Are There Two Baloch Liberation Armies (BLA)?

[Is there a shadow outfit killing the citizens of Balochistan in the name of the BLA?  This is the same pattern of secret subversion which was used to both create the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) and to later discredit them.  Another paramilitary organization was at work staging horrific attacks and taking credit for them in the name of the TTP.  The same strategy is getting underway around Quetta.  If the BLA knows who is giving them a worse reputation by slaughtering Baloch women and children, then they know who is responsible.  Perhaps they should be hunting these guys instead of Pashtuns?]

BLA Disowns Killing Of Girls, Threats To NGOs

The Baloch Hal News

QUETTA: The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a shadowy armed group fighting for Balochistan’s independence, has denied his organization’s involvement in a recent grenade attack in Quetta which killed two little girls and separate threats issued to the NGOs in Mastung.

Azad Baloch, a BLA spokesman, told the media on Saturday from an unknown location via satellite phone that the grenade attack in Quetta which recently killed two young sisters had not been perpetrated by his organization. A so-called BLA spokesman, Chakar-e-Azam, who had accepted responsibility for the killing of two little girls by using BLA’s name while presenting himself as the spokesman of the underground group, has no affiliations with the BLA, he clarified.

The BLA spokesman also refuted the media statements that his organization had threatened the NGOs in Mastung saying that the BLA had not issued such warnings in spite of not being fully satisfied with the role of the NGOs operating in Balochistan.

He warned certain individuals and groups to refrain from using BLA’s name while claiming responsibility for certain operations which were in fact not masterminded by the BLA. The spokesman said BLA would punish the people who tried to defame it by wrongly using its name.

Fresh violence erupts in Kashmir Valley

[Any effort to crack-down on LeT in Pakistan will cause a counter-reaction like the one below.]

PTI

Mourners carry the coffins of 17-year-old Fayaz Ahmad Wani and Muzaffar Ahmad Bhat, who were killed during a clash in Srinagar on Tuesday. Photo: Nissar Ahmad

After a brief lull, fresh violence erupted on Tuesday in Kashmir Valley leaving three persons dead and 70 injured following which indefinite curfew was clamped in Srinagar.

One person identified as Fayaz Ahmad Wani was killed when security personnel allegedly opened fire at a stone-pelting mob protesting the death of a man after falling into a drain during a demonstration in Batmaloo area of the city.

A 25-year-old woman identified as Fancy was killed by a stray bullet in the same area when security forces fired in air to disperse a mob which went on a rampage and attacked a police building after torching a welfare centre in that premises, police said.

Indefinite curfew has been clamped in the city after the latest spell of violence, police said.

Defying curfew restrictions, protesters clashed with security forces in Maisuma area in Srinagar, prompting them to open fire on them.

Abrar Khan, 18 was killed allegedly in the firing while another youth identified as Owais was seriously injured.

Besides Srinagar, violence also took place in Baramulla, Pampore in Pulwama and parts of curfew-bound Anantnag leaving 25 injured including an assistant sub-inspector who was hit by a stone on his head at Mattan chowk in Anantnag.

Police said the mobs also pelted stones on police stations at Pattan and Pampore. The policemen fired in air to scare away the protestors.

As authorities rushed reinforcements to strictly enforce curfew in Srinagar, protesters clashed with security forces in various places including Khanyar, Nowhatta, Rajouri Kadal, Barzulla, Fateh Kadal, Braripora, Tatoo Ground, Hyderpora, Baghat, Rambagh, Jehangir Chowk, Maisuma, and Habbakadal, resulting in injuries to 45 people.

The protests had begun in the area late last night when a group of men started throwing stones at a security contingent. The protesters were chased by security personnel and one of them identified as Muzaffar Ahmad fell in the drain. His body was later fished out.

The death triggered a fresh round of protests this morning with a mob hurling stones at CRPF and local police present in the area. The security personnel opened fire after lobbing tear gas shells when they were surrounded by protesters from all sides, leading to the death of Wani, a police spokesman said. He hailed from Gangbug in the city.

Later a mob attacked the police quarters.

During the protests, “security forces fired in air. A stray bullet hit a woman who was watching from the window of her house, resulting in her death,” the spokesman said.

Earlier, authorities had announced closure of schools and educational institutions in the city following the protests.

Kashmir has witnessed violent protests and curfew following the killing of youths allegedly in firing by security forces last month.

Protesters set ablaze a government vehicle at Gogjibagh in uptown Srinagar and damaged over three dozen vehicles at a number of places including Srinagar-airport road.

The protesters, who blocked the airport road at Hyderpora Chowk for several hours, also pelted stones on the passing vehicle of a senior CRPF officer but the personnel exercised restrain, police sources said.

Opposition Peoples Democratic Party condemned the killings and alleged that the government was only “fuelling anger” of the people by its actions.

In a statement, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti claimed that the government had run out of options and had decided to “steamroll the sentiments of people.“

Chairman of moderate faction of Hurriyat Conference Mirwaiz Umer Farooq staged a ‘dharna’ at Rajourikadal in downtown Srinagar, which houses the headquarters of his Awami Action Committee.

Later, Mirwaiz led a march around various areas of downtown Srinagar, the sources said adding that authorities put him back under house arrest after he returned to his Nigeen residence.

Addressing the protesters, the separatist leader said the agitation will continue till security forces are withdrawn from populated areas of Kashmir Valley.

