Regional Disarmament Conference in Ashgabat–Leading the World to Global Peace

nCa Analysis Ashgabat, 28 June 2010 (nCa) — Turkmenistan hosted 24 June a regional conference on disarmament. This was a promising start for a slow but sure process that could eventually build sufficient moral pressure for the world to follow suit. The conference: The participants included the Central Asian and Caspian Basin countries – Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan – and several international and regional organizations such as the UN, OSCE, SCO, CIS and OIC. The level of representation was high, indicating the interest of the countries and organization in the concept of regional disarmament. The UN was the lead organization, represented by Sergio de Queiroz Duarte, UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs. The foreign minister of Kazakhstan was present in his dual capacity as Chairman in Office of OSCE and foreign minister of a regional country. Foreign ministers of Iran and Tajikistan were also present. Other high profile participants included the secretaries general of OSCE and CIS, an ambassador-level representative of OIC, a senior official from SCO and representatives from the Organization for Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and the Organization for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. All the speakers expressed enthusiastic support for disarmament in the Central Asia and Caspian region. Since the conference was held under the auspices of the United Nations, it was but natural that a key role for future efforts in this direction should devolve to the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy in Central Asia. The concept: The proposal for the regional disarmament conference was first floated by President Berdymuhamedov in his speech at the 64th session of the UN General Assembly in New York in September 2009. He said during the speech, “We are convinced that the less weaponry there is in the world, the more stable its development will be, and the more trust and understanding there will be between countries and nations.” The proposal was followed by concrete steps. A meeting of the representatives of the eight regional countries – Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan – took place in Ashgabat on 2 December 2009. The meeting was actually a brainstorming session to identify the basic elements for building the disarmament mechanisms at the regional, and ultimately global, level. The meeting came to agreement that three inter-related subjects should constitute the foundation on which to construct the dialogue for disarmament: Review and analysis of situation on disarmament issues in Central Asia and Caspian Region The assessment of international legal framework and the challenges of its further development The role of international organizations in addressing the issues related to disarmament The second consultative meeting, again in Ashgabat, was held on 23 February 2010. The participating countries and organizations had the opportunity to exchange notes and fine-tune the agenda for the main conference that was held last week. It is necessary to underline that Central Asia has impeccable credentials to lead the global pursuit for disarmament. It is already a nuclear-weapons free zone, the first and only such zone in the world. The treaty creating the Central Asia zone free of nuclear weapons (CANWFZ) came into force on 21 March 2009. Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are parties to the treaty. Under the treaty and its additional protocol, the Central Asian countries have voluntarily agreed to refrain from development, manufacture, stockpiling, acquisition and possession of any nuclear explosive devices within the zone. They have also accepted enhanced IAEA safeguards. The outcome of the conference: The simple fact that the disarmament conference took place at all makes it an unconditional success. It is no mean feat to bring so many countries and organizations with diverse inclinations to the negotiation table. This is attributable to the reputation of Turkmenistan as an honestly neutral country and a reliable mediator. At the end of the conference, the unanimous support of all the participants for the conference objectives was confirmation of the fact that discernible headway had been made. The conference participants agreed that the Ashgabat meeting had “created a solid platform for concrete actions and further exchange of views on issues of collective security and, thereby, promoted peace and stability in the region.” The enthusiastic stance of Russia and Iran during the conference is indicative of the possibility that the process started during the conference could eventually evolve into a global dialogue for disarmament. The message of the president of Turkmenistan to the participants of the conference said, in part, “Today our country doesn’t confine its activity to peacemaking initiatives at a national level. Abiding by the principles of friendliness and good neighbourliness, Turkmenistan stands for intensifying stable, coordinated, full-scale cooperation aimed at implementing consistently the disarmament strategy at the regional and global levels.” This is the key concept – regions must first synchronize their positions and then go global in pursuit of peace, stability and progress. What is required is persistence and patience. Turkmenistan has these qualities in abundance and it also has the support of the regional countries and international and regional bodies. The process has started in the Ashgabat conference but it will need full and active support from all stakeholders at every step because, frankly speaking, it is an uphill task. Turkmenistan, as the initiator of the idea, fully understands that it entails streamlining of the political will of so many countries and organizations, a formidable challenge by any measure. However, what is at stake is much higher than the perceptions of some countries or organizations – the very existence of the mankind as a civilized resident of this planet. While the Central Asia and Caspian region ponders disarmament, the rest of the world cannot afford to sit idle. This is the common responsibility of the global community. Closely related to the issue of disarmament is the question as to what is the optimum level of self defence capability. This question is especially relevant when one considers that Central Asia and Caspian region is home to several present and potential conflict situations with no easy solutions in sight. The idea of disarmament is also associated with conflict prevention because, at least in theory, the less capacity to wage war, the higher the desire to maintain peace. A realistic approach to disarmament should be closely linked to prospects of external aggression. If one region voluntarily goes for disarmament and other regions don’t follow the suit, what would be the outcome? In case of external aggression, should the countries that have opted for disarmament, outsource their defence to countries that have refuse to voluntary disarmament? Clearly, this is not a viable solution. Every country must be able to defend itself but this can only happen if every country has also reduced its capacity to launch aggression. The question of disarmament is also associated with the question of reduction in production capacity. If a country reduces its stockpiles but retains or increases its capacity to produce arms and ammunition, what would be the net result of all this entire exercise? There is another issue that needs to be addressed together with disarmament and that is the denial of availability of weapons to non state actors. These are but some of the challenges facing the complicated but highly rewarding task of disarmament. Turkmenistan is one of the few countries in the world that actually means what it says. This is in sharp contrast to some countries that pay lip service to disarmament but keep working diligently on expanding their defence alliances; they talk peace but scheme tirelessly to encircle certain countries that they perceive as threatening to their global agenda. Nevertheless, in a world where no one holds the status of an unchallenged superpower anymore, disarmament is the only option.

Belarus completes transfer of nuclear warheads to Russia

US lauds strategic Kazakhstan’s controversial leader

Ukraine’s nuclear disarmament has not been fully appreciated by the world community

Islamabad is seeking a separate peace with the Taliban

U.S. disturbed by the machinations of the Pakistani generals

Vladimir Skosyrev

General Kajaani can become a mediator between Kabul and the Taliban. Photo Reuters

General McChrystal shift from the post of commander of NATO forces has caused confusion in Kabul. Using this, Pakistan urges Karzai to make peace with the Taliban.Pakistan hopes to strengthen influence in Afghanistan after the Americans leave.

