President will arrive in Georgia on July 22. He will meet with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili and the parliamentary speaker David Bakradze," the Georgian press service said in a statement.
VP Biden and Pres. Saakashvili will hold a joint news conference after the meeting, the statement said.
According to the U.S. government, the visit is aimed at demonstrating "U.S. support for continued democratic and economic reforms" and discussing "issues of mutual interest in both countries."
15 July 2009
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden will visit Georgia on July 22-23 and meet with the Georgian leadership, the Georgian presidential press service said on Wednesday.
"The U.S. Vice President will arrive in Georgia on July 22. He will meet with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili and the parliamentary speaker David Bakradze," the Georgian press service said in a statement.
VP Biden and Pres. Saakashvili will hold a joint news conference after the meeting, the statement said.
According to the U.S. government, the visit is aimed at demonstrating "U.S. support for continued democratic and economic reforms" and discussing "issues of mutual interest in both countries."
U.S. warship joins Georgia navy exercise.
RIA Novosti
15 July 2009
A U.S. guided-missile destroyer participated in a combined training exercise with Georgian warships near the Black Sea port of Batumi on Wednesday, the Coast Guard press service said.
The USS Stout docked in Batumi on Tuesday.
The exercise rehearsed emergency scenarios, such as on board fires and flooding.
The USS Stout will leave Batumi on July 17 and head for the port of Poti where it will stay until July 19.
The U.S. embassy in Georgia claimed, "U.S. Navy regular visits to the Black Sea demonstrate the U.S. commitment to Black Sea regional stability and maritime security."
The USS Stout is an Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyer, commissioned in August, 1994.
15 July 2009
A U.S. guided-missile destroyer participated in a combined training exercise with Georgian warships near the Black Sea port of Batumi on Wednesday, the Coast Guard press service said.
The USS Stout docked in Batumi on Tuesday.
The exercise rehearsed emergency scenarios, such as on board fires and flooding.
The USS Stout will leave Batumi on July 17 and head for the port of Poti where it will stay until July 19.
The U.S. embassy in Georgia claimed, "U.S. Navy regular visits to the Black Sea demonstrate the U.S. commitment to Black Sea regional stability and maritime security."
The USS Stout is an Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyer, commissioned in August, 1994.
LAST US MILITARY OPERATIONS FROM MANTA BASE.
MISNA
15 July 2009
After a decade of usage amid criticisms from Latin American civil society, the US will terminate anti-drug operations at the Manta base – 260 km. south of Quito – at the end of this week. The base will be completely vacated by September as requested by the Ecuadorian government. The defense minister, Javier Ponce, said that the Ecuadorian air force will take over Manta and then transform it into a civilian airport. In his 2006 campaign, president Rafael Correa stated his intention not to extend the 1999 accord that granted the US access to the Manta base, which Washington has considered to be a strategic centre for the ‘war on drugs’ especially as far as the ‘Plan Colombia’ launched in 2000 is concerned. Article 5 of the new constitution approved last September holds that “Ecuador is a land of peace” and that “the building of foreign military bases or installations is forbidden” nor “is it possible to grant national military bases to foreign armed or security forces”. The Latin American Human Rights organization (Aldhu) said that Manta was used illegally to fight the FARC guerrilla in Colombia through the noted mercenary group ‘DynCorp.'
15 July 2009
After a decade of usage amid criticisms from Latin American civil society, the US will terminate anti-drug operations at the Manta base – 260 km. south of Quito – at the end of this week. The base will be completely vacated by September as requested by the Ecuadorian government. The defense minister, Javier Ponce, said that the Ecuadorian air force will take over Manta and then transform it into a civilian airport. In his 2006 campaign, president Rafael Correa stated his intention not to extend the 1999 accord that granted the US access to the Manta base, which Washington has considered to be a strategic centre for the ‘war on drugs’ especially as far as the ‘Plan Colombia’ launched in 2000 is concerned. Article 5 of the new constitution approved last September holds that “Ecuador is a land of peace” and that “the building of foreign military bases or installations is forbidden” nor “is it possible to grant national military bases to foreign armed or security forces”. The Latin American Human Rights organization (Aldhu) said that Manta was used illegally to fight the FARC guerrilla in Colombia through the noted mercenary group ‘DynCorp.'
Country Lifts Ban On AngloGold Exports.
Business Week
15 July 2009
Gold miner AngloGold Ashanti was permitted to resume exporting gold from its Siguiri mine in Guinea last week after advancing a $10m payment to the government for the mine's environmental liabilities, it said yesterday.
Siguiri is the biggest gold mine in Guinea and minerals provide about a fifth of the country's earnings. The government has a 15% stake and AngloGold owns the other 85%.
Siguiri contributes about 7% of AngloGold's total production and spokesman Alan Fine said it was "a core asset" for the group.
Guinea's junta chief, Capt Moussa Dadis Camara, imposed an embargo on gold exports from the mine in March. The initial reason given was that an AngloGold executive failed to attend a mining forum called by Camara which was attended by other mining executives.
Last month the environment minister, Papa Koly Kourouma, said the suspension was because the government was examining the mine's tax position and environmental rehabilitation obligation.
AngloGold might have to pay the government of Guinea as much as $260m for environmental damage, he said.
AngloGold said there were continuing discussions with the government on the protocols of the mine's environmental liability fund of $35m. The company agreed to advance $10m to the government subject to an undertaking that this be used solely for environmental rehabilitation of Siguiri and offset against the balance of AngloGold's future environmental liabilities.
Asked whether AngloGold was confident an embargo on gold exports would not arise again, Fine said it was hoped this situation would not recur and that the relationship and understanding between AngloGold and the government of Guinea was improving.
In a separate statement, AngloGold said its production for this quarter would be $1,127-million ounces of gold, about 1% below previous guidance of $1,14-million.
15 July 2009
Gold miner AngloGold Ashanti was permitted to resume exporting gold from its Siguiri mine in Guinea last week after advancing a $10m payment to the government for the mine's environmental liabilities, it said yesterday.
Siguiri is the biggest gold mine in Guinea and minerals provide about a fifth of the country's earnings. The government has a 15% stake and AngloGold owns the other 85%.
Siguiri contributes about 7% of AngloGold's total production and spokesman Alan Fine said it was "a core asset" for the group.
Guinea's junta chief, Capt Moussa Dadis Camara, imposed an embargo on gold exports from the mine in March. The initial reason given was that an AngloGold executive failed to attend a mining forum called by Camara which was attended by other mining executives.
Last month the environment minister, Papa Koly Kourouma, said the suspension was because the government was examining the mine's tax position and environmental rehabilitation obligation.
AngloGold might have to pay the government of Guinea as much as $260m for environmental damage, he said.