China buys Turkmenistan

[Turkmenistan's circular debt cycle is an instrument of economic slavery.  It is so very strange that last year's  pipeline antics by Gazprom handed the country to China "on a platter."  SEE: Turkmenistan Gas Pipeline Explosion – The Larger Context] China buys Turkmenistan Yazmuradov Hummedov Late last year, was built Turkmenistan Uzbekistan-Kazakhstan-China, which was the first step to reorient exports of Central Asian countries from the western to the eastern market. Beijing offered Ashgabat become for him almost the monopoly importer of gas. This member of the Standing Committee of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China Ho Guoqiang held talks with Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov during a recent visit to Ashgabat. Negotiations were secretive in nature, and nevertheless, there are signs that the East Asian giant is preparing to establish control over the gas industry resource-rich but technologically poor and thinly populated Turkmenistan. Late last year, was built Turkmenistan Uzbekistan-Kazakhstan-China, which was the first step to reorient exports of Central Asian countries from the western to the eastern market.In exchange for the construction of the pipeline from the Turkmen China got the right to develop the large gas reserves Bagtyyarlyk block near the border with Uzbekistan. And now through this pipeline from Turkmenistan to China receives and the gas that produces their own, and one that buys from the local group Turkmengaz. Fortifying the Turkmen gas market, China intends to deploy in earnest. First, He Guoqiang and Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov reaffirmed earlier plans to build a second gas pipeline from Turkmenistan. As a result, the capacity will grow from 13 to 40 billion cubic meters a year.Secondly, China has proposed a further expansion of the pipeline – up to 60 billion cubic meters of Turkmen who share in the pumping of over 50 billion Such imports will make China the most influential member of the gas trade in Turkmenistan, and the provider country – the most dependent on Beijing in the determination of prices and volumes for the external market. A representative of an oil of the Caspian region commented on the situation as follows: “Turkmenistan is putting itself in a position where it will have virtually a monopoly buyer – China because sales of more than 50 billion cubic meters a year – the amount of the country’s exports to the crisis in 2009 . Meanwhile, Beijing rather difficult customer, because I always try to buy energy at a substantial discount. An example of this – the supply of Atasu – Alashankou from Kazakhstan to China. It is designed to supply 20 million tons of oil a year, but loaded less than half. The reason is that the pipeline used only Chinese oil producers. Companies from other countries do not send its oil exports via this route. Market participants explain that the pricing in this area has a “closed nature”. And if you call a spade a spade, Chinese buyers are paying so low a price for the hydrocarbons that Kazakh oil suppliers prefer to send it to more distant markets in Europe. Even with the high transport costs, these sales are more effective for companies than in neighboring China. However, oil – is highly mobile product that can be quickly transferred from non-viable export destinations to more profitable through the use of rail and tanker transport. On the other hand, oil is sold for short-term and often – on the stock exchange, the seller is quite free in choosing a buyer. Trading contracts with natural gas – is another matter. It can be delivered to consumers only through the pipeline, and usually supplies are made on the basis of long-term contracts, breach of which is an extraordinary event. In particular, the contract on supplies of Turkmen gas to China, signed for 30 years. Therefore, in evaluating the Turkmen strategy towards Beijing, we can speak not only to diversify its gas exports as a positive result for the country, but also large risks, which brings with it marked another high degree of reorientation of Turkmenistan in its marketing. Representatives of the Turkmen gas community has already recognized in anonymous interviews that China pays the lowest price of all importers, and very far from the market.Moreover, it is obvious that after Beijing will buy almost all of the Turkmen raw materials, Ashgabat will be much harder to achieve a price increase. Simply by virtue of the status of China as the main importer. However, this is not the only reason that Turkmenistan will not be able to claim from Beijing prices, adequate market conditions. The fact that China’s strategy in Turkmenistan is not a comprehensive agenda for increasing purchases of gas. At the same time, a reverse process of increasing the supply of Chinese loans, technology, equipment and manpower for the oil and gas and other sectors of Turkmen economy. China took over control of the investment development of the largest reserves of the new field of Turkmenistan – South Yoloten / Osman. In mid-July 2009 China State Development Bank signed a loan agreement with the concern Turkmengaz to allocate $ 4 billion for seven years to settle in South Yolotan. Hardly just a coincidence that this time the Turkmen group signed with a Chinese oil company CNPC a contract to supply additional 10 billion cubic meters per year over and above previously planned 30 billion A few months later – in December last year – Turkmengaz signed a four-service contract for equipping the South Yolotan, and the biggest – at 3.13 billion dollars – with the Chinese company CNPC Chuanging Drilling Engineering. This contract includes the design, production wells and equipping of the deposit for the extraction of 10 billion cubic meters of gas a year. Thus, Beijing has focused, and financial and contract sources of development of the South Yolotan. Namely, it should provide the main production of gas in Turkmenistan, in the long term. It is doubtful that in such circumstances Ashgabat will require its chief investor and importer of gas increases in the cost of gas when the prices of hydrocarbons will go up as a result of perceived global economic recovery. The positions of Turkmenistan and China are too are not equivalent to each other in order to ensure truly mutually beneficial trade and economic cooperation with each other. Perhaps, expanding cooperation with China, the Turkmen authorities suggest that the secured and reliable source of investment and a promising market. But in reality there is a situation where the Turkmen gas will go to pay off the Chinese loans to pay for equipment, goods and services of contractors from China. That is, cooperation will become in-loop process in which the loan money will be returned with a profit back, and Turkmen natural gas industry – to work in China, with minimal benefit to their own country. Now every new deal to expand the Turkmen-Chinese cooperation tightens Ashgabat deeper into dependence on Beijing. In the short term, most obviously appear to commercial and industrial implications of Chinese expansion for Turkmenistan. But the projection of the current course of events for a longer period makes clear what the likely consequences for the political and state provisions Central Asian country. Energy role – the main aspect of the international situation in Turkmenistan. And if it becomes subordinate to China, the Ashgabat gradually lose its political independence. In today’s world, powerful countries do not necessarily start and wage war to subjugate the weaker. To do this, sometimes enough to offer short-term profits with payment in deferred future. However, “interest” on such debt may be many times greater than the price of the issue at the current time. The strategic goal of Turkmenistan’s gas industry since the collapse of the Soviet Union was to provide a multidirectional its export policy.Now it seems to be achieved through exports to European markets in Iran and China. But giving priority to gas export to China, Turkmenistan is risking slip fork multidirectional and consumer monopoly.

Source:: Time of the East

Harsh new US penalties against Iran

[The purpose of the Iranian sanctions act is to reverse the history of the world since the overthrow of the Shah, by forcing all those renegade governments which have been allowing national businesses to invest in Iran (excluding American companies) to reverse their direction.  Like Bush's ultimatum that nations decide whether they are "with us or with the terrorists," Obama's gambit is intended to divide the world between those who submit to American will and those who are cut-out of the new order.]

by Peter Symonds*

If fully enforced, the new U.S. sanctions against Iran — signed into law by President Obama on July 1st — will potentially destroy the country’s economy. Killing several birds with one stone, the punitive measures will also impact some of Washington’s other rivals and are likely to pinch some of its allies as well. Whereas the Obama Administration calmly portrays economic sanctions as “peaceful” solutions to political problems, they are tantamount to an act of war … an option which the U.S. has also been actively pursuing. Ultimately, the march to war begun by Bush is picking up momentum under Obama.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is seen at International Mehrabad Airport, Tehran, in September 2009. On 5 July 2010, an Iranian official said the country’s aircraft had been denied fuel in Germany, Britain and the United Arab Emirates as a result of tighter U.S. sanctions.

Credit: Reuters/Morteza Nikoubazl/Files

US President Barack Obama signed into law last ThursdayCongressional legislation against Iran that has the potential to heighten tensions, not only with Tehran, but America’s European and Asia rivals.

The legislation broadly targets foreign banks and corporations doing business in Iran and sets out unilateral US penalties against those that do not fall into line. Companies could be denied access to the US Export-Import Bank, restricting their ability to sell into the US market, or denied US government contracts.

The Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act requires the US Treasury Department to bar access to the American financial system to any foreign bank conducting transactions with Iranian entities blacklisted by the UN or the US government. The list includes some major Iranian banks, the Iranian energy sector, and businesses associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

The legislation provocatively targets foreign companies selling refined petroleum products, such as gasoline and diesel, to Iran, including producers, insurers and those involved in transportation. While Iran has huge reserves of oil, its energy infrastructure and refining capacity are badly rundown due to a lack of investment, forcing the importation of gasoline.

Washington has accused Tehran of seeking to build nuclear weapons. Last month the US and its European allies pushed a fourth resolution through the UN Security Council, imposing new penalties on Tehran over its refusal to shut down its uranium enrichment facilities and halt the construction of a heavy water research reactor. Following the UN resolution, the European Union (EU) foreshadowed further tough sanctions against Iran, including a ban on investment in its energy sector.

The Iranian regime has repeatedly denied it has any plans to build nuclear weapons, and denounced the UN and US sanctions as illegal. Under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which Iran has signed, countries have the right to develop any aspect of the nuclear fuel cycle, including uranium enrichment and plutonium reprocessing, for peaceful purposes. Iranian nuclear facilities, including the Natanz uranium enrichment plant, are subject to regular International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspections, which include a stock take of enriched uranium to ensure it is not used for military purposes.