After the U.S. president Barack Obama has dismissed the commander of coalition forces in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, the U.S. military mission there, as noticed New York Times, temporarily transformed into a ship without a captain. “ To invigorate his team and Afghan allies, Washington has sent to Kabul, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen.

“Management was changed, but the strategy remains unchanged” – Admiral assured Afghan President Hamid Karzai, the U.S. Embassy staff and members of NATO in Kabul.

However, the dismissal McChrystal heightened unrest among Afghan officials and officers of the security forces. These people are not confident that the U.S. does not leave the country, leaving them alone with the Taliban.

Atmosphere of doubt and uncertainty about the U.S. plans were quick to take advantage of the Pakistani generals who seek a political settlement in Afghanistan that would allow Pakistan to increase their influence on the neighbor. The Pakistani army and its powerful intelligence service ISI persuade Karzai and his entourage to go to share power with the Taliban.

The Pakistani military says Afghan leaders that they can ensure the participation in the peaceful settlement of the militias, Sirajuddin Haqqani, obeying, one of the leaders of the Taliban. In that President Karzai personally assured by none other than the Chief of Staff of Pakistan Army General Ashfaq Parvez Kajaani and the intelligence service chief, General Ahmad Shuja Pasha.

According to Afghan officials, Pakistani generals promised to bring the peace talks and other wards of the Taliban factions.

Washington with a degree of nervousness is watching as the Kajaani and Pasha travel to Kabul to persuade members of the Afghan government that, because the U.S. can not win, you need to incorporate the authorities Haqqani network.

Secret diplomatic game is becoming more intense. Today in the capital of Afghanistan, the envoys again to fly the Pakistani armed forces.

One American officials admitted to reporters New York Times: Pakistanis pour the salt into the wounds Karzai, who harbored resentment against Washington for what he has accused Afghan President in rigging the elections.

The result of underhanded may be a separate peace between government supporters and the Karzai of Pakistan among the Taliban. In this case the U.S. may be switched off from the negotiating process. This means that the main task the Afghan campaign – to deprive al-Qaida refuge in South Asia – will not be solved. After Haqqani commanders closely linked with al-Qaida.

Why is it that Islamabad, which is officially a key U.S. ally in the war on terror, is playing a double game? Its main objective is that after the Americans leave Afghanistan fell under the protectorate of India, the main potential enemy of Pakistan.

The ISI has long protector units Haqqani, which are strongholds across southern Afghanistan. This is the main “asset” in Afghanistan, the Pakistani intelligence services, also known by the abbreviation ISI. Haqqani militants staged attacks against the Indian missions in Afghanistan. But their attacks, according to the new commander of coalition forces in Afghanistan General David Petraeus, was exposed and the U.S. Bagram base. This should serve as a signal to Washington that it is better not to persist and to accept the connection network rebels to negotiate a peace settlement.

Sczhizophrenic American Economic Policies–Pouring In the Cash-vs-Siphoning Money Out

[It will take an international office of economic planning to oversee the implementation of the G20 plan.   Nations with budget surpluses will be required to spend money like there is no tomorrow, while states saddled with huge deficits will have to pull back on the reins.  Will individual governments be trusted to take the proper action at the correct time?  Who will govern when each nation should hit the economic gas pedal and when they should brake?]

Summers: U.S. must balance stimulus, deficits

By Ben Rooney, staff reporterMay 24, 2010: 7:47 PM ET

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — The U.S. government must find a balance between supporting the economic recovery and reducing long-term budget deficits, White House economic advisor Lawrence Summers said Monday.

While the economy has resumed its growth and the possibility of a depression now seems remote, the government should continue its efforts to spur job growth and boost economic output, said Summers, who is director of the White House National Economic Council.

But the challenges posed by the nation’s growing budget deficit “cannot be ignored,” he added.

“The fiscal policy choices that the United States makes over the next several years will be as consequential as any we have made in a very long time,” Summers said in a speech at Johns Hopkins University.

Summers said it was “essential” for the government to run deficits over the last few years as the economy fell into one of the deepest recessions on record.

He said the government’s stimulus measures helped revive economic growth, though he acknowledged that many households are still struggling as unemployment hovers near 10%. As a result, he said it is crucial for the government to continue its efforts to support the economy in the near future.

“It would be an act of fiscal shortsightedness to break from the longstanding practice of extending these provisions at a moment when sustained economic recovery is so crucial to our medium-term fiscal prospects,” he said.

Still, the government must take steps to ensure that the nation’s budget deficit is sustainable over the long term, he added.

The U.S. budget deficit soared to $1.4 trillion last year and is expected to rise past $1.5 trillion this year, according to the Treasury Department.

Summers said much of that deficit will be reduced over the next five years as economic stimulus measures are phased out. He outlined a number of other steps to help bring down the deficit over time, including the Obama Administration’s recently enacted health care reform bill.

Obama’s Plan To Carve One-Quarter Trillion Dollars Per Year for Three Year

“The U.S. budget deficit soared to $1.4 trillion last year and is expected to rise past $1.5 trillion this year, according to the Treasury Department.”–CNN

[If Obama seriously tries to carve one-quarter of a trillion dollars a year from the federal deficit by 2013, then it will require deep cuts in social spending, unless this all turns-out to be more juggling of numbers.  By the time he is through, Americans will be in the streets by the thousands, making the events now unfolding in the streets of Greece and elsewhere seem like peace rallies by comparison.]