AngloGold said there were continuing discussions with the government on the protocols of the mine's environmental liability fund of $35m. The company agreed to advance $10m to the government subject to an undertaking that this be used solely for environmental rehabilitation of Siguiri and offset against the balance of AngloGold's future environmental liabilities.
Asked whether AngloGold was confident an embargo on gold exports would not arise again, Fine said it was hoped this situation would not recur and that the relationship and understanding between AngloGold and the government of Guinea was improving.
In a separate statement, AngloGold said its production for this quarter would be $1,127-million ounces of gold, about 1% below previous guidance of $1,14-million.
Colombian paramilitaries admits to killing at least 21,000.
AFP
14 July 2009
Colombian right-wing paramilitaries have admitted to killing 21,000 people, prosecutors said yesterday.
"We are up to 21,000 murders that have been confessed to," Luis Gonzalez, of the public prosecutor's office, told local radio.
The confessions by the former fighters spanned a three-year period and are part of a peace deal that includes a drive to demobilise 31,000 former fighters, know as the United Colombian Self-Defence Forces, or Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia (AUC).
Gonzalez told Radio Caracol that the full extent of the "horrors" may be unknown "because there are still many murders to confess to".
"We have documented around 246,000 cases that occurred in the regions that had the Autodefensa forces," he said.
"The important thing is that we are learning the truth, who participated, who benefited from these killings."
In April, the government in Bogota declared that the AUC had ceased to exist.
Over 600 AUC leaders and members have agreed to subject themselves to controversial "justice and peace" laws that limit punishment for fighters found guilty of major crimes to eight years in prison.
14 July 2009
Colombian right-wing paramilitaries have admitted to killing 21,000 people, prosecutors said yesterday.
"We are up to 21,000 murders that have been confessed to," Luis Gonzalez, of the public prosecutor's office, told local radio.
The confessions by the former fighters spanned a three-year period and are part of a peace deal that includes a drive to demobilise 31,000 former fighters, know as the United Colombian Self-Defence Forces, or Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia (AUC).
Gonzalez told Radio Caracol that the full extent of the "horrors" may be unknown "because there are still many murders to confess to".
"We have documented around 246,000 cases that occurred in the regions that had the Autodefensa forces," he said.
"The important thing is that we are learning the truth, who participated, who benefited from these killings."
In April, the government in Bogota declared that the AUC had ceased to exist.
Over 600 AUC leaders and members have agreed to subject themselves to controversial "justice and peace" laws that limit punishment for fighters found guilty of major crimes to eight years in prison.
14 July, 2009
Ghana Prepares for Oil Boom.
Content Works
7/14/2009
URL: http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=78227
Environmental and regulatory concerns surround Ghana's plans to start producing offshore oil.
With more than 600 million barrels of proven reserves, the International Monetary Fund says oil and natural gas from Ghana's first offshore field could bring the country as much as $20 billion by 2030.
But Ghana need look no farther than Nigeria to see how squandered oil wealth can bring violence that destroys pipelines, takes hostages, and consumes the central government.
"Let me say loud and clear that the oil and natural gas in this country is for the benefit of the people of Ghana," said Ghanaian President John Atta Mills.
In an interview with VOA, Mr. Mills says his government is mindful of Nigeria's example.
"You want to learn from the experiences of others. You want to be guided by things which have worked and also take note of things which have not worked," Mills continued. "If at this stage we in Ghana can not learn from the experiences of our neighbors and colleagues on the continent, then we have no business being in politics."
President Mills' election earlier this year in the fifth successive vote since 1992 is the chief reason U.S. President Barack Obama made Ghana his first stop in Sub-Saharan Africa since taking office.
"Dependence on commodities or a single export has a tendency to concentrate wealth in the hands of the few and leaves people too vulnerable to downturns," Mr. Obama said.
He told lawmakers in Accra that countries thrive when they invest in their people and in infrastructure, when they promote multiple export industries, develop a skilled workforce, and create space for small and medium-sized businesses that generate jobs.
"Oil brings great opportunities. And you have been very responsible in preparing for new revenue. But as so many Ghanaians know, oil cannot simply become the new cocoa," Mr. Obama said.
After years of steady growth, Ghana's economy has slowed, in part due to over-spending by the previous government. A budget deficit that was nine percent of gross domestic product in 2007 now tops 15 percent of GDP. Inflation in May reached 20 percent. The value of Ghana's currency fell 13 percent in the first quarter.
"Every politician is making claims on this oil. Everyone is banking too many hopes on the oil, and that in itself is a threat," said Abdulai Dramani, environmental program officer for the Accra-base advocacy group Third World Network-Africa.
Mr. Dramani is concerned about the environmental impact of a possible oil spill and how the offshore platforms will affect the local fishing industry.
"It has been fenced-off against the fisher folks, and therefore their access to fish is impaired. And that is their livelihood source. So for them, that is the danger. Even though the oil might generate some revenue, that revenue is not likely to come to them because they have no skills of being employed," said Dramani.
Since reserves were discovered in the Jubilee field, more than 40 companies have applied for licenses to explore for oil. Dramani wants a moratorium on new licenses until Ghanaian law catches up.
President Mills says he will not allow Ghana's oil boom to get out of hand.
"I have seen all sorts of people flocking into that area. People knocking on our doors making all sorts of proposals. But we are firmly resolved to do what is right," said Mr. Mills. "We have got our blueprint. We have got our guidelines. And we will go strictly in accordance with these guidelines. There are some who are not prepared to go in accordance with the lay-down procedure. There are some who want to be favored," he continued.
Oil could bring President Mills' government $1 billion dollars in annual revenue by the start of next year. Ghana's Integrated Social Development Center says past experience with African oil booms shows that the transparent management of oil funds not only improves public spending but gives the public greater confidence that their money is being handled properly.
7/14/2009
URL: http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=78227
Environmental and regulatory concerns surround Ghana's plans to start producing offshore oil.
With more than 600 million barrels of proven reserves, the International Monetary Fund says oil and natural gas from Ghana's first offshore field could bring the country as much as $20 billion by 2030.
But Ghana need look no farther than Nigeria to see how squandered oil wealth can bring violence that destroys pipelines, takes hostages, and consumes the central government.
"Let me say loud and clear that the oil and natural gas in this country is for the benefit of the people of Ghana," said Ghanaian President John Atta Mills.
In an interview with VOA, Mr. Mills says his government is mindful of Nigeria's example.
"You want to learn from the experiences of others. You want to be guided by things which have worked and also take note of things which have not worked," Mills continued. "If at this stage we in Ghana can not learn from the experiences of our neighbors and colleagues on the continent, then we have no business being in politics."
President Mills' election earlier this year in the fifth successive vote since 1992 is the chief reason U.S. President Barack Obama made Ghana his first stop in Sub-Saharan Africa since taking office.