The US legislation goes far further than the proposed EU sanctions and the UN resolutions, to which Russia and China only reluctantly agreed under pressure from Washington. Any significant constriction of the sale of refined petroleum products to Iran could impact heavily on its economy. Although Tehran has been building up its strategic reserves and is cutting back on imports, Iran still buys an estimated 25-30 percent of its gasoline needs on the international market.

The ramifications of the laws are even wider. Democrat congressman Ron Klein told the Wall Street Journal: “Foreign companies are going to have to make a choice: Do they want to do business with us or with the Iranians?” By threatening to penalise foreign banks and companies for activities that are not banned under UN resolutions, the law will inevitably fuel international resentment and intensify frictions.

Total CEO Christophe de Margerie

Last week the French oil company Total ended sales of gasoline to Iran and Spain’s Repsol pulled out of a development contract with Royal Dutch Shell for Iran’s South Pars gas field. Total CEO Christophe de Margerie told an economic forum: “We do not think an embargo on the delivery of petrol products is a good way to settle differences of a political nature.” He complained that “too many things are politicised these days”.

In the US, the National Foreign Trade Council and the US Engage alliance of companies and associations also raised concerns, particularly over possible penalties against US parent companies for violations by their foreign subsidiaries. In a press statement, council president Bill Reinsch warned: “We are deeply concerned about the timing of this legislation and its unintended consequences for legitimate global commerce.”

Total is just the latest company to pull out of gasoline sales to Iran. Over the past six months, Russia’s LUKOIL, India’s Reliance Industries, Malaysia’s Petronas, Royal Dutch Shell and the Swiss firm Glencore, each announced a halt to sales. At the same time, several major Chinese corporations, including the state-owned China National Petroleum Corp and China Petroleum & Chemical Corp, reportedly increased their sales to Iran earlier this year.

Under the legislation, the US administration can waive penalties on countries, such as China, that backed the UN resolution against Iran. If Obama took action against Chinese oil companies, tensions would escalate between Washington and Beijing, which only agreed to support the latest UN sanctions if Iran’s energy sector were excluded. China imports roughly 15 percent of its crude oil from Iran and has signed several major agreements to develop energy projects there.

The new US sanctions point to the motivations underlyingWashington’s continuing threats and provocations against Iran. American banks and corporations will be largely unaffected, as Washington has effectively blockaded Iran economically for more than three decades following the overthrow of the Shah in 1979. But the penalties will impact on US rivals, including close US allies such as Germany and Japan, that have substantial economic interests in Iran.

The Wall Street Journal pointed out last Thursday: “Among those that could face legal challenges and fines are Japan’s Big Three Banks—Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc., Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group and Mizuho Financial Group Inc—as well as European firms such as Commerzbank Bank AB and Deutsche Bank AG, all of whom have businesses inside Iran.” Japan’s oil and gas producer Inpex Corp also has significant interests, including a 10 percent stake in the Azadegan oil field in southwestern Iran.

Iran not only has huge oil and gas reserves but is strategically located between the key regions of the Middle East and Central Asia. The nuclear issue is simply a convenient pretext for Washington to apply pressure in a bid to fashion a regime in Tehran that is more conducive to US ambitions for regional domination. The Obama administration’s overt support for the oppositional Green movement inside Iran, following last year’s presidential poll, had the same aim.

There is a dangerous logic to US attempts to choke off gasoline supplies to Iran. As several articles in the US press have pointed out, even if major foreign corporations pull out of the gasoline trade with Iran, Tehran will still have access to refined petroleum products—at a price—through various black markets operating in the Persian Gulf. If financial penalties fail to stop gasoline supplies and bring the Iranian economy to its knees, a clamor in the US for a military blockade is certain to intensify.

Like his predecessor Bush, President Obama has repeatedly refused to rule out military action against Iran, including air strikes against its nuclear facilities. Any attempt to enforce an economic blockade of Iran through military force—regarded internationally as an act of war—would create an explosive situation in the Persian Gulf.

In Yerevan, Clinton Says Use of Force ‘Unacceptable’

YEREVAN (Combined Sources)—Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who arrived in Armenia Sunday, said the use of fore in the Nagrono-Karabakh conflict was and “unacceptable violation” of the cease-fire, but fell short of signaling out Azerbaijan and the side that breached the cease-fire.

“We have expressed our concern to both presidents that return to violence is unacceptable. We regret the incidents of the last several weeks and it is in the interest, first and foremost, for the people of Nagrono-Karabakh, but certainly of Azerbaijan, Armenia and the greater region to work as hard as we can together to come up with an acceptable, lasting settlement of this conflict,” said Clinton during a press conference with his Armenian counterpart Eduard Nalbandian.

“The United States strongly condemns the use of force or the threat to use force and we regret the loss of life that results as use of force is used. These are unacceptable violations of the 1994 cease-fire agreement and it is also contrary to the stated commitments by both sides. We have called upon everyone to refrain from use of force or the threat of force, because we, number one, do not want to see the loss of life or injury… We do not want to see further dislocation of individuals and families and we do not want to see the peace process harmed. So, my message is the same to everyone: the United Stated condemns the use or the threat of use of force,” added Clinton at the press conference, which took place after a meeting with President Serzh Sarkisian.

On June 18, a day after a presidential summit on Karabakh in St. Petersburg, Azeri forces opened fire on Karabakh positions in Mardakert, killing four Armenian soldiers.

“We were disappointed to see Secretary Clinton – in Baku and again in Yerevan – repeat the State Department’s generic call on all parties to refrain from the use of force, when it has been Baku alone that has both threatened and acted upon its warnings of renewed war,” said Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the ANCA. “This type of diplomatic language may, at least superficially, appear evenhanded, but, in terms of U.S. interests in regional stability, is actually counter-productive, in that it ignores and even encourages continued Azerbaijani aggression.”

“Inspired by our American Independence Day, we had hoped that Secretary Clinton would issue an open call for a lasting resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict based on the fundamental values of democracy and self-determination. After all, if the founding father were following the State Department’s logic in 1776, the U.S. would still be a British colony,” added Hamparian.

Clinton said the principles for the Karabakh conflict resolution remain unchanged and are based on the Helsinki Act of non-use of force, territorial integrity and people’s right to self-determination. She said during the press conference that the US is ready to help the sides reach a peace agreement.

“It is difficult, but achievable. The OSCE Minsk Group is actively working on it. Besides the recent statement of the Co-Chairmen, both Armenia and Azerbaijan understand that there is no other way. Rather serious negotiations took place between presidents Sarkisian and Aliyev in St. Petersburg, and we hope for a progress,” said Clinton.

“The people of Karabakh have the right to decide their own destiny and develop in their historical territory. It is an inalienable right and due to its implementation many world nations are prosperous today,” he added

Nalbandian said that talks between the Armenian and Azeri Foreign Ministers will be held on July 16 on the sidelines of an informal meeting of OSCE Foreign Ministers in Astan

Clinton also called on Turkey to moved forward with on normalizing ties with Armenia and, on the Karabakh front, urged the sides to honor the cease fire.

“We urge Turkey to take the steps that it promised to take and that both sides continue to try to find the opportunities to open doors to reconciliation and normalization. And now, as they say in sports, the ball is in their court and it is their turn to act,” Clinton said at press conference with her Armenian counterpart Eduard Nalbandian during a visit to Yerevan.