President Obama urges G-20 nations to spend; they pledge to halve deficits

Obama says he’s serious about tackling deficits

The Motorcycle Assassins of Pakistan Strike Again and Again, With Impugnity

[The identity of these motorcycle machin-gunners is known far and wide in Pakistan, but the names of the sponsors are never expressed.  They are the killers of Baloch and Punjabi alike; they are the murderers of generals and political leaders--but they work for someone.  Be brave enough to name them, at least as suspects, when reporting on these professional hits.] Two Settlers Shot Dead in Khuzdar, FC check points attacked in Mand, Mashky

on 2010/6/27 0:00:00 (20 reads)

ccupied Balochistan, KHUZDAR: Unknown armed persons on Saturday gunned down two persons at a garage, situated in Naal area of Khuzdar. According to details unknown armed motorcyclists opened indiscriminate firing at a garage, killing two persons including an automobile engineer and his guest, and fled away from the crime scene. Police said that the deceased belonged to Punjab. Police while registering the case against unknown persons handed over the corpse to the heirs. Meanwhile another settler namely Tanver Ahamad was fired upon in Quetta. According to dailytawar unknown armed motorcyclist open fire on Tanver Ahmad at Sheikh Omer road in Quetta, as a result of the firing he suffered serious bullet wounds. The attacker managed to flee from the scene after the attack.

Russia urges creation of new international monetary control system

27.06.2010 04:51

Russia called on the participants at the G8 summit to consider the creation of a new international monetary control system, which could help prevent further crises, an aid to Russian President Dmitry Medvedevsaid, RIA Novosti reported.

Arkady Dvorkovich told journalists on Saturday that the introduction of additional reserve currencies would be the best measure that could assure global financial stability. Another possible step is increasing the role of Special Drawing Rights, a “quasi currency,” which the International Monetary Fund allocates to nations allowing them to increase their foreign exchange reserves without money being borrowed or lent.

Besides this, Dvorkovich said, nations should discuss their monetary policies with each other. Such consultations could “increase the stability of the international currency system” and become a “serious element” of a new financial control system, he said.

According to Dvorkovich, French president Nicolas Sarkozy said during the talks that countries should prevent attacks on national currencies, but made no concrete proposals.

The Russian president’s aid said the issue would be raised during the G20 summit in Toronto on Sunday.

Referendum is the first step away from disaster – Kyrgyzstan CEC member

27.06.2010 19:38

Kyrgyzstan, Osh, June 27 /Trend, special correspondent S.Gafarova /

Referendum in Kyrgyzstan is the first step away from disaster, the member of the Central Electoral Committee of Kyrgyzstan,Nurlan Seitov said in interview to Trend.

“We can confidently assert that the decision of the Interim Government of Kyrgyzstan to hold a plebiscite at the appointed time at any cost was fullfilled”, Seitov said.

On Sunday Kyrgyzstan holds a referendum on a new constitution which transforms the country into a parliamentary republic and also endorses the current head of the Provisional Government Roza Otunbayeva as interim president for 1,5 years.

According to Seitov, protests in Kyrgyz society were high on the eve of the referendum.

“The experts and politicians warned of a possible escalation of the conflict and of certain forces preparing to spoil the referendum. Given the fragile security situation, many international organizations preferred not to send observers to a referendum in Kyrgyzstan. For example, the OSCE has withdrawn 300 of its observers. There are about 100 international observers in the country now. In Osh and Jalal-Abad their representation is scanty “, he said.

According to him, in advance of the referendum, local authorities have taken security measures.

“The protection of buildings, where electoral commissions are located has been reinforced. Voters are provided with transport. Decree of Interim Government allowed residents of Osh and Jalal-Abad who lost their documents during the pogroms to vote in order of voters’ list. The curfew which will last until August 10 – the beginning of the Muslim holiday Orozo – is lifted for the day of the referendum “, said Seitov.

Do you have any feedback? Contact our journalist at trend@trend.az

US Asst. Sec. State Gordon Warns Turkey Must Prove Its Committment (Submission)

US to Turkey: ‘If you love me, then prove it’

WASHINGTON – Associated Press

Philip Gordon. AP photo

The Obama administration’s top diplomat on European affairs warned Turkey that it needed to better demonstrate its commitment to partnership with the West.

“We think Turkey remains committed to NATO, Europe and the United States, but that needs to be demonstrated,” diplomat Philip Gordon, told the Associated Press in a Saturday interview. “There are people asking questions about it in a way that is new, and that in itself is a bad thing that makes it harder for the U.S. to support some of the things that Turkey would like to see us support.”

Gordon cited Turkey’s vote against a U.S.-backed U.N. Security Council resolution on new sanctions against Iran and noted Turkey’s reactions after Israel’s deadly assault on a Gaza-bound flotilla last month. The Security Council vote came shortly after Turkey and Brazil had brokered a nuclear fuel-swap deal with Iran as an effort to delay or avoid new sanctions.

Some U.S. lawmakers who have supported Turkey have lashed out and warned of consequences for Ankara since the Security Council vote and the flotilla raid that left eight Turks and one American citizen of Turkish descent dead. The lawmakers accused Turkey of supporting a flotilla that aimed to undermine Israel’s blockade of Gaza and of cozying up to Iran.

The raid has led to chilling of ties between Turkey and Israel, countries that have long maintained a strategic alliance in the Middle East.

Turkey’s ambassador: unfair

Turkey’s ambassador to the United States, Namık Tan, expressed surprise at Gordon’s comments. He said Turkey’s commitment to NATO remains strong and should not be questioned. “I think this is unfair,” he said.

Turkish officials have explained repeatedly to U.S. counterparts that voting against the proposed sanctions was the only credible decision after the Turkish-brokered deal with Iran. Turkey has opposed sanctions as ineffective and damaging to its interests with an important neighbor. It has said that it hopes to maintain channels with Tehran to continue looking for a solution to the standoff over Iran’s alleged nuclear arms ambitions.

“We couldn’t have voted otherwise,” Tan said. “We put our own credibility behind it.”

Gordon: Americans surprised

Gordon said Turkey’s explanations of the U.N. episode have not been widely understood in Washington. “There is a lot of questioning going on about Turkey’s orientation and its ongoing commitment to strategic partnership with the United States,” he said. “Turkey, as a NATO ally and a strong partner of the United States not only didn’t abstain but voted no, and I think that Americans haven’t understood why.”

Baloch National Party’s Political Suicide

Editorial:National Party’s Political Suicide

Central President of the National Party (NP) Senator Dr. Abdul Malik Baloch has publically defended his party’s decision to welcome an internationally notorious drug baron in his party by saying that the inclusion or exclusion of individuals does not influence the party manifesto.

It was the first time when Dr. Malik came publically to clarify his party’s position on a matter –granting membership of National Party to a drug dealer wanted by the US government—which had stunned every Baloch. The supporters and the opponents of National Party had been taken aback how a party claiming to comprise of middle-class educated people accommodate a declared drug dealer in its ranks.