"Dependence on commodities or a single export has a tendency to concentrate wealth in the hands of the few and leaves people too vulnerable to downturns," Mr. Obama said.
He told lawmakers in Accra that countries thrive when they invest in their people and in infrastructure, when they promote multiple export industries, develop a skilled workforce, and create space for small and medium-sized businesses that generate jobs.
"Oil brings great opportunities. And you have been very responsible in preparing for new revenue. But as so many Ghanaians know, oil cannot simply become the new cocoa," Mr. Obama said.
After years of steady growth, Ghana's economy has slowed, in part due to over-spending by the previous government. A budget deficit that was nine percent of gross domestic product in 2007 now tops 15 percent of GDP. Inflation in May reached 20 percent. The value of Ghana's currency fell 13 percent in the first quarter.
"Every politician is making claims on this oil. Everyone is banking too many hopes on the oil, and that in itself is a threat," said Abdulai Dramani, environmental program officer for the Accra-base advocacy group Third World Network-Africa.
Mr. Dramani is concerned about the environmental impact of a possible oil spill and how the offshore platforms will affect the local fishing industry.
"It has been fenced-off against the fisher folks, and therefore their access to fish is impaired. And that is their livelihood source. So for them, that is the danger. Even though the oil might generate some revenue, that revenue is not likely to come to them because they have no skills of being employed," said Dramani.
Since reserves were discovered in the Jubilee field, more than 40 companies have applied for licenses to explore for oil. Dramani wants a moratorium on new licenses until Ghanaian law catches up.
President Mills says he will not allow Ghana's oil boom to get out of hand.
"I have seen all sorts of people flocking into that area. People knocking on our doors making all sorts of proposals. But we are firmly resolved to do what is right," said Mr. Mills. "We have got our blueprint. We have got our guidelines. And we will go strictly in accordance with these guidelines. There are some who are not prepared to go in accordance with the lay-down procedure. There are some who want to be favored," he continued.
Oil could bring President Mills' government $1 billion dollars in annual revenue by the start of next year. Ghana's Integrated Social Development Center says past experience with African oil booms shows that the transparent management of oil funds not only improves public spending but gives the public greater confidence that their money is being handled properly.
Anglogold resumes Siguiri gold mine exports.
14 Jul 2009
Reuters
AngloGold Ashanti Ltd (ANGJ.J: Quote), the world's No. 3 gold producer, said on Tuesday it had resumed exports from its mine in Guinea after the government lifted the ban on exports last month.
Production at the Siguiri mine was uninterrupted during the period of the imposed gold export embargo, the company said.
"A temporary embargo on the export of gold was lifted at the end of June, allowing a month's worth of production to be shipped from the country during the first week of July," it said in a statement.
AngloGold said it had agreed to advance $10 million for the environmental rehabilitation of the mine, subject to the condition that the payment be offset against the balance of AngloGold future environmental liabilities.
The company said the mine, in which the government of Guinea holds a 15 percent stake, produced 333,000 ounces of gold in the course of 2008 and 88,000 ounces in the first quarter of 2009.
(Reporting by Agnieszka Flak)
Reuters
AngloGold Ashanti Ltd (ANGJ.J: Quote), the world's No. 3 gold producer, said on Tuesday it had resumed exports from its mine in Guinea after the government lifted the ban on exports last month.
Production at the Siguiri mine was uninterrupted during the period of the imposed gold export embargo, the company said.
"A temporary embargo on the export of gold was lifted at the end of June, allowing a month's worth of production to be shipped from the country during the first week of July," it said in a statement.
AngloGold said it had agreed to advance $10 million for the environmental rehabilitation of the mine, subject to the condition that the payment be offset against the balance of AngloGold future environmental liabilities.
The company said the mine, in which the government of Guinea holds a 15 percent stake, produced 333,000 ounces of gold in the course of 2008 and 88,000 ounces in the first quarter of 2009.
(Reporting by Agnieszka Flak)
Pair snatched in Somalia are French Intel. agents.
IOL News
14 July 2009
The two foreigners abducted in Mogadishu on Tuesday are not journalists, but French intelligence agents who were invited to train Somali intelligence officers, a government official said.
"They are not journalists, the two work for the French government. They were invited by the defence ministry to do some training for their counterparts in the Somali intelligence services," the official said on condition of anonymity.
"They have been in Somalia nine days," the official added, without elaborating on the pair's identity.
14 July 2009
The two foreigners abducted in Mogadishu on Tuesday are not journalists, but French intelligence agents who were invited to train Somali intelligence officers, a government official said.
"They are not journalists, the two work for the French government. They were invited by the defence ministry to do some training for their counterparts in the Somali intelligence services," the official said on condition of anonymity.
"They have been in Somalia nine days," the official added, without elaborating on the pair's identity.
13 July, 2009
Turkey hopes Russia, Iran will join Nabucco gas pipeline project.
RIA Novosti
13 July 2009
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan invited Russia and Iran on Monday to join the Western-backed Nabucco gas pipeline project intended to pump natural gas to Europe.
"We want Iran to join the project when conditions will allow, and also hope for Russia's participation in it," Erdogan said at a summit meeting in Ankara convened to sign an inter-governmental agreement on Nabucco.
Representatives of almost twenty countries, including European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, had come to Turkey for the signing ceremony.
The ambitious project, estimated at $7.9 billion, is designed to pump Central Asian gas via Turkey to Austria and Germany through Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary, bypassing Russia. Gas supplies through the pipeline are expected to start in 2014.
The project will be a continuation of the existing Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum pipeline and is to transport 20 billion cubic meters of gas a year. Two-thirds of the pipeline will pass through Turkish territory.
Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran and Iraq are being touted as potential suppliers.
Erdogan called the signing of the Nabucco agreement an historic moment.
The Nabucco pipeline is seen as a rival to the Moscow-backed South Stream project designed to annually pump 31 billion cubic meters of Central Asian and Russian gas to the Balkans and on to other European countries, with the pipeline's capacity expected to be eventually increased to 63 billion cubic meters annually.
Europe has expressed concerns about being dependent on Russia, which supplies a quarter of its natural gas needs. Calls for diversified supplies intensified following a recent bitter price dispute between Russia and Ukraine in early 2009, when Moscow cut off gas to Ukraine, affecting consumers across Europe.
Moscow has argued, however, that South Stream and Nord Stream would cut EU dependence on transit states like Ukraine and improve European energy security.
13 July 2009
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan invited Russia and Iran on Monday to join the Western-backed Nabucco gas pipeline project intended to pump natural gas to Europe.
"We want Iran to join the project when conditions will allow, and also hope for Russia's participation in it," Erdogan said at a summit meeting in Ankara convened to sign an inter-governmental agreement on Nabucco.
Representatives of almost twenty countries, including European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, had come to Turkey for the signing ceremony.