She stated that the U.S. was pleased with Sarkiasian’s policy on normalizing relations with Turkey and applauded Yerevan’s April decision not to withdraw its signature from the Armenian-Turkish Protocols despite the obstacles by Turkey. Clinton also called on Turkey to continue the normalization process

“Despite the fact that Turkey was and remains unprepared to establish relations with Armenia without preconditions, it is very important for us to hear the position of the US administration on the matter,” said Sarkisian during his meeting with Clinton.

Clinton also pressed Armenia and earlier Azerbaijan to work to resolve the Karabakh conflict and pledged US support in the negotiation process.

Clinton arrived in Yerevan Sunday evening and was greeted at Zvartnots Airport by Nalbandian, who was accompanied by Deputy Foreign Minister Arman Kirakosian, US Ambassador to Armenia Marie Yovanovitch and Armenia’s Ambassador to the US Tatul Markarian.

Before arriving in Armenia, Clinton said in the Azeri capital Baku that reaching a peace deal on Karabakh was a “high priority” and that Washington was ready to help.

“We stand ready to help both Azerbaijan and Armenia to achieve and implement a lasting peace settlement. The final steps toward peace are often the most difficult. But we see peace as a possibility,” she said at a news conference with her Azerbaijani counterpart, Elmar Mammadyarov.

“We believe there has been progress. This is a high priority for the US,” Clinton said.

Clinton had earlier met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who said he expected the United States “to work closely with us and with others on the resolution” of the conflict.

“This is a major problem for us and the major threat to regional security,” Aliyev said. “We want to find a resolution based on international law and we want to find it as soon as possible. Our people are suffering.”

Aliyev last month threatened to withdraw from foreign-backed peace talks after he accused Armenia of stalling the negotiations.

After meeting with Aliyev, Clinton said she had raised the issue of two jailed bloggers whose case has intensified concerns over media freedom in Azerbaijan.

Clinton said that despite “considerable progress” with regards to freedoms in Azerbaijan, “there are still lots of challenges”.

“President (Barack) Obama and I have both received many letters about the two young bloggers who are in prison. I’ve certainly raised those in my meetings today,” she told a group of youth activists.

The two bloggers, Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli, were arrested and jailed on hooliganism charges last year shortly after posting an Internet video of a donkey giving a press conference, lampooning the country’s docile press and statements by government officials.

The charges related to a scuffle in a restaurant but the bloggers and rights groups say the arrests were politically motivated.

Azerbaijani expert: Armenia is on verge of defeat in Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

06.07.2010 15:20

Azerbaijan, Baku, July 6 / Trend T.Hajiyev /

Policy pursued by the Armenian leadership led the country to a standstill, Azerbaijani Political Innovations and Technologies Center Head Mubariz Ahmadoglu said. Armenia is on the verge of defeat in theNagorno-Karabakh conflict, he said.

“Armenia does not have resources to avoid defeat. This is observed in domestic and foreign policy. Armenia observes a process of crushing of structures. Crushing process continues as in the camp of the opposition and in governmental circles. In addition, the Armenian budget amounts to $1.8 billion, while foreign debt is $ 4.5 billion,” Ahmadoglu said.

Armenia pinned its hopes on the assistance of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). However, recent events in Kyrgyzstan have revealed the weakness of the CSTO, he added.

“According to the social survey conducted by a British organization in the Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia, 54 percent of respondents favored the elimination of the status quo, only 17 percent voted for independence or annexation of Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia. This indicates a change in public opinion in Armenia,” Ahmadoglu said.

The Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan must finally take decisive action, he added.

“The fact that Armenia approvingly received the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair countries presidents’ statement demonstrates the hopelessness of the situation, which the country faced. Sargsyan will soon take decisive action to rescue the country from this situation. He will decide is either to go to war or leave the occupied territories,” Ahmadoglu said.

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 four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh region and the occupied territories.

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FM: U.S. Secretary of State’s visit neutralizes all fears in Georgian society due to Russian-U.S restart

06.07.2010 13:49

Georgia, Tbilisi, July 6 / Trend N. Kirtskhalia /

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s visit to Tbilisi and her statements were of great importance for the security of Georgia, Georgian First Deputy Foreign Minister Giorgi Bokeria said today at a press briefing.

“This visit neutralized those fears that have existed in the society due to the fact that Georgia would suffer during the restart of the Russian-U.S relations. But putting Georgia’s de-occupation for the first place removed these fears from the agenda. We are not naive. We have no illusions that everything will be solved at once. Russia will have to retreat step by step “, Bokeria said.

He said that all the issues mentioned by Clinton are equally important. Senior official’s visit indicates a strong and stable relationship between the U.S. and Georgia. These relations will continue to further develop, Bokeria said.

“The United States supports Georgia’s sovereignty. Some skeptics’ concerns about the Georgia-NATO relations destroyed. Georgia’s joining NATO is on the agenda of U.S. interests,” Bokeria said.

Georgian official: Country will launch talks with Russia only after deoccupation

06.07.2010 16:06

Georgia, Tbilisi, July 6 / Trend N.Kirtzkhalia /

Georgia will be ready to negotiate withRussia only after Moscow withdraws its troops from the occupied territories, Georgian Parliamentary Speaker David Bakradze said. Bakradze commented on Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin‘s speaker.

The bilateral negotiations with participation of Russia as a guarantor is the way to address the conflict in Georgia, Putin said July 5. He stressed that Russia is not the occupier, but only “liberated” South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

“Russia should take the term “occupier” and should get rid of this status by the liberation of our territories,” Bakradze said.

Then the Georgian-Russian relations will not have unanswered questions, he added. “I do not think there are any questions, except occupation, which can not be resolved through dialogue, but dialogue can take place only after deoccupation,” Bakradze said.

Russia must act within the international norms, Bakradze said, and they involve the liberation of the occupied territories. “Russia should recognize the fact of occupation and to act within the international law,” Bakradze noted.

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Iran accepts EU offer to resume nuclear talks, with conditions

06.07.2010 15:28

Iran is prepared to return to the negotiating table with the European Union on its nuclear programme under certain conditions, Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator said Tuesday.

In reply to a letter from EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton inviting Iran to renewed talks, Saeid Jalili said that the EU should first clarify its position on Israel’s nuclear arsenal, and on the Jewish state’s rejection of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, DPA reported.

Diplomats from the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany – representing the so-called 5+1 group – said after meeting at European Union headquarters in Brussels Friday that they were still seeking a negotiated solution with Tehran.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said last week his country would be ready to resume nuclear talks in late August, but only if Turkey and Brazil were also involved.

The two countries are the only UN Security Council members which opposed fresh sanctions on Iran, after negotiating a nuclear fuel swap deal for Tehran’s medical reactor.

Afghan TV Reports Mullah Omar Arrested In Pakistan

Taliban chief Mullah Omar detained in Pakistan

06.07.2010 14:45

An Afghan popular television channel Tolo citing Pakistani media reported Tuesday that Taliban chief Mullah Mohammad Omar has been arrested in Pakistan.

Tolo also showed a picture of the one-eyed Mullah Omar without giving more details.

Meantime, a Taliban spokesman Qari Yusuf Ahmadi in talks with Xinhua via telephone from undisclosed location rejected the report as mere western propaganda, saying Taliban chief is free, and enjoys sound health and in full command of his fighters.

Previously, Taliban second-in-command Mullah Brather was arrested in Karachi city of Pakistan months ago.

Taliban militants have vowed to intensify activities against Afghan and NATO-led troops based in Afghanistan.