While Dr. Malik’s response given in a press conference in Quetta on Saturday does not fully answer the real question, the motives behind including a drug baron into a so-called nationalist party could be other than merely what the party chief had to say. The National Party seems to have accommodated the man with objectionable role in the party perhaps to gain enormous funding in the wake of changing political dynamics across the country where money has become an instrumental agent of pursuing politics. Secondly, our political culture has increasingly become violent and intolerant wherein the National Party has seemingly succumbed to the notion that its survival hugely depends on tying up with gangsters and drug dealers.

No matter what justifications National Party (NP) offers for its decision, the inclusion of a known drug dealer into a political party that champions the cause of Baloch rights is highly condemnable. Political parties are not above ethical codes and political doctrines. They are expected to uphold some primary moral, social and political codes before indulging into politics. The National Party has disappointed millions of Balochs by encouraging a man to become its member whose job is to sell drugs to Baloch children in order to to make more money.

Ideally, a political party has to stand first to fight drugs and prevent the youngsters from using them to create a healthy society.  But if the top leadership of a party decides to provide a platform to a drug dealer then it simply translates into official endorsement of this detestable business. Late Mir Ghose Baksh Bizenjo, on whose political ideology National Party was founded, would never approve of what his son, Mir Hasil Khan Bizenjo, and disciple Dr. Malik are doing under the pretext of ”politics of moderation” and “progressive thoughts”.

Mir Ghose Baksh Bizenjo would have surely wept like a child if he saw drug dealers, who provide poison to his Baloch grandchildren, standing under his umbrella.

If today Dr. Malik sees nothing wrong with including a drug baron into his party, tomorrow he will surely not find it morally and politically wrong to defend the business of the drug mafia in Mekran region. After all National Party has made up its mind to welcome money from the drug mafia as a source of financing to run its politics. As a next step, the National Party may also agree to provide ticket to contest election to the same drug dealer to provide him an official platform to transect black money.

National Party has irked a wide segment of Baloch society by committing such a huge political blunder. Worse still is the disgraceful and unconvincing defense the party chief is offering for his decision. He would have earned more respect if he worked equally hard on bringing educated Balochs, educationists, doctors and professionals into his party to play a significant role in educating the Baloch society. Drug dealers do not make nations; they ruin young generations.

Only the Baloch Liberation Front (BLF) has reacted openly against the NP decision and vowed to continue its battle against the drug mafia. The graph of BLF’s popularity rose significantly recently in Mekran region when it decided to dismantle the networks of the drug mafia. It is primarily the responsibility of the government and political parties to eliminate drugs from a society but nothing has been done in this regard from the concerned quarters yet. Therefore, many underground organizations have decided to undertake the crucial task which they have pursued impressively so far.

Interestingly, NP does not ever take seriously any criticism directed towards it. It keeps on insisting that it is vulnerable to “unjustified” criticism because it comprises of middle-class educated people. If there were Sardars and tribal chiefs in its ranks, it adds, no one would ever dare to raise fingers against it. This is an old-fashioned argument that does not apply on today’s changed ground realities. Everyone who uses the Baloch card has to be answerable to the nation for his/her actions. If the Baloch youth have not spared veteran leaders like Sardar Attaullah Mengal then Malik should not complain if he is asked for an explanation for providing a platform to drug smuggler.

National Party’s close contacts with the establishment always dominated the political discussions at Chaynki and Thagirdi hotels across Balochistan. With its fresh anti-Baloch maneuver, NP has committed political suicide and further distanced itself from the Baloch youths who beg not to be offered drugs.

Karachi Baloch on the Crossroads

Salal Balouch , Götebourg

Karachi, the city of lightness has once again was plunged into darkness where the owner’s of Karachi the Baloch nation face discrimination and subjugation by the Drug mafia and Land mafia organizations whom are working for secret services and who are involved in land grabbing and drug trafficking inside Karachi’s mostly Baloch dominated area of Lyari. Lyari once a peaceful place where the Baloch lived for ages and their daily earning was due to fishing and harboring in the sea of Keamari. But as Karachi once called Kulachi was changed and the economical growth was gaining grounds inside the market of Karachi, Karachi became the port city of Pakistan and thus Karachi was then known to be the City of Lights where once Baloch were the lights of this city.

Although many years have passed and the population of Karachi crossed to 30 million, the Baloch were left behind and so the town of Lyari was thrown in the depths of Drug dealers, gamblers & gangster which were destined with the people of Lyari. Lyari once peaceful has became a new battle ground where Baloch are standing on the crossroads, they are being target killed, and they are being subjugated by the Drug dealers & Land Grabbers whom are agents of Political parties.

Karachi most Baloch places or societies are very old and they were settled here when Pakistan was not even separated from British India, Lyari, Golimar, Baloch Colony, Kiamasiri are just mere examples of Baloch residing inside Karachi for centuries but as Karachi’s economically boosted, the rise in population was seen but the droll thing is this that most of the population came from the outside like Punjab, N.W.F.P and even from India where tens of thousands of people migrated in the time of Zia-ul-Haq who planned to break the popularity of PPPP by backing up the Muhajir Quami Movement (MQM) whom were given everything they asked, the Government tried to settle up these muhajirs in the muhajir camp area of Karachi. These huge migrations of people from other places was done in the name of development and like this so called development scheme the local population of Karachi Baloch & Sindhi were left behind and we can see these kinds of drama going on inside the port city of Balochistan Gwadar, where Baloch are being fooled for the so called packages & provincial autonomy.

The same picture is in Gwadar where the new deep sea project is situated, after the completion and before the making of deep sea port many land mafia dealers tried to subdue the local Baloch to sell their land for they could take advantage of this time and can live a better life, The Gwadar people should see the Baloch of Karachi as an example and should stop this foolishness because they will be in bitter consequences once the outsiders reach the shores of Gwadar and take out the rest of the local Baloch population from the picture once and for all as they have done to the Baloch
population inside Karachi.
The new wave of terror and target killing inside Karachi is dangerous for all the Baloch nation and an example for the Baloch to be united or you will fall in the depths of depression and will lose your identity. The most tragic day of 7
th January 2010 brought darkness into the lives of Baloch residing in Hasan Lashkari village of Lyari town where MQM has got holdup because of its supporter residing in the place of Usmanabad which is opposite of Hasan Lashkari Village.