The ambitious project, estimated at $7.9 billion, is designed to pump Central Asian gas via Turkey to Austria and Germany through Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary, bypassing Russia. Gas supplies through the pipeline are expected to start in 2014.
The project will be a continuation of the existing Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum pipeline and is to transport 20 billion cubic meters of gas a year. Two-thirds of the pipeline will pass through Turkish territory.
Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran and Iraq are being touted as potential suppliers.
Erdogan called the signing of the Nabucco agreement an historic moment.
The Nabucco pipeline is seen as a rival to the Moscow-backed South Stream project designed to annually pump 31 billion cubic meters of Central Asian and Russian gas to the Balkans and on to other European countries, with the pipeline's capacity expected to be eventually increased to 63 billion cubic meters annually.
Europe has expressed concerns about being dependent on Russia, which supplies a quarter of its natural gas needs. Calls for diversified supplies intensified following a recent bitter price dispute between Russia and Ukraine in early 2009, when Moscow cut off gas to Ukraine, affecting consumers across Europe.
Moscow has argued, however, that South Stream and Nord Stream would cut EU dependence on transit states like Ukraine and improve European energy security.
AMERICAN MILITARY PERSONNEL SET UP SHOP IN ASHGABAT.
EURASIA INSIGHT
By Deirdre Tynan
7/12/09
Turkmenistan is quietly developing into a major transport hub for the northern supply network, which is being used to relay non-lethal supplies to US and NATO forces in Afghanistan. The Pentagon has confirmed a small contingent of US military personnel now operates in Ashgabat to assist refueling operations.
The United States has a deal in place that allows for the landing and refueling of transport planes at Ashgabat airport, according to the US Department of Defense. NATO is also seeking to open a land corridor for supplies destined for troops in Afghanistan, a source tells EurasiaNet.
If secured, an overland rail and road route for cargo would provide military planners with a quick, well-worn path into western Afghanistan. The move would also build on Turkmenistan’s low-profile support role for the war effort.
Ashgabat has already played an important support role in Operation Enduring Freedom. Since at least 2002, aviation fuel purchased in Turkmenistan has been forwarded "via rail car to the northern [Afghan] border cities of Turghundi and Hairaton," according to Fuel Line, the in-house magazine of the Defense Energy Support Center (DESC), a Defense Department contractor that facilitates fuel supplies.
Refueling also takes place at Ashgabat airport. According to DESC, Turkmenistan is among the Central Asian countries that are "invaluable to the success of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom."
Lt. Col. Mark Wright, a spokesman for the Defense Department, on July 7 described the nature of US-Turkmen transit arrangements. "As recently discussed by Turkmen President [Gurbanguly] Berdymukhamedov in a February speech in Uzbekistan, the Government of Turkmenistan now allows the US overflights of humanitarian cargo in support of stabilizing and rebuilding efforts in Afghanistan," Lt. Col. Wright said in a written response to questions posed by EurasiaNet.
"The United States has a small Air Force team, normally around seven airmen, who assist US aircraft who refuel at Ashgabat Airport, as part of this rebuilding and stabilizing effort for Afghanistan," he added.
"These airmen live in a nearby hotel and the fact that they are there is public knowledge," Lt. Col. Wright continued. "As a matter of policy, the United States does not discuss details of ongoing or future operations, specific types of aircraft, locations, facilities, etc."
The Defense Department’s "Notice to Airmen" service indicates that Ashgabat airport facilitates the arrival of the Air Force’s giant C-5 and C-17 transport planes. According to information generated on June 10, 2009, and valid until August 4; "aircraft doors cannot be opened until Turkmenistan Customs and Border Patrol are on-scene; aircrew must wait for approval from Air Force ground crew before opening any doors. C-5 aircraft requesting transit through [Ashgabat] must coordinate with [Ashgabat air traffic control] at least three days prior to [their estimated time of arrival] due to limited ramp space for servicing. Aircraft [Model Design Series] other than C-17 must have a tow bar onboard."
In 2004-2005, Turkmenistan appeared to permit the overland supply of operational rations, bottled water and construction materials through its territory. The supplies originated at Germersheim, Germany, at the Defense Distribution Depot-Europe, according to a strategy paper prepared by Col. Kurt Ryan and published by the US Army War College. Such overland supply operations terminated when Uzbekistan evicted US forces from the Karshi-Khanabad air base.
In addition, the Turkmen government permits the presence of US troops on its territory. Last November a "small unit" of the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing deployed "at a remote location in Turkmenistan where supplies don’t come often" managed to get a Thanksgiving food parcel delivered.
"We sent them the whole shebang; turkeys, sweet potatoes, stuffing, even cranberries," a member of the 376th Expeditionary Force Support Squadron stationed in Kyrgyzstan told the public affairs wing at the Manas air base near Bishkek.
The Turkmen Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined to comment on any aspect of its cooperation with the US military. A State Department spokesman told EurasiaNet that the Defense Department did not want American diplomats publicly discussing "basing issues in Turkmenistan."
But Ashgabat is keen to tout the "high momentum" of cooperation with Washington since Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov visited the United States in June.
Russian media reports say Meredov, in lieu of American investments in Turkmenistan’s energy sector, offered to open the sprawling ex-Soviet air base at Mary to flights carrying non-military goods.
A source familiar with the operations of the northern distribution network told EurasiaNet developments at the Mary air base could not be ruled out, but added the main focus of US attention at present is on utilizing the Turkmen road and rail network.
The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in late June sought quotes from commercial logistic companies for freight operation from Riga, Latvia, to Afghanistan, via Mary and Turghundi and Herat in Afghanistan, the source said.
Turghundi is directly across the Turkmen-Afghan border from Chemenabat, the site of "large-scale" tactical exercises held last March and attended by foreign diplomats including representatives from the US Embassy in Ashgabat. In recent weeks, Turkmenistan has entertained officials from Spain, a NATO member that has both military and non-military transit deals in place with Russia.
Turkmenistan is among the Central Asian countries included in the "National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010." This act enables the Defense Department to procure goods and services locally in designated countries. The aim is to "encourage the states of Central Asia [?] to cooperate in expanding supply routes through their territory in support of operations in Afghanistan."
Experts suggest the Mary base, in southern Turkmenistan, could function in a commercial capacity in much the same way the Navoi Airport in Uzbekistan is helping transport goods destined for coalition forces in Afghanistan.
Andre Grozin, the director of the Central Asia Department at the CIS Institute in Moscow, told EurasiaNet; "If an American base appears at Mary, it will not be military, or at least it will be declared as non-military. This way it won’t contradict Turkmenistan’s neutral status."