Balochistan–a ticking bomb

[The Pakistani govt. will never treat Balochs like human beings, as long as the divide and rule policies that have worked so well so far, continue to preclude the possibility of a unified Balochi population (including the Pashtun locals) rising as one against the dictatorship.  The BLA and other militant/terrorist outfits are doing a great disservice to the people of Balochistan, by the ethnic cleansing targeted killings, as well as encouraging the idea of inviting America or the international coalition to come in and tame their own Pak Army allies.  The US will do to Balochistan the same thing that their undercover groups have done to the other Tribal areas.  Private American armies are undermining dozens of countries right now.  The delusion is in thinking that these policies will help in Balochistan.  The truth is more likely that most of the terror attacks currently blamed upon the BLA, not claimed by them, are the work of private contractors, with long beards, muttering something about killing "infidels."]

– by Salman Latif

If today I endeavored to draw a parallel between East Pakistan and modern-day Balochistan, I’m sure it’d be a well-founded one. With the way the central governments have been playing denial to the rightful plights of the Baluchis and continue to do so, it’s not too difficult to discern how similar the situation is to the one on East Pakistan. Whereas all ‘disturbances’ and revolts are attributed to ‘foreign’ hands, the center never ventures to ponder as to what makes Baluchistan a hotbed for such anarchy. A very fleeting look instantly reveals that it has been an acute state of injustice, provincial inequality and continous military repression that has pushed Pakistan’s largest province to the brink of rebellion. Extenstive military establishments throughout the region only affirm the notion that Federation has been using force and coercion rather than incentive and reform to contain local agitation.

The Balochistan issue dates back exactly to the days of Pakistan’s indepedence. For long, the ‘Iron Curtain’ extended by Islamabad over the region prevented the availability of first-hand narratives of the Balochis and their side of the story. All that the masses were ever told by the state machinery was that there was some turmoil in the province and that army had to intervene, times and again, to ’save’ the people there. However, with an increasing surge of independent media channels, there is now at least an understanding of the fact that something unusual is up with Balochistan. Although such media outlets are still non-existent in Balochistan itself, where an attempt to establish a channel or newspaper often leads to arrest or alleged abduction by intelligence agencies, the Balochis’ plight is slowly being brought forth in limited media circles. And that is indeed a welcome sign.

A brief history of the issue:

On August 12, 1947, New York Times published the following piece of news: “An announcement from New Delhi said that Kalat, Moslem State in Baluchistan, had reached an agreement with Pakistan for free flow of communications and commerce, and would negotiate for decisions on defense, external affairs and communications. Under the agreement, Pakistan recognizes Kalat as an independent sovereign state with a status different from that of Indian States.”

So was the state of affairs at the time of Pakistan’s independence. However, not too later, Khan of Kalat was asked to formally accede to Pakistan. Khan retaliated, stating that his state had been granted autonomy under the agreement. A Parliament of the local tribal heads and chieftains unanimously resounded the same sentiment. However, Mr. Jinnah, formerly Khan’s legal aide, was not to hear a ‘no’ and after having pressurized the Khan to sign the Instrument of Accession(as Khan noted later in his autobiography), army took control of the province, jailing him and dismembering his cabinet. Khan’s brother took to mountains, refusing to accept the decision and choosing to retaliate the army’s invastion. That marked the first armed retaliation against the central government.

Since the accession, four more popular armed uprisings have occured in the province, most of them dealt with by army and crushed cruelly. Despite the fact that Balochistan opted for autonomy at the time of independence, the Balochis today ask for their rights more so than the separation from Pakistan. And they would certainly have agreed to adopt the constitutional way had it yielded any results in the past. However, all parliamentary efforts from their end have proved futile and they remain highly disenchanted by the constitutional methods.

Provincial Inequality:

Baluchistan is Pakistan’s largest province comprising approximately 43% of the total land area and supporting a population of about 7 million people. It is rich in a number of valuable minerals including vast copper and natural gas deposits. However, the sad fact is that while the entire country benefits from these resources, Balochis themselves are handed a meagre royalty for them and nothing else. A case study shall expound my point. Natural gas deposits were discovered in Balochistan in 1953. Household and commercial gas was supplied to Punjab from this source since as far back as 1964. But royalties were offered to Quetta only in 1980(the amount of this paid royalty is constant ever since) and it was connected with a gas supply in 1986. And today, as even Sindh’s remote areas enjoy the facility, out of Balochistan’s 26 districts, only 4 are supplied with gas.

It is this provincial inequality that has fiercely triggered the sense of deprivation among Balochi masses. Even the provincial governments have been severely inhibited in their efforts to improve conditions because of the fact that Islamabad takes direct decisions over policies governing the province. In the past, a number of nationalist leaders have been elected to the parliament. Nawab Akbar Bugti had served both as the Governor and the Chief Minister of the province. Ataullah Mengal and Akhtar Mengal also lead the provincial government in the capacity of being Chief Ministers. Nonetheless, all these unromantic partenerships with the center ended abruptly with the center wielding it’s power by disregarding these nationalist office-holders and their reservations. To cite an instance, Nawab Akbar Bugto resigned after his disagreements with the Federal Government at the latter’s decision to launch a military operation in Balochistan. Similarly, the nuclear experiments at Chaghai were carried out without any consultation with the Chief Minister or the provincial cabinet. The people in the region continue to suffer severe health problems because of the after-effects of those experiments with no compensation from the Government of Pakistan.

These experiments have hugely disenchanted the local masses of the significance of constitutional furthering of their plights. An increasing number of them, especially the youth, view military response as the only viable solution. However, the mainstream nationalist leaders are still ready to engage in dialogue only if they’re assured that the terms agreed upon at the occasion of accession shall be honored. These include much more provincial autonomy and provincial say in regional affairs.

Terrorism and Counter-terrorism – who’s who and what’s what?

Army has become an integral part of the Balochistan equation since the very start. It has gradually moved from a partial, distant control of the region to a more organized control, replacing the Levies forces and bringing a very large part under it’s reign. In local culture, it has become synonymous with extra-judicial abductions, killings and missing persons. According to UN reports, about 8000 Balochis have gone missing since 2005. And that’s a very small part of the larger picture. Army has been increasingly deployed by the center to extend a firm grip and bring the local dissidents into the fold of central command. Naturally, this has resulted in a very hostile reaction from Balochis who view army garrisons as a sign of enroachment on their nationalism. To them, all army activities in the region are a version of state terrorism.

Federation, on the other hand, is extremely sensitive towards Baloch national sentiments and it’s definition of terrorism terms everyone with a separatist agenda as a terrorist. Such sweeping generalizations have lead to the arrests and abductions of thousands, the whereabouts of many of which stay unknown after years. Center is of the opinion that if it fails to address these anti-national and separatist outbursts, it’s grip on the province will weaken.

When talking of terrorism in Balochistan, Balochistan Liberation Army is not a name to be missed. BLA has been increasingly active in recent years. And increasingly violent too, killing scores of Punjabis or anyone having the slightest to do with Punjab. According to the political activists in the region, BLA enjoys mass support and the sole reason this support is extended is because they fight. BLA is said to comprise educated, young Balochis, many of them engineers, doctors, lawyers, barristers and other highly qualified personnel. Evidently, the democratic franchise has so weakened in the province that people consider an armed struggle as the only viable solution. Needless to state this has put the lives of thousands of immigrants in Balochistan in jeopardy.