The Baloch people of lashkari village were targeted by MQM thugs when they were resting outside of their houses and came under heavy firing by the MQM Goons, the reason was the killing of a Goon of MQM by unknown assailants who threw away is body in the center of lashkari village and usmanabad and thus the MQM thugs took the revenge on innocent Baloch people of Lashkari village in which eights Baloch people lost their lives and one Baloch woman have also became the target.

The target killing of Baloch people in Hasan lashkari village was not the only tragedy occurred on 7th January 2010 but a Social activist Sangat Nadir Baloch was also systematically targeted by the Drug mafia dealers of Lyari in the town of Golimar where Baloch nation has been fighting the land grabbers of MQM on the case of Gutter Bagicha which has became a issue and through this case many Baloch were target killed by MQM in the disguise of Political Brawl, for instance Zahid Baloch the chairman of BNP(M) Karachi zone, Rahman Baloch the Chairman of Peace Committee, Sangat Nisar Baloch and now Sangat Nadir Baloch who was a close friend of Nisar Baloch, was against the Occupation of Gutter Bagicha & was also struggling to destroy the Drug Mafia which was making it roots in the Baloch society.
Nadir Baloch was the enemy of everyone who were trying to genocide Baloch nation including the people of Drug Mafia dealers in which many Baloch political personalities are involved, Sangat Nadir tried and struggled to stop the trafficking of drugs inside the Baloch society and warned the Drug dealers for consequences. Baloch truly condemn the Baloch Politician who are also responsible for the killing of Sangat Nadir Baloch and the Innocent Baloch people in Hasan Lashkari Village because in the Name of PPPP, the innocent Baloch people of Lashkari village were killed, Baloch denounce the PPPP which have make another committee for such target killings because Baloch nation knows that these committees are like monsoon weather which will never make any changes to the life of the people who have lost their loved ones. Nabeel Gabol the Minister of Port & Shipping and a member of PPPP despite big claims of making Lyari another “Paris” has done nothing about the situation occurred yesterday which gave Baloch nation more corpses to mourn upon.

Lyari honor was looted yesterday, the ministers and the big shots of Lyari like Nabeel Gabol were just spectators of the systematically target killing of Lyari Baloch population. The Baloch now have to help themselves like Sangat Nadir fought against the Drug system in Baloch society every Baloch should encourage this thought and should engage himself in the footstep of Nadir Baloch because the killers of Nadir Baloch are these Drug Dealers who are Baloch by name but are bought by federation for genocide Baloch nation.

“A Tyrant dies his rule is over, but A Martyr dies his rule begins”

Gazprom Needs Turkmenistan’s Gas Once Again

[Since the "accidental" rupture and attendant massive explosion at Turkmenistan's CAC-4 pipeline on April 9, 2009 (SEE: Turkmenistan Gas Pipeline Explosion – The Larger Context ), Turkmengaz has survived with only one customer, Australia, until the recent start-up of the Turkmenistan-China pipeline.  The cause of the explosion was the sudden reduction of flow in Gazprom lines coming from Turkmenistan, without first giving a reasonable warning interval upstream (less than 12 hours given).  Just like the recent reductions in Belarus transmission of Siberian gas over pricing issues (and the repeated shut-downs to Ukraine and Europe), the Turkmenistan explosion demonstrates the possible consequences of the ruthless policies Gazprom follows in settling contractual issues with its partners.

It is as if a group of terrorists (or the remnants of the former terrorist Soviet government) had seized control of the remnants of the old Soviet pipeline network and suddenly started  issuing ultimatums to its customers, followed by sharp disruptions of services with attendant severe consequences for customers or suppliers as a result.  It is as if we lived in a science fiction world, where corporations could freely wage war against the rebellious citizenry and society meekly accepts it as a legitimate police action.  Gazprom closes valves to break the collective will of its customers.  This is no way to run a global energy conglomerate.

In Turkmenistan, unlike the situation in Belarus, the results were explosive, nearly ruining the national economy of Turkmenistan for more than a year.  That year has given Gazprom breathing space, which has allowed it to weather the global economic downturn and keep its contracts with Europe.  Now that the pricing bubble has been popped and global conditions have stabilized, Putin and Medvedev must reacquire Turkmen gas, in order to fulfill the duties of the role they have taken upon themselves as the global energy giant.

The EU is in a Russian vise.  If it doesn't make Nabucco and the other non-Russian pipeline projects come true rather quickly, then it will pay whatever Gazprom chooses to charge them for its gas, for as long as European industry and homes rely on natural gas.  Putin may be about to complete his "judo maneuver," where the EU exchanges places with the former Soviet Union, if he is left holding all the cards, while the European Union disintegrates in a stunning reversal of the events of 1991.]

Gazprom hopes that the conditions of the contract for the purchase of Turkmen gas will be no renegotiation

Gazprom hopes that the conditions of contract for the purchase of Turkmen gas will be no renegotiation. This opinion was expressed today at a press conference the head of Russian gas giant , Alexei Miller. He recalled that the latest addition to the Russian-Turkmen-term (25 years) contract gas sales from 2003, were signed in December 2009 “These conditions are, and I think that will be performed with one and other. If this will continue, then these conditions will apply to the entire term of the contract “- stressed the head of Gazprom. According to Miller, the revision of the contract is unlikely.

It was reported earlier that in 2010 Gazprom plans to buy in Turkmenistan 10 billion cubic meters. m. of gas. Recall that a supplement to Russian-Turkmen gas contract was signed in Ashgabat on 22 December 2009. These included the resumption of procurement and delivery of Turkmen gas from January 1, 2010, amounting to 30 billion cubic meters. meters of gas each year. At what price buys Turkmen gas at Gazprom is not reported, noting that the price formula “fully complies with the conditions of the European gas market”. The document was signed in 8 months after the delivery of Turkmen gas to Russia ceased after the explosion April 9, 2009 at the Central Asia – Center-4. In June of that year, the Russian monopoly proposed Turkmenistan cut gas supplies or reduce its value. Gazprom explained the proposal that the basic consumer of Turkmen gas – Australia – reduced the volume of purchases. However, the parties for a long time could not come to an agreement. According to the contract in 2009. Gazprom was to buy from Turkmenistan 50 billion cubic meters. m. of gas, but the contract provided for the decline in purchases by 20 percent.