By Deirdre Tynan
7/12/09
Turkmenistan is quietly developing into a major transport hub for the northern supply network, which is being used to relay non-lethal supplies to US and NATO forces in Afghanistan. The Pentagon has confirmed a small contingent of US military personnel now operates in Ashgabat to assist refueling operations.
The United States has a deal in place that allows for the landing and refueling of transport planes at Ashgabat airport, according to the US Department of Defense. NATO is also seeking to open a land corridor for supplies destined for troops in Afghanistan, a source tells EurasiaNet.
If secured, an overland rail and road route for cargo would provide military planners with a quick, well-worn path into western Afghanistan. The move would also build on Turkmenistan’s low-profile support role for the war effort.
Ashgabat has already played an important support role in Operation Enduring Freedom. Since at least 2002, aviation fuel purchased in Turkmenistan has been forwarded "via rail car to the northern [Afghan] border cities of Turghundi and Hairaton," according to Fuel Line, the in-house magazine of the Defense Energy Support Center (DESC), a Defense Department contractor that facilitates fuel supplies.
Refueling also takes place at Ashgabat airport. According to DESC, Turkmenistan is among the Central Asian countries that are "invaluable to the success of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom."
Lt. Col. Mark Wright, a spokesman for the Defense Department, on July 7 described the nature of US-Turkmen transit arrangements. "As recently discussed by Turkmen President [Gurbanguly] Berdymukhamedov in a February speech in Uzbekistan, the Government of Turkmenistan now allows the US overflights of humanitarian cargo in support of stabilizing and rebuilding efforts in Afghanistan," Lt. Col. Wright said in a written response to questions posed by EurasiaNet.
"The United States has a small Air Force team, normally around seven airmen, who assist US aircraft who refuel at Ashgabat Airport, as part of this rebuilding and stabilizing effort for Afghanistan," he added.
"These airmen live in a nearby hotel and the fact that they are there is public knowledge," Lt. Col. Wright continued. "As a matter of policy, the United States does not discuss details of ongoing or future operations, specific types of aircraft, locations, facilities, etc."
The Defense Department’s "Notice to Airmen" service indicates that Ashgabat airport facilitates the arrival of the Air Force’s giant C-5 and C-17 transport planes. According to information generated on June 10, 2009, and valid until August 4; "aircraft doors cannot be opened until Turkmenistan Customs and Border Patrol are on-scene; aircrew must wait for approval from Air Force ground crew before opening any doors. C-5 aircraft requesting transit through [Ashgabat] must coordinate with [Ashgabat air traffic control] at least three days prior to [their estimated time of arrival] due to limited ramp space for servicing. Aircraft [Model Design Series] other than C-17 must have a tow bar onboard."
In 2004-2005, Turkmenistan appeared to permit the overland supply of operational rations, bottled water and construction materials through its territory. The supplies originated at Germersheim, Germany, at the Defense Distribution Depot-Europe, according to a strategy paper prepared by Col. Kurt Ryan and published by the US Army War College. Such overland supply operations terminated when Uzbekistan evicted US forces from the Karshi-Khanabad air base.
In addition, the Turkmen government permits the presence of US troops on its territory. Last November a "small unit" of the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing deployed "at a remote location in Turkmenistan where supplies don’t come often" managed to get a Thanksgiving food parcel delivered.
"We sent them the whole shebang; turkeys, sweet potatoes, stuffing, even cranberries," a member of the 376th Expeditionary Force Support Squadron stationed in Kyrgyzstan told the public affairs wing at the Manas air base near Bishkek.
The Turkmen Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined to comment on any aspect of its cooperation with the US military. A State Department spokesman told EurasiaNet that the Defense Department did not want American diplomats publicly discussing "basing issues in Turkmenistan."
But Ashgabat is keen to tout the "high momentum" of cooperation with Washington since Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov visited the United States in June.
Russian media reports say Meredov, in lieu of American investments in Turkmenistan’s energy sector, offered to open the sprawling ex-Soviet air base at Mary to flights carrying non-military goods.
A source familiar with the operations of the northern distribution network told EurasiaNet developments at the Mary air base could not be ruled out, but added the main focus of US attention at present is on utilizing the Turkmen road and rail network.
The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in late June sought quotes from commercial logistic companies for freight operation from Riga, Latvia, to Afghanistan, via Mary and Turghundi and Herat in Afghanistan, the source said.
Turghundi is directly across the Turkmen-Afghan border from Chemenabat, the site of "large-scale" tactical exercises held last March and attended by foreign diplomats including representatives from the US Embassy in Ashgabat. In recent weeks, Turkmenistan has entertained officials from Spain, a NATO member that has both military and non-military transit deals in place with Russia.
Turkmenistan is among the Central Asian countries included in the "National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010." This act enables the Defense Department to procure goods and services locally in designated countries. The aim is to "encourage the states of Central Asia [?] to cooperate in expanding supply routes through their territory in support of operations in Afghanistan."
Experts suggest the Mary base, in southern Turkmenistan, could function in a commercial capacity in much the same way the Navoi Airport in Uzbekistan is helping transport goods destined for coalition forces in Afghanistan.
Andre Grozin, the director of the Central Asia Department at the CIS Institute in Moscow, told EurasiaNet; "If an American base appears at Mary, it will not be military, or at least it will be declared as non-military. This way it won’t contradict Turkmenistan’s neutral status."
Nabucco intergovernmental agreement signed in Ankara.
APA
13 July 2009
A summit dedicated to the signing of intergovernmental agreement on Nabucco project kicked off in Ankara, Turkey on Monday with the screening of the documentary about the project, APA correspondent reports from the summit.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, hosting and moderating the event, said the project would provide reliable transportation of natural gas from the Caspian and Middle East, including Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Iraq and Egypt. He said they were looking forward for Iran and Russia joining the project.
Austrian Prime Minister Werner Faymann spoke about the importance of the project and expressed confidence that it would be carried out successfully.
Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev said his country was loyal to its efforts towards the realization of Nabucco project.
Hungarian Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai emphasized the importance of the project for his country and Europe. He said the European countries are in the center of world financial crisis and faced with the difficulties to carry out the projects.
Romanian Prime Minister Emil Boc said the project was not directed against anyone and was a step toward the European energy security.
US Special representative for Eurasian Energy Richard Morningstar and US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Republicans leader Richard Lugar said they hoped that Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan would also supply the pipeline alongside with Iraq.
After the speeches, the signing ceremony began in Ankara.
13 July 2009
A summit dedicated to the signing of intergovernmental agreement on Nabucco project kicked off in Ankara, Turkey on Monday with the screening of the documentary about the project, APA correspondent reports from the summit.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, hosting and moderating the event, said the project would provide reliable transportation of natural gas from the Caspian and Middle East, including Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Iraq and Egypt. He said they were looking forward for Iran and Russia joining the project.
Austrian Prime Minister Werner Faymann spoke about the importance of the project and expressed confidence that it would be carried out successfully.
Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev said his country was loyal to its efforts towards the realization of Nabucco project.
Hungarian Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai emphasized the importance of the project for his country and Europe. He said the European countries are in the center of world financial crisis and faced with the difficulties to carry out the projects.
Romanian Prime Minister Emil Boc said the project was not directed against anyone and was a step toward the European energy security.
US Special representative for Eurasian Energy Richard Morningstar and US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Republicans leader Richard Lugar said they hoped that Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan would also supply the pipeline alongside with Iraq.
After the speeches, the signing ceremony began in Ankara.
U.K. hits Israel with partial arms embargo over Gaza war.
Haaretz
13 July 2009
By Barak Ravid
Britain has slapped a partial arms embargo on Israel, refusing to supply replacement parts and other equipment for Sa'ar 4.5 gunships because they participated in Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip earlier this year.
Britain's Foreign Office informed Israel's embassy in London of the sanctions a few days ago. The embassy, in a classified telegram to the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem, said the decision stemmed from heavy pressure by both members of Parliament and human rights organizations.
The embargo followed a government review of all British defense exports to Israel, which was announced three months ago. In total, the telegram said, Britain reviewed 182 licenses for arms exports to Israel, including 35 for exports to the Israel Navy. But it ultimately decided to cancel only five licenses, all relating to the Sa'ar 4.5 ships. The licenses in question apparently cover spare parts for the ship's guns.
The British said the embargo was imposed because these ships participated in Operation Cast Lead. In so doing, the British claimed, they violated the security agreements between Britain and Israel, which specify what uses may be made of British equipment.
Last week, Britain's foreign and defense ministries informed the relevant companies that they would have to cease their planned arms deals with Israel's navy.
Ever since the Gaza operation, British MPs and nongovernmental organizations have been trying to persuade London to impose a complete arms embargo on Israel. However, the British government has rejected this demand.
In February, Amnesty International published a report on arms sales to Israel in which it highlighted Britain's role in supplying engines for Hermes 450 drones. According to Amnesty, Israel uses these drones to conduct assassinations in Gaza. The report prompted the Palestinian organization Al-Haq to file a suit against the British government, arguing that British arms sales facilitate Israeli operations in Gaza.
In April, Foreign Secretary David Miliband informed Parliament that Britain would reexamine all its defense exports to Israel in light of Operation Cast Lead. An Israeli Foreign Ministry official said that since then, Britain's military attache in Israel has requested information on the uses Israel made of various types of British-supplied equipment during Cast Lead.
Foreign Ministry officials said that only a small percentage of Israel's defense-related imports come from Britain. According to data suppled by Britain's department of trade, these sales total some 20 million pounds - about NIS 130 million.
The British embargo is not expected to have any impact on the navy's operational capability. However, it has great political significance, and could encourage other countries to halt defense exports to Israel. The country considered most likely to be next is Belgium, which sells Israel equipment used to disperse demonstrations.
In response the British Embassy in Tel Aviv issued a statement saying, "On 21 April 2009 the Foreign Secretary issued a Written Ministerial Statement about U.K. exports to Israel which may have been used by the Israel Defense Forces during the conflict in Gaza. This statement makes clear that all exports are subject to stringent controls.
"The statement sets out clearly the detail of U.K. components in equipment that may have been used in Operation Cast Lead. U.K. equipment was not exported for specific use in Operation Cast Lead and export licenses were issued based on all the evidence available at the time they were granted.
"Future decisions will take into account what has happened in the recent conflict. We do not grant export licenses where there is a clear risk that arms will be used for external aggression or internal repression.
"We do not believe that the current situation in the Middle East would be improved by imposing an arms embargo on Israel. Israel has the right to defend itself and faces real security threats.
"This said, we consistently urge Israel to act with restraint and supported the EU Presidency statement that called the Israeli actions during operation Cast Lead 'disproportionate.'"
13 July 2009
By Barak Ravid
Britain has slapped a partial arms embargo on Israel, refusing to supply replacement parts and other equipment for Sa'ar 4.5 gunships because they participated in Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip earlier this year.
Britain's Foreign Office informed Israel's embassy in London of the sanctions a few days ago. The embassy, in a classified telegram to the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem, said the decision stemmed from heavy pressure by both members of Parliament and human rights organizations.
The embargo followed a government review of all British defense exports to Israel, which was announced three months ago. In total, the telegram said, Britain reviewed 182 licenses for arms exports to Israel, including 35 for exports to the Israel Navy. But it ultimately decided to cancel only five licenses, all relating to the Sa'ar 4.5 ships. The licenses in question apparently cover spare parts for the ship's guns.
The British said the embargo was imposed because these ships participated in Operation Cast Lead. In so doing, the British claimed, they violated the security agreements between Britain and Israel, which specify what uses may be made of British equipment.
Last week, Britain's foreign and defense ministries informed the relevant companies that they would have to cease their planned arms deals with Israel's navy.
Ever since the Gaza operation, British MPs and nongovernmental organizations have been trying to persuade London to impose a complete arms embargo on Israel. However, the British government has rejected this demand.
In February, Amnesty International published a report on arms sales to Israel in which it highlighted Britain's role in supplying engines for Hermes 450 drones. According to Amnesty, Israel uses these drones to conduct assassinations in Gaza. The report prompted the Palestinian organization Al-Haq to file a suit against the British government, arguing that British arms sales facilitate Israeli operations in Gaza.
In April, Foreign Secretary David Miliband informed Parliament that Britain would reexamine all its defense exports to Israel in light of Operation Cast Lead. An Israeli Foreign Ministry official said that since then, Britain's military attache in Israel has requested information on the uses Israel made of various types of British-supplied equipment during Cast Lead.
Foreign Ministry officials said that only a small percentage of Israel's defense-related imports come from Britain. According to data suppled by Britain's department of trade, these sales total some 20 million pounds - about NIS 130 million.
The British embargo is not expected to have any impact on the navy's operational capability. However, it has great political significance, and could encourage other countries to halt defense exports to Israel. The country considered most likely to be next is Belgium, which sells Israel equipment used to disperse demonstrations.
In response the British Embassy in Tel Aviv issued a statement saying, "On 21 April 2009 the Foreign Secretary issued a Written Ministerial Statement about U.K. exports to Israel which may have been used by the Israel Defense Forces during the conflict in Gaza. This statement makes clear that all exports are subject to stringent controls.
"The statement sets out clearly the detail of U.K. components in equipment that may have been used in Operation Cast Lead. U.K. equipment was not exported for specific use in Operation Cast Lead and export licenses were issued based on all the evidence available at the time they were granted.
"Future decisions will take into account what has happened in the recent conflict. We do not grant export licenses where there is a clear risk that arms will be used for external aggression or internal repression.