Plight of the Baluchis:

Balochis have a set of traditions and norms that strike one as unique at the very first look. Like Pashtuns, they are not a creed easily diminished or invaded. Likewise, they have never given up their struggle for an honorable existence. Ever since their forced accession, they have been denied basic rights. The region lacks health, educational and land reforms and the basic infrastructure is very underdeveloped. To top it, they have been in an unnamed subjugation to the army.

An average Balochi today asks for just one thing: basic rights. They want federal government to expend the money that’s earned through their resources in the same region. They want schools, hospitals and infrastructure development. Above everything else, they want the Center to grant provincial autonomy and stop meddling with local politics. Unlike most of Pakistan’s other region, Balochistan is still safe from the plague of extremism. And contrary to the popular media-made perceptions, Balochis are an enlightened lot. The nationalist leaders, including Khan of Kalat and Ataullah Mengal, agree upon the establishment of a modern, secular democracy should Balochistan be awarded provincial autonomy. This is also the view of an average Balochi today who has put aside his tribal prejudice to purse this common cause.

At the start of this article, I strove to establish a parallel between 1971’s East Pakistan and today’s Balochistan. And I still hold that the two have striking resemblances. Back in 1971, Federal Government kept playing blind to the horrendous discrimination committed towards East Pakistan. And when the eventual backlash started, no self-chastenings would work. If India or other ‘foreign’ hands were able to exploit the situation, it was because the situation was volatile enough already. Bengalis had been neglected for decades and when the army started its saga of atrocities against them, their choice became obvious – separation. Balochistan today seems to move towards a similar destiny. However, with the fragmented resistance put up by Baluchis, it’s a long way before they can claim power enough for a successful armed struggle.

Meanwhile, the Center and the Army has time enough to ponder over their utterly flawed policies, policies which have only worsened the situation over the last 63 years and solved nothing. President Zardari’s government did declare a Balochistan package but like all it’s past counterparts, it’s been mere words and no actions thus far. These policies and the proposed reforms must be implemented without any delay and before the breaking point is reached, we must find a common ground where both Federation and Balochistan can guard it’s interests without fringing upon each other’s rights. If this is not done, and the chances seem thin with the Federation’s total lack of interest in addressing the Balochis’ plight, I fear that we may have to face another 1971.

http://www.salmanlatif.wordpress.com

Post Published: 05 July 2010
Author: Abdul Nishapuri

Afghanistan urges Pakistan to act against terror groups

KABUL – Agence France-Presse

Afghan National Security Adviser Rangin Dadfa Spanta giving an interview in Kabul on Monday. AFP photo

Afghanistan’s national security adviser has called on the Pakistani government to “take serious measures” against Islamist groups launching attacks on Afghan targets from secure havens inside Pakistan.

Rangin Dadfar Spanta spoke to Agence France-Presse in an interview a week after the al-Jazeera television network said Afghan President Hamid Karzai had met the man who runs the al-Qaeda-linked Haqqani network in talks mediated by Pakistan.

Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Taliban all deny such a meeting.

Spanta’s comments signal an about-turn by the Afghan government after months of overtures to Islamabad in efforts to prompt Pakistan to deal with militant groups, including al-Qaeda and the Taliban based along the Afghan border.

Spanta said Monday that Afghanistan had “tremendous evidence” that Pakistani authorities allowed al-Qaeda and other terror organizations to operate on the country’s soil and had presented it to Islamabad “many times.”

Islamabad had failed to act against the groups based in Pakistan’s tribal areas on the Afghan border, he said.

“My expectation is that Pakistan after nine years – because theoretically Pakistan is part of the anti-terror alliance – they have to begin to take some serious measures against terrorism,” he said.

“They have to hand over the leadership of the terrorist groups, they have to give a list of the people they have arrested and are holding in the detention centers in Pakistan.

“We have evidence that the terrorists from Pakistan are involved in daily attacks against our people and international ‘jihadi’ groups are active here. They have their base and sanctuaries behind our border and this is a serious problem.

“We have to address the menace of terrorism,” Spanta said.

Karzai had been seen as trying to reach an arrangement with Pakistan – possibly including a power-sharing deal with the Taliban – that would help bring an end to the war in Afghanistan, now in its ninth year.

This was also seen as a way of giving Pakistan a stake in Afghanistan’s future, despite broad opposition among the Afghan politicians and public.

Senior Pakistani military and intelligence officials had visited Kabul in recent months on goodwill visits, Spanta said.

“I hope we can begin a constructive dialogue with a serious agenda during the next meeting in Islamabad, or in Kabul… maybe next month,” he said.

Spanta said Pakistan had failed to act against al-Qaeda, the Afghan Taliban leadership known as the Quetta Shura, the Haqqani network, the minor Hekmatyar group, Hizb-u-Tahrir, as well as “Uzbek and Chechen terrorist groups.”

“It is not a particular secret that the terrorists have sanctuaries in Pakistan, that they have training centers, that they have the possibility to come to Afghanistan, attack us and go back,” said Spanta.

He denied that Karzai had met Sirajuddin Haqqani, who runs the Haqqani network which often launches attacks in Afghanistan, or the Taliban, “through mediation of Pakistan forces or otherwise.”

Pakistani security officials indicated last month, however, that they were planning to help broker peace efforts in Afghanistan by acting as a bridge between the Kabul government and powerful Haqqani network.

Clinton vows support for Georgia

AFP

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has reassured Georgia with a pledge of support, calling on Russia to end its “occupation” of two breakaway Georgian regions.

“The United States is steadfast in its commitment to Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Clinton said at a joint news conference with President Mikheil Saakashvili during a visit to Tbilisi.

Clinton also urged Moscow to abide by a ceasefire agreement that stipulates its forces must return to positions held before the 2008 Georgia-Russia war over the rebel regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

“We continue to call for Russia to abide by the August 2008 ceasefire commitment… including by ending the occupation and withdrawing Russian troops from South Ossetia and Abkhazia to their pre-conflict positions,” she said.

Responding to Clinton’s statements, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Georgia must negotiate with its rebel republics of Abhkazia and South Ossetia without the involvement of a third party.

“Some believe that it (South Ossetia) is occupied, others believe it is free,” Putin was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency.

“That is the subject of a dialogue between the people of Georgia and South Ossetia. This dialogue must be carried out without referring to a third party.”

“They must not look for a solution elsewhere,” Putin said.

Earlier, Clinton said the United States would continue to denounce Russia’s military presence in Georgian territory despite Washington’s “reset” in relations with Moscow, which raised concerns in Tbilisi.

“We continue to object to and criticise actions by Russia which we believe are wrong and on the top of the list is the invasion and occupation of Georgia,” Clinton said in a speech to women leaders.

Saakashvili said he was encouraged that the US was continuing to stand by Georgia despite the improved ties with Moscow.

“There is no secret about it, of course some people were worried what it (the reset) might mean,” he said.

“We see it’s done exactly the right way, it’s a value-based policy and that’s why we all love America…. Ultimately if reset leads to a more modernised Russia that’s only good for all of us.”

Clinton also urged further reforms in Georgia, saying they were the key for it to regain control of the rebel territories.

“The more vibrant, effective, a democracy and economy Georgia becomes, a greater contrast there will be between South Ossetia and Abkhazia and the rest of Georgia,” she said in her speech.