The Ballot for Kyrgyz Referendum–June 27, 2010

The ballot in the referendum on June 27th 20010 years. The question put to a vote, reads as follows:

“Take the Constitution of the Kyrgyz Republic and the Law of the Kyrgyz Republic” On Enactment of the Constitution of the Kyrgyz Republic “, whose projects are proposed by the Provisional Government of the Kyrgyz Republic to a referendum (popular vote).” There are two options – “yes” or “No”.

Russia plans second military base in Kyrgyzstan

Russia plans to build a second military base in Kyrgyzstan in a bold gambit likely to alarm Washington and other countries in the region.

Andrew Osborn in Moscow and Richard Orange in Almaty

The United States already have a military installation at Manas International Airport, near Bishkek Photo: REUTERS

The Kremlin tried and failed to win approval for the base in the south of the country last year but saw its chances evaporate when the man it was close to making a deal with, President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, was deposed in a coup earlier this year.

However, as the interim government that succeeded him struggles to maintain order after an outbreak of ethnic violence in the south of the country that left more than 200 people dead, the Kremlin has quietly revived the controversial plan.

The base, to be located in either Osh or Jalalabad, would extend Russia’s geopolitical influence deep into Central Asia and bolster its position with both China and the United States.

Coming less than a week after Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said he thought a US airbase in Kyrgyzstan that supplies fuel and troops for the war effort in Afghanistan should not become a permanent fixture, the move is likely to be seen as an aggressive counter thrust.

"This is all about restoring the influence that Russia lost when the Soviet Union collapsed," said one Russian analyst. Kyrgyzstan already has a Russian airbase and is the only country in the world to host both a Russian and an American base.

Russia appears to be growing weary of sharing Kyrgyzstan’s geopolitical and strategic space with the United States and analysts say it is keen to use the recent violence as a pretext to expand its own footprint in the region.

According to military sources quoted in authoritative Russian daily newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta, President Medvedev has already ordered Anatoly Serdyukov, the Russian defence minister, to ensure that the new base, which it is estimated will cost Russia at least $250 million (£167 million) and house a minimum of one thousand troops, becomes a reality.

Analysts say the recent ethnic bloodletting has convinced Russian military intelligence that Russian influence is under threat from an unnamed "third force." It apparently fears that continuing instability could result in Kyrgyzstan splitting in two along north-south lines and that Russia would be the loser.

The Kremlin is hoping it can resurrect talks on the new base as early as next week once a referendum meant to lend legitimacy to the new interim government is out of the way.

Edil Baisilov, former chief of staff for the interim government and the current leader of the Aikol El Party, said that the Kyrgyz government would probably support the Russian plans. "Kyrgyzstan would welcome a large Russian presence, especially now, after the bloody conflict," he said.

Neighbouring Uzbekistan is likely to strongly oppose the move though. It said last year "there was no need" for such a base and fretted that it would stoke "all kinds of nationalistic confrontations." Though engaged in a noisy push to improve its relations with Moscow, Washington would also be uneasy. It spoke of building its own anti-terror centre in southern Kyrgyzstan to deal with growing Islamic radicalism in the region as recently as March.

G20 demo turns violent, police car burns

Canadian riot police face protesters near the site of the G20 summit in Toronto

TORONTO: Clashes erupted on the fringes of a large protest march outside the G20 summit in Toronto on Sunday, as hardline protesters set fire to police cars and scuffled with riot officers.
While the bulk of the 10,000-strong rally marched peacefully, masked and black-clad anti-globalism protesters emerged from the crowd to attack police vehicles, an AFP reporter at the scene saw.
In addition to two patrol cars that were set ablaze, at least three more were damaged in downtown Toronto’s financial district, and the air was thick with the smell of vinegar-soaked rags used to ward off police tear gas.
Firefighters moved to douse the flames, but there was chaos nearby as businesses dropped their shutters and bystanders were caught up in the action.
Lara Garrido Herrero, 33, a weekend visitor to the city who was shopping in the downtown Eaton Center mall, told AFP by telephone: "Around 200 people are stuck in a lock-down in the shop and the staff are handing out water."
Toronto police used the microblogging site Twitter to deny a rumour that rioters had breached the security barrier erected around the conference centre where the leaders of the world’s richest countries were gathering.
"Dispelling more rumours: The fence has not been breached. False reports," the message read.
Canada spent more than a billion dollars to secure this week’s back-to-back G8 and G20 summits, hoping to avoid the serious street battles that have marred most recent gatherings of these global forums.
Thousands of police reinforcements backed by riot officers on horseback and spotter helicopters have been drafted into the city centre, much of which is sealed off behind a wall of steel barriers. – AFP/fa

For Tomorrow’s Kyrgyz Referendum, 186 International Observers

In Kyrgyzstan, a referendum accredited 186 international observers

25/06 at 16:49 Bishkek – IA “24.kg”, Daria PODILSKY

In Kyrgyzstan, the referendum accredited 186 international observers. This was stated at the meeting of the Central Commission for Elections and Referenda. In addition, the CEC has accredited seven observers from five organizations: the Secretariat of the CIS mission, Consulate General of Russia in the city of Osh, the Independent Democratic Institute of USA, International Foundation for Election Systems and the International Parliamentary Assembly of the CIS. Moreover, a statement of participation in monitoring the vote, recalled the representative of the Security and Cooperation in Europe. As explained in the staff of the Central Election Commission, the application was withdrawn due to her sudden departure from Kyrgyzstan.

URL: http://www.24.kg/konstitucija2010/77582-v-kyrgyzstane-na-referendum-akkreditovano-186.html

Is Petraeus McChrystal’s Replacement or Obama’s?

By PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS

Our petulant president’s ego can’t handle a general letting off steam. Neither can any of the spoiled children who comprise “our” government in DC, the capital of the “superpower.”

Generals have to fight wars that civilians start, either from the incompetence of their diplomacy or the arrogance of their hubris.  Generals have to get young troops killed because of the stupidity or ambition or corruption of civilian government officials.

All McChrystal did was to let off steam. A real president would have realized that and let it go.