"We do not believe that the current situation in the Middle East would be improved by imposing an arms embargo on Israel. Israel has the right to defend itself and faces real security threats.
"This said, we consistently urge Israel to act with restraint and supported the EU Presidency statement that called the Israeli actions during operation Cast Lead 'disproportionate.'"
12 July, 2009
Bush’s Secret NSA Spying May Have Tainted Prosecutions, Report Warns.
Wired Danger Room
10 July 2009
By Ryan Singel
The Justice Department needs to investigate whether the secretiveness of Bush’s warrantless wiretapping program tainted terrorism prosecutions by hiding exculpatory evidence from defendants, an oversight report from five inspectors general warned Friday.
The report, mandated by Congress, also warned that President’ Bush’s post-9/11 extrajudicial intelligence programs involved unprecedented collection of communications, and that the government needs to be careful about storing and using that data.
Senator Russ Feingold, a Wisconsin Democrat who sits on the Intelligence committee, said the report showed the programs were “outrageous” and called for more declassification.
“This report leaves no doubt that the warrantless wiretapping program was blatantly illegal and an unconstitutional assertion of executive power,” Feingold said. “I once again call on the Obama administration and its Justice Department to withdraw the flawed legal memoranda that justified the program and that remain in effect today.”
The government has only admitted to eavesdropping on calls and e-mails where one end was overseas and one person was suspected to be a terrorist. It has never officially confirmed that it sucked in the telephone records of millions of Americans or eavesdropped wholesale on the internet, despite repeated media reports and confirmations from Congress members. But the report makes clear that there were more intelligence programs that the so-called “Terrorist Surveillance Program” that the administration acknowledged after the New York Times revealed in December 2005.
Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) said the report shed some light on the hidden legal machinations of the Bush administration’s secret spying programs, but that a nonpartisan commission was needed to really find out what happened.
“Without a thorough, independent review of decisions that run counter to our laws and treaties, we cannot ensure that these same mistakes are not repeated,” Leahy said.
The report comes exactly a year after Bush signed the FISA Amendments Act into law after a protracted battle in Congress over whether the telecoms that aided in the secret spying should get immunity from civil lawsuits. The Democrats, including then Senator and de-facto Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, eventually capitulated, granting immunity and giving the nation’s spooks broad powers to sift through communications in U.S. telecom hubs without court approval.
The law directed the inspectors general from the NSA, DoD, CIA, DoJ and Office of the Director of National intelligence to create reports explaining what the Bush spying programs entailed, and to create a single, unclassified summary.
The promised report reveals little new information about the program and the drama surrounding it.
After the 9/11 attacks, President Bush authorized several ultra-secret spying initiatives designed to thwart another terrorism attack. Few were allowed to know of the program’s existence, and John Yoo, a Justice Department lawyer with close ties to the White House, was given the task of creating the legal rationale for the “President’s Surveillance Program.” Yoo’s logic hinged on a belief, espoused most strongly by Vice President Dick Cheney, that the President’s wartime powers were nearly boundless.
Yoo was one of three in the Justice Department who knew about the spying programs. Not even Yoo’s boss knew what he was doing or that the programs existed.
Every 45 days the CIA or other intelligence group would write up terrorism threat summaries, later known as the “scary memos.” Those created the justification for the President’s recurring authorizations, which contradicted the plain language of the nation’s wiretapping law. That 1978 law, known as the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, required court approval for spying wiretaps placed inside the United States and it is a felony to violate that law.
According to the consolidated unclassified report, the head of the NSA in 2001, General Michael Hayden, took the White House’s legal assurances at their word and pulled together a small group of NSA employees. He told them, “We are going to do exactly what he said and not one photon or electron more.”
But Yoo’s legal memos did not withstand scrutiny from other Justice department lawyers in 2003, who found that his rationales were deeply flawed. They also discovered that his descriptions of the programs were inadequate, meaning that some of the government’s activities had no legal justification whatsoever.
That led to a much publicized showdown that included a race to then Attorney General John Ashcroft’s hospital bed and a handwritten note, never delivered, from FBI director Robert Mueller. That note said in part, “Should the President order the continuation of the FBI’s participation in the program, and in the absence of further legal advice from the AG, I would be constrained to resign as the Director of the FBI.”
The surveillance programs were saved at the last moment, using a different legal rationale. Eventually the programs were submitted to the nation’s secret spying court, but they were quickly struck down as illegal, forcing the Bush Administration to finally go to Congress to expand its wiretapping authorities.
The Justice Department IG found that the program played only a “limited role in the FBI’s overall counterterrorism efforts,” but warned that the information collected by the program could have tainted criminal prosecutions. It recommended that the Justice Department look hard to see if there was information collected by that program that should have been or should be turned over to defendants in terrorism cases. By law, prosecutors have to give a defendant all relevant information about their case, including any evidence that helps a defendant prove they are innocent.
The report ends with a stern, albeit vague, warning about the scale and lingering effects of the program now that it has been legalized by Congress.
“The collection activities pursued under the PSP and under FISA following the PSP’s transition to that authority, involved unprecedented collection activities. We believe the retention and use by Intelligence Community organizations of information collected under the PSP and FISA should be carefully monitored,” the report’s final lines read.
10 July 2009
By Ryan Singel
The Justice Department needs to investigate whether the secretiveness of Bush’s warrantless wiretapping program tainted terrorism prosecutions by hiding exculpatory evidence from defendants, an oversight report from five inspectors general warned Friday.
The report, mandated by Congress, also warned that President’ Bush’s post-9/11 extrajudicial intelligence programs involved unprecedented collection of communications, and that the government needs to be careful about storing and using that data.
Senator Russ Feingold, a Wisconsin Democrat who sits on the Intelligence committee, said the report showed the programs were “outrageous” and called for more declassification.
“This report leaves no doubt that the warrantless wiretapping program was blatantly illegal and an unconstitutional assertion of executive power,” Feingold said. “I once again call on the Obama administration and its Justice Department to withdraw the flawed legal memoranda that justified the program and that remain in effect today.”
The government has only admitted to eavesdropping on calls and e-mails where one end was overseas and one person was suspected to be a terrorist. It has never officially confirmed that it sucked in the telephone records of millions of Americans or eavesdropped wholesale on the internet, despite repeated media reports and confirmations from Congress members. But the report makes clear that there were more intelligence programs that the so-called “Terrorist Surveillance Program” that the administration acknowledged after the New York Times revealed in December 2005.
Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) said the report shed some light on the hidden legal machinations of the Bush administration’s secret spying programs, but that a nonpartisan commission was needed to really find out what happened.
“Without a thorough, independent review of decisions that run counter to our laws and treaties, we cannot ensure that these same mistakes are not repeated,” Leahy said.