Clinton was on the final stop of a tour of eastern European and Caucasus region countries that has also taken her to Ukraine, Poland, Azerbaijan and Armenia.

She also met with opposition leaders in Georgia, who have accused Saakashvili of stepping back from democratic reforms after coming to power in the country’s 2003 pro-Western Rose Revolution.

“We had very substantial discussions about fundamental problems in Georgian democracy,” opposition leader Irakli Alasania told AFP after the meeting.

Clinton left Tbilisi for the return trip to Washington shortly after the meeting with the opposition.

Saakashvili enjoyed extremely close ties with former US president George W Bush, who famously declared the country a “beacon of liberty” in a 2005 speech to thousands of cheering Georgians in central Tbilisi.

Georgia has even named a main road from the airport after Bush.

Relations have cooled under President Barack Obama, however, after Saakashvili’s international reputation was damaged by a 2007 crackdown on opposition protesters and by his handling of Georgia’s 2008 war with Russia.

US officials have nonetheless repeatedly voiced support for Georgia’s territorial integrity after the 2008 war, which saw Russian forces pour into the country to repel a Georgian military assault on Moscow-backed South Ossetia.

After the war, Russia recognised South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states, a move that has been followed by only a handful of countries.

It has also since established permanent military bases and deployed hundreds of troops and border guards in the regions.

The two rebel regions issued statements after Clinton’s visit denying they were under Russian occupation and denouncing her use of the word.

Borders key issue for Clinton’s tour through Caucasus

TBILISI – Daily News with wires

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton meets with Armenian President Serge Sarkisian on Sunday. AFP photo

Diving into the knotty regional politics of the South Caucasus, the U.S. secretary of state has slammed what she called Russia’s “occupation” of two breakaway Georgian regions and urged a quick resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reassured Georgia on Monday with a pledge of continued support, saying Washington is “steadfast” in its commitment to the former Soviet country’s territorial integrity amid disputes with Russia over two rebel regions, Agence France-Presse reported.

Georgia was the final stop on Clinton’s tour of Eastern European and Caucasus-region countries, a trip that has also taken her to Ukraine, Poland, Azerbaijan and Armenia. Hours earlier in the Armenian capital of Yerevan, President Serge Sarkisian told Clinton that the dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh was the single most important issue for his country – echoing almost word-for-word a statement made hours earlier by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

Nagorno-Karabakh: A region under occupation

A flashpoint of the Caucasus, the region known as Nagorno-Karabakh is a constituent part of Azerbaijan occupied by Armenia since the end of 1994. While internationally recognized as Azerbaijani territory, the enclave has declared itself an independent republic but is administered as a de facto part of Armenia. The region has had an Armenian population since the 5th century, but most historians agree Armenians only achieved majority status in the area after a resettlement that followed annexation by Russia in the 19th century. Before Russian annexation, the area was governed by a series of Turkmen, Azeri and Persian rulers. The lowland regions surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh, also occupied by Armenia, were, until the most recent war, predominantly Azeri in population. The briefly independent Azeri and Armenian states fought a series of short wars over the region during World War I. The series of treaties ending the war acknowledged the area as Azeri territory, a status reaffirmed under Soviet rule, which began in 1921 and continued until the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. The Nagorno-Karabakh War from 1988 to 1994, and the subsequent occupation by Armenia, led to the deaths of more than 30,000 and created nearly 1 million refugees, who largely remain in temporary settlement camps and facilities in Azerbaijan. Years of negotiations involving Russia, the United States and Europe, as well as Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders themselves, have failed to resolve the enclave’s status or enable the return of refugees. Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 in support of its close ally Azerbaijan in the conflict.ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News

Clinton appealed to both Yerevan and Baku for a peaceful resolution on the Karabakh issue despite the lack of any outward signs of fresh diplomatic progress.

“The final steps toward peace often are the most difficult, but we believe peace is possible,” the Associated Press quoted her as saying Sunday at a news conference in Baku with her Azerbaijani counterpart, Elmar Mammadyarov.

The Karabakh issue risks escalating to warfare and has caused diplomatic problems beyond the two countries’ borders. Shuttling between their capitals, Clinton told the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders Sunday to act quickly to settle the matter.

‘Russian actions wrong’

On her first visit to Georgia as secretary of state, Clinton also called for Moscow to abide by a cease-fire agreement that stipulates its forces must return to positions held before the 2008 Georgia-Russia War.

“The United States is steadfast in its commitment to Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Clinton said at a joint press conference with Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili during a visit to Tbilisi. “We continue to object to and criticize actions by Russia that we believe are wrong and on the top of the list are the invasion and occupation of Georgia. The United States supports the Georgian people; we support Georgian democracy.”

Clinton also told a group of women leaders that Washington would keep pushing for further democratic reforms in Georgia, saying a vibrant democracy and economy were key for it to regain control of the rebel territories.

“The more vibrant and effective a democracy and economy Georgia becomes, the greater contrast there will be between South Ossetia and Abkhazia and the rest of Georgia,” she said.

The U.S. secretary of state was due to meet opposition leaders in Georgia, who have accused Saakashvili of stepping back from democratic reforms after coming to power in the country’s 2003 pro-Western Rose Revolution. Saakashvili enjoyed extremely close ties with former U.S. President George W. Bush, who famously declared the country a “beacon of liberty” in a 2005 speech to thousands of cheering Georgians in central Tbilisi.

Georgia has even named a main road from the airport after Bush.

Relations have cooled under President Barack Obama, however, after Saakashvili’s international reputation was damaged by a 2007 crackdown on opposition protesters and by his handling of Georgia’s 2008 war with Russia.

Georgia has downplayed the cooling in relations and contributed nearly 1,000 troops to fight alongside U.S. forces in Afghanistan in a bid to build closer ties with the new administration.

After the war, Russia recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states, a move that has been followed by only a handful of countries. Russia has since established permanent military bases and deployed hundreds of troops and border guards in the regions.

—–

Compiled from Agence France-Presse and Associated Press stories by the Daily News staff.

Democratic Movement – United Georgia, Action Plan

Nino Burjanadze : “It would have been better if the Georgian Government paid more attention to the internal economic problems of Georgia”

Democratic Movement – United  Georgia, Action Plan

Short-term Action Plan

Democratic Movement – United  Georgia, based on the analysis of the current circumstances, announces its anti-crises political programme. It implies coordinated actions of party’s political leadership, its members and supporters.

”Democracy today!”
Envisages the following political actions:
Struggle for public freedoms – the chief goal of today, is the restoration of the rights for freedom of expression provided and secured by the Constitution.  Media should be freed from State ideological pressure, all incidents of personal oppression and suppression should be recorded and prevented – this is today’s major objective.

Hence:

We will continue our struggle both within the country and abroad, to compel the Government to free media. At the same time, while the media is controlled, we will set up constant communication system with our members. Each of you will systematically receive our brief updates on the situation in the country. You will know the truth and will be able to tell this truth to people. By means of this system and your efforts, we will be able to silence the machine of lies, which is actively operating through the State controlled media. Each of you will become the source of truth, which will tell the truth to family, friends and neighbors.

We will vigorously react on illegal wiretapping, shadowing, as well as violation of the rights of expression and violence from the side of the Government.

Civil society– with the aim of institutionally supporting civil organizations and NGOs, we will facilitate public initiatives, inclusion of NGOs in the implementation of our political program and in shaping of the system for cooperation.