Don’t get me wrong. McChrystal is a militarist, and I am pleased to see him gone.

However, McChrystal didn’t restart America’s aggression against Afghanistan. Obama  did.

People elected Obama, because they were tired of Bush’s wars based on lies. So Obama gave us a new war in Pakistan and reignited the Afghan war. No one knows what these wars are about or why the bankrupt US government is wasting vast sums of money, which it has to borrow from foreigners, in order to murder the citizenry in two countries that have never done anything to us.

Just as Bush/Cheney and their criminal neocon government deceived the world that Saddam Hussein had “weapons of mass destruction” that threatened white people everywhere, Obama has conflated the Taliban with al Qaeda. Obama has sold the tale to white countries that unless the US determines how Afghanistan is ruled and by whom, white people are in danger of being exterminated by al Qaeda Taliban terrorists.

The most telling aspect of the McChrystal-Obama contretemps is that it has caused no one in the US government, or media, to ask why the US is still killing women and children in Afghanistan after 9 years. The US government is prepared for everyone except itself to be tried at the War Crimes Tribunal.

Fred Branfman writing in AlterNet on June 22 reminds us that unnumbered Iraqis were killed, maimed, tortured and displaced by an American invasion based on lies told by the highest officials in the American government.  Yet, no one has been held accountable.

But Gen. McChrystal is held accountable for letting off steam.

Once the Roman senate, the legislative branch, collapsed, the caesars, the executive branch, became the captives of the military. Now with Gen. Petraeus once again moved to the fore as McChrystal’s replacement in Afghanistan, we have  Obama  elevating Petraeus to the Republican presidential nomination in the next election. Thus has Obama replaced himself with a man who will unify the military and executive branch.

Associated Press writers Jennifer Loven and Anne Gearan write (June 23) about the “admired and tightly disciplined Gen. David Petraeus,” the “architect of the Iraq war turnaround,” who is “once again to take hands-on leadership of a troubled war effort.”

Petraeus is an evolved form of general. He “won” in Iraq by paying protection money to the Sunnis who were effectively resisting the US occupation. Petraeus figured out that it was far cheaper and more efficient to put the Sunnis on the US military payroll and to pay them to stop fighting, which is how the war between the Sunnis and the Americans ended. To keep the Americans out of the ongoing large scale sectarian violence that continues to slaughter Iraqis, the US military was confined to remote bases.

If history is a guide, the Afghans will also accept Petraeus’ protection money, and Petraeus has just enough time to buy the Afghan war before the next presidential election.

The Afghans will, of course, take the money and wait us out, just as the Iraqis are doing.

All of this drama is playing out despite the continuing lack of any valid reason for the American invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan. The Washington idiots, trying to dictate how Iraq and Afghanistan are governed, are destroying constitutional government in the United States. In our hubris to determine how Iraq and Afghanistan are ruled, we are losing our own government.

Paul Craig Roberts was an editor of the Wall Street Journal and an Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Treasury.  His latest book, HOW THE ECONOMY WAS LOST, has just been published by CounterPunch/AK Press. He can be reached at: PaulCraigRoberts@yahoo.com

Presidents of Russia, US, France and Canada Take First Baby Step Into New World Order

The presidents of Russia, the United States and France issued a joint statement on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

26.06.2010 21:59

The presidents of Russia, the United States and France during G 8 summit inCanada issued a joint statement on theNagorno-Karabakh conflict, which called on the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijanto accelerate work on the Main principles of settlement of the conflict in order to begin drafting a Peace agreement, RIA Novosti reported.

“Currently, the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan should make one more step and finalize the Main principles in order to be able to begin peace agreement draft”, – said in the statement of Dmitry Medvedev, Barack Obama and Nicolas Sarkozy, which they took as heads of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair states.

The three presidents instructed the ministers and the mediators to “continue actively promote Armenia and Azerbaijan, to overcome the existing differences in preparation for a joint meeting on the margins of the informal ministerial forum of OSCE in Almaty.”

The leaders of Russia, the USA and France reaffirmed their commitment to support the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia to finish reconcilement on the Main principles of the settlement.

The statement noted that the heads of states – co-chairs of the Minsk Group have been considered as an important step towards the recognition by both parties of the fact that the settlement must be based on several principles, among which, returning of the territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh, an interim status for Nagorno-Karabakh providing guarantees of security and self-government; corridor linking Armenia with Nagorno- Karabakh.

The final legal determination of future status of Nagorno Karabakh “by a legally binding will of its people, the right of all refugees and internal displaced persons to return to their former homes, international guarantees of security, including peacekeeping operations” is among these principles.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts. Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994.

The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the U.S. – are currently holding the peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh region and the occupied territories.

Tropical Storm Alex., 1:24 pm, eastern std. time

Tropical Storm Alex forms in Caribbean

MIAMI (AP) — Tropical Storm Alex formed in the Western Caribbean Saturday, and forecasters said it was unclear if it would hit the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center in Miami said early Saturday that the storm has maximum sustained winds of about 40 mph. Most storm prediction models show Alex traveling over the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico over the weekend, but they no longer have it going across the oil spill once it reaches the Gulf, hurricane forecaster Jack Bevens said.

A tropical storm warning is in effect for the coast of Belize and the east coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, which separates the Caribbean Sea from the Gulf of Mexico.

It’s too early to tell if the storm will hit the northeastern part of the Gulf, where the spill has spread over the past 10 weeks, Bevens said. While the current forecast track has the storm shifting away from the spill, Bevens noted that could change.

Somewhere between 69 million and 132 million gallons of crude have spewed into the water since the rig Deepwater Horizon exploded April 20, killing 11 workers.

The storm raises concerns over what might happen to efforts to contain the oil if BP is forced to abandon the area for a while. An armada of ships is working in the Gulf.

A cap has been placed over the blown-out undersea well and it is carrying some of the oil to a surface ship where it is being collected. Some of the oil is being brought to the surface and burned. Other ships are drilling two relief wells, projected to be done by August, and are the best hope to stop the leak.

Forecasters have said they can’t speculate about what rough weather would do to oil in the water.

The depression is on track to reach the peninsula by late Saturday. It is about 220 miles east of Belize City and about 250 miles east-southeast of Chetumal.