The report comes exactly a year after Bush signed the FISA Amendments Act into law after a protracted battle in Congress over whether the telecoms that aided in the secret spying should get immunity from civil lawsuits. The Democrats, including then Senator and de-facto Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, eventually capitulated, granting immunity and giving the nation’s spooks broad powers to sift through communications in U.S. telecom hubs without court approval.
The law directed the inspectors general from the NSA, DoD, CIA, DoJ and Office of the Director of National intelligence to create reports explaining what the Bush spying programs entailed, and to create a single, unclassified summary.
The promised report reveals little new information about the program and the drama surrounding it.
After the 9/11 attacks, President Bush authorized several ultra-secret spying initiatives designed to thwart another terrorism attack. Few were allowed to know of the program’s existence, and John Yoo, a Justice Department lawyer with close ties to the White House, was given the task of creating the legal rationale for the “President’s Surveillance Program.” Yoo’s logic hinged on a belief, espoused most strongly by Vice President Dick Cheney, that the President’s wartime powers were nearly boundless.
Yoo was one of three in the Justice Department who knew about the spying programs. Not even Yoo’s boss knew what he was doing or that the programs existed.
Every 45 days the CIA or other intelligence group would write up terrorism threat summaries, later known as the “scary memos.” Those created the justification for the President’s recurring authorizations, which contradicted the plain language of the nation’s wiretapping law. That 1978 law, known as the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, required court approval for spying wiretaps placed inside the United States and it is a felony to violate that law.
According to the consolidated unclassified report, the head of the NSA in 2001, General Michael Hayden, took the White House’s legal assurances at their word and pulled together a small group of NSA employees. He told them, “We are going to do exactly what he said and not one photon or electron more.”
But Yoo’s legal memos did not withstand scrutiny from other Justice department lawyers in 2003, who found that his rationales were deeply flawed. They also discovered that his descriptions of the programs were inadequate, meaning that some of the government’s activities had no legal justification whatsoever.
That led to a much publicized showdown that included a race to then Attorney General John Ashcroft’s hospital bed and a handwritten note, never delivered, from FBI director Robert Mueller. That note said in part, “Should the President order the continuation of the FBI’s participation in the program, and in the absence of further legal advice from the AG, I would be constrained to resign as the Director of the FBI.”
The surveillance programs were saved at the last moment, using a different legal rationale. Eventually the programs were submitted to the nation’s secret spying court, but they were quickly struck down as illegal, forcing the Bush Administration to finally go to Congress to expand its wiretapping authorities.
The Justice Department IG found that the program played only a “limited role in the FBI’s overall counterterrorism efforts,” but warned that the information collected by the program could have tainted criminal prosecutions. It recommended that the Justice Department look hard to see if there was information collected by that program that should have been or should be turned over to defendants in terrorism cases. By law, prosecutors have to give a defendant all relevant information about their case, including any evidence that helps a defendant prove they are innocent.
The report ends with a stern, albeit vague, warning about the scale and lingering effects of the program now that it has been legalized by Congress.
“The collection activities pursued under the PSP and under FISA following the PSP’s transition to that authority, involved unprecedented collection activities. We believe the retention and use by Intelligence Community organizations of information collected under the PSP and FISA should be carefully monitored,” the report’s final lines read.
Russia Wants to Open 2nd Military Base in Kyrgyzstan.
Reuters
10 July 2009
Russia, seeking to offset growing U.S. influence in Central Asia, has asked Kyrgyzstan to allow it to open another military base in the country, a senior Kyrgyz official said Thursday.
Russia and the United States both operate their own military bases in Kyrgyzstan, an arrangement security analysts see as a symbol of Moscow’s rivalry with Washington for control over the strategically important region bordering Afghanistan.
The senior Kyrgyz government official said Moscow had asked Kyrgyzstan to allow it to open another military base in southern Kyrgyzstan.
“Russia voiced this request itself,” the source said on condition of anonymity, citing the sensitivity of the issue. “Russia wants to restore its influence.”
The source made his remarks shortly after a Russian delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin and Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov visited Bishkek this week.
Speculation that Moscow might be seeking another base in Central Asia emerged after Kyrgyzstan agreed last month to allow the United States to continue using its Manas air base, reversing an earlier, Russia-backed decision to shut it.
The Kremlin confirmed that talks had taken place in Bishkek.
“I can confirm that Deputy Prime Minister Sechin and Defense Minister Serdyukov were there and held talks,” Kremlin spokeswoman Natalya Timakova said on the sidelines of a Group of Eight summit in Italy.
She refused to elaborate on the topics discussed. The Foreign Ministry and the Defense Ministry declined comment.
The Kyrgyz source said Russia wanted to use an abandoned Soviet-era military facility near the city of Osh in the densely populated Ferghana valley — a strategic location near China and Afghanistan — as a foundation for a new base.
“The issue is being discussed currently,” the source said, adding that the facility still had good military infrastructure.
The U.S.-operated Manas air base opened in Kyrgyzstan in 2001 to support military operations in Afghanistan. Like Russia’s Kant air base, it is located near the capital, Bishkek.
10 July 2009
Russia, seeking to offset growing U.S. influence in Central Asia, has asked Kyrgyzstan to allow it to open another military base in the country, a senior Kyrgyz official said Thursday.
Russia and the United States both operate their own military bases in Kyrgyzstan, an arrangement security analysts see as a symbol of Moscow’s rivalry with Washington for control over the strategically important region bordering Afghanistan.
The senior Kyrgyz government official said Moscow had asked Kyrgyzstan to allow it to open another military base in southern Kyrgyzstan.
“Russia voiced this request itself,” the source said on condition of anonymity, citing the sensitivity of the issue. “Russia wants to restore its influence.”
The source made his remarks shortly after a Russian delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin and Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov visited Bishkek this week.
Speculation that Moscow might be seeking another base in Central Asia emerged after Kyrgyzstan agreed last month to allow the United States to continue using its Manas air base, reversing an earlier, Russia-backed decision to shut it.
The Kremlin confirmed that talks had taken place in Bishkek.
“I can confirm that Deputy Prime Minister Sechin and Defense Minister Serdyukov were there and held talks,” Kremlin spokeswoman Natalya Timakova said on the sidelines of a Group of Eight summit in Italy.
She refused to elaborate on the topics discussed. The Foreign Ministry and the Defense Ministry declined comment.
The Kyrgyz source said Russia wanted to use an abandoned Soviet-era military facility near the city of Osh in the densely populated Ferghana valley — a strategic location near China and Afghanistan — as a foundation for a new base.
“The issue is being discussed currently,” the source said, adding that the facility still had good military infrastructure.
The U.S.-operated Manas air base opened in Kyrgyzstan in 2001 to support military operations in Afghanistan. Like Russia’s Kant air base, it is located near the capital, Bishkek.
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