Meanwhile in the Pacific, two major hurricanes are swirling but don’t pose an immediate threat to land. Darby has weakened to a Category 2 storm, with maximum sustained winds near 110 mph.

The hurricane is about 300 miles southwest of Zihuatanejo, Mexico. It’s heading west-northwest near 6 mph.

Hurricane Celia has weakened to a Category 2 storm farther out in the Pacific. Celia’s maximum sustained winds have decreased to 100 mph. It is about 880 miles southwest of the southern tip of Baja California. The hurricane center says Celia is approaching cooler waters and is expected to continue weakening.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

NEW GLOBAL CURRENCY–(actual size)

Weighs 220 pounds and has a diameter of 21 inches

–valued at $960,000 (pre-collapse dollars)

Dangerous Defrosting

Comment by Sergei Markedonov Special to Russia Profile

The Increase in Military Confrontation Between Armenia and Azerbaijan Means Political Dialogue Between the Two Is Becoming Hostage to the Will of Soldiers As Kyrgyzstan plunges into chaos and the threat of a second Afghanistan in Central Asia looms large, the situation in the Greater Caucasus seems less pressing. The Russian attempt to “replace the regime” of Mikhail Saakashvili, expected by many in the West, has not taken place. Neither have the attempts from the West (the United States, NATO) and others to “nudge Georgia into a rematch,” which were expected in Moscow. Nonetheless, the recent events in Nagorno-Karabakh show that peace in the Caucasus is still “just a dream.” In June there was a sharp increase in the number of infringements on the ceasefire regime at the points where Armenian and Azeri forces have contact (which both in Baku and in Yerevan is referred to as the “front line”). On the night of June 18 to 19, a group of Azeri saboteurs tried to assess the fighting ability of the Armenian divisions by penetrating the territory of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKP), and on the night of June 20 to 21, 200 instances of ceasefire infringements were recorded (ranging from small incidents to exchanges of fire). On the one hand, it is difficult to be surprised at infringements of the ceasefire. Last year there were roughly 4,300 such infringements of varying degrees of gravity (ranging from single shots fired to full-on duels with artillery). In 2008 the number of infringements equated to 3,500 and in 2007 – 1,400. In 2006, in comparison with successive ones, things were really peaceful, with only 600 registered. On the other hand, in the context of the numerous changes in the Greater Caucasus and its neighboring regions, the incidents taking place today require the utmost attention. This “hot spot” on the territory of the former Soviet Union stands out sharply from the others. The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was the most intense of the armed conflicts in the post-Soviet Caucasus (which began in 1988 as an inter-republic conflict, becoming interstate in 1991 and continuing for another three years). It was in Karabakh that the highest number of deaths, refugees and temporarily displaced persons were recorded in comparison with Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Transdnestr. In Karabakh there is no peace-keeping operation for separating the conflicting sides (everything is contained in the agreement on ceasefire, signed in May of 1994), and the sides themselves demarcate the “front line.” The single mediating force here is the Minsk Group, which has already become legendary for its ineffectiveness. The most effective peacekeeping achievement to date is the aforementioned May agreement of 1994. The sides regularly test the limits of each other’s patience, and only the regional conventional arms race (not yet, thank God, a nuclear arms race) is a real stabilizing factor. Both sides fear a big war. It is not just a fear of loss of human life, but a fall in the image of the authorities, the legitimacy of which in many ways hinges on the Karabakh factor. Consequently, the strain on the situation can provoke much more serious results for the South Caucasus and the entire CIS. However, June’s “military clamor” in the Karabakh is essentially just a continuation of the trend that began several years ago. It can be called the “unfreezing” of ethno-political conflict. This “unfreezing” resulted in the recognition of the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and also in a new status quo in the Greater Caucasus. August 2008 showed that reliance on the dynamics of Russia-Georgia relations does not suit Yerevan. It explains the current growth in interest in the normalization of Armenia-Turkey relations which hasn’t been observed since 1991 to 1993. Armenian-Turkish dialogue has become a serious factor influencing the regulation of the Karabakh process, though it is not only thanks to Turkish diplomacy. The effectiveness of the Azeri president should also be recognized (along with his diplomatic office) for having managed to not allow the Karabakh problem to completely “detach” itself from the process of Armenian-Turkish normalization. In contrast with the conflicts in Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Transdnestr or in the Balkans, it would seem that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has become a point where the positions of Russia and the United States for all these years, starting with the agreement on an indefinite ceasefire, have not deviated too seriously. Both sides, (each in its own way) have been interested in maintaining the status quo and avoiding an “unfreezing” of the conflict. And today Moscow and Washington would not want to raise “the stakes in the game” with Karabakh. Moscow has plenty of problems in other places in the Greater Caucasus, and the United States has got bogged down in the resolution of the Middle East (from Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan to Turkey, and Palestine with Israel). However, both would like to improve relations with Turkey. For Moscow, this is an important economic and political-psychological subject. For Washington, the prospect of utterly losing Turkey as a strategic ally is fraught with many side effects. But Ankara is extremely interested in maintaining its normalization with Armenia, which corresponds to its interests. Among these interests, the Azerbaijan factor is far from the last. So how can Turkey be made more insistent on dialogue with the United States and the Russian Federation? And how can partners interested in relations with Turkey be forced to be tractable in the dialogue with Ankara? This is easiest achieved by reminding people of one’s presence. Not only by using warlike rhetoric (which everyone is already well acquainted with and rather fed up with), but also with military demonstrations, which contravene the rules. It is interesting to note that a spokesman for the Azeri Foreign Ministry, Elkhin Polukhov, commenting on the incident on the night of June 18 to 19, clearly stated that “Azerbaijan will never accept the fact of the occupation of its territories.” Consequently, in Baku’s tactics, the negotiations (the same ones which were going on in St. Petersburg with the participation of Dmitry Medvedev literally the day before the infringements to the ceasefire regime) will alternate between fierce warlike statements and now already warlike demonstrations of force. Probably, these same demonstrations of force will not lead to a new war by themselves. But the more frequent use of this instrument makes politics a hostage not of the president’s will, but rather of the will of sergeants. Only in layout do military operations seem logical and thought through. In reality, on the “front line” too much is being decided by emotions and irrational actions. Relying exclusively on this means leaving too much to chance. Sergei Markedonov is a visiting fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) on the Russia and Eurasia Program in Washington, DC.