Against the backdrop of global economic crises and outcomes of the Russian aggression, it has become evident, that the country requires European type economic policy, based on the principles of economic security. The political party will appoint a Business Ombudsman to protect businesses from legal shortcomings and direct pressures from the Government. Business Ombudsman will systematically produce public reports on the work conducted.

We will develop and present you the approach for restoring the country’s territorial integrity, as well as action plan for renewing dialogue and reconciliation with the Abkhazian and Ossetian people.

The political party will establish business relations with likeminded political organizations abroad and cooperate with them to obtain their support for the development of democratic processes in our country, and protection of its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Struggle for overcoming political crises – for overcoming political crises, we will demand and achieve the change of Government through Constitutional means, which includes: creation of free election environment, conducting fair elections and protection of every citizen’s vote.
Hence, we are getting united and starting to set up a strong structure and system to implement our goals into the country’s politics.  From tomorrow, 24 November, onward we will start dynamic political activities.

We have to tell people the truth and show them the way out!

Let us stand together!

The truth will prevail!

Former Georgian speaker refuses to meet Clinton

05.07.2010 13:08

Georgia, Tbilisi, July 5 / Trend N. Kirtskhalia /

Democratic Movement – United Georgia party head, ex-Parliamentary Speaker Nino Burjanadze refused to meet U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton at a group meeting with Georgian female leaders. The party’s office said she will explain her decision later.

Clinton will hold a three-hour meeting with Georgian female leaders at the National Library. Representatives of NGOs, political parties and businesses will attend.

Clinton also plans to meet with opposition leaders in Tbilisi. Burjanadze invited to the meeting.

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

U.S. Tells Turkey To Honor Deal With Armenia

Armenia — U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visits the Armenian genocide memorial in Yerevan, 5July 2010.

05.07.2010

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Sunday gave a strong endorsement to Armenia’s policy toward Turkey and urged Ankara to honor its U.S.-backed normalization agreements with Yerevan. (UPDATED)

Making her first-ever visit to Armenia, Clinton made clear that the onus is on the Turkish government to kick-start the historic rapprochement between the two neighbors. She praised President Serzh Sarkisian for not formally walking away from the Turkish-Armenian “protocols” despite the Turks’ refusal to ratify them before a resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict acceptable to Azerbaijan.

“We applauded your president’s decision because that was a decision to continue, despite the obstacles, to work toward peace, stability and reconciliation,” she told journalists after talks with the Armenian leader.

“And we urge Turkey to take the steps that it promised to take and that both sides continue to try to find the opportunity to open the door to reconciliation and normalization,” she said, reaffirming Washington’s support for an unconditional normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations.

Sarkisian announced in late April that he is suspending the process of Armenian parliamentary ratification of the protocols signed last October because of Ankara’s linkage between their implementation and a Karabakh settlement. He indicated that he decided not to scrap the deal altogether at the request of foreign powers and the United States in particular.

“Armenia’s decision last April was very statesmanlike and very impressive,” Clinton said. “And now, as they say in sports, the ball is in the other court.”

Clinton, who has been personally involved in the normalization process, also lauded Sarkisian’s broader policy of rapprochement with Turkey that has been strongly criticized by his political opponents in Armenia and its worldwide Diaspora.

“I expressed my admiration with the president’s courageous decision to pursue a vision of peace,” she said of her talks with Sarkisian. “The United States believes that normalization promises tremendous benefits for both Armenia and Turkey as well as the wider region. We are committed to doing everything we can to help the parties move forward.”

Armenia — U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visits the Armenian genocide memorial in Yerevan, 5July 2010.

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian responded to Clinton’s remarks, voiced at their joint news conference, by praising Washington’s role in the Turkish-Armenian dialogue. “We will be ready to move forward once Ankara is again ready to move forward and normalize our relations without preconditions,” he added.

Sarkisian likewise thanked Clinton and President Barack Obama for their “efforts in the normalization of Armenia-Turkey relations.” “Although the Turks were not prepared and are still not prepared to establish relations with Armenia without preconditions, it is extremely important for us to feel the U.S. administration’s attitude towards this issue,” he told Clinton.

On Monday, Clinton visited the Tsitsernakabert memorial in Yerevan to some 1.5 million Armenians massacred by Ottoman Turks during World War One. She avoided making any public statements as she laid a wreath by its eternal fire there. A statement by the U.S. Embassy in Armenia described the ceremony as a “private visit.”

As presidential candidates, Clinton and U.S. President Barack Obama described the 1915 mass killings as a genocide and pledged to reaffirm that recognition once in office. But they have both backtracked on that pledge, citing the need not to harm the Turkish-Armenian rapprochement.

The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), a Washington-based lobbying group, swiftly criticized Clinton’s failure to publicly use the word “genocide” at the memorial, saying it was “a missed opportunity for the Secretary and for America.” “Secretary Clinton’s visit to the Memorial was shrouded in secrecy with local media barred from providing live coverage,” the ANCA said in a statement.

But another influential advocacy group, the Armenian Assembly of America, commended Clinton for becoming “the highest ranking U.S. official traveling to Armenia to honor the 1.5 million victims of the Armenian Genocide.”

“We thank Secretary Clinton for her visit to Armenia, her comments on Turkey’s responsibility for the progress of normalization of relations with Armenia in light of the suspension of the Protocols, and especially for her tribute at the Armenian Genocide Memorial this morning,” Hirair Hovnanian, the chairman of the Assembly’s Board of Trustees, said in a statement. “This was an important symbolic act and is appreciated.”

The Assembly’s executive director, Bryan Ardouny, said Clinton’s gesture will give “new impetus” to the long-running Armenian-American efforts at official U.S. recognition of the genocide. “The Assembly renews its call for passage of the Armenian Genocide resolution [by the U.S. Congress] during this, the 95th anniversary year,” added Ardouny.

“Good Earthkeeping,” Tasha Halpert

“Good Earthkeeping”

Tasha Halpert

BP stops refuelling Iranian airliners

By Andrew England in Abu Dhabi, Ed Crooks in London, and Daniel Dombey in Washington

 

BP has stopped supplying Iranian airliners with jet fuel in response to tough new US sanctions imposed on the Islamic republic.

The unilateral measures signed into law by Barack Obama, president, last week state that the US will impose penalties on any international company selling or providing Iran with refined petroleum products with a fair market value of $1m or more. The same measures would also apply to any such sales totalling $5m or more during a 12-month period.

BP, one of the world’s largest suppliers of jet fuel, refused to discuss its dealings with individual airlines. However, the company said: “We fully comply with any international sanctions in any areas in which we operate.”

A source in the Gulf familiar with the issue said: “An international jet fuel supplier in many international airports around the world has decided to cease refuelling Iranian aircraft, including at two terminals in the United Arab Emirates.

“Iranian air operators at UAE airports have other sources to refuel. The UAE will continue to abide by United Nations resolutions and will continue to operate within this framework.”

BP’s decision has affected one terminal in Dubai airport and another in Sharjah airport in the UAE, the Middle East’s business and air transport hub. But Iranian airliners have been able to switch to other suppliers.

BAA, owners of Heathrow, said Iranian passenger carriers were still being refuelled at Britain’s busiest airport. European diplomats said BP’s decision to refrain from selling aviation fuel to Iran was not being applied by other companies. An Iran Air flight is understood to have taken off from Heathrow as normal on Sunday night.

Iran had earlier accused Germany, Britain and the UAE of refusing to refuel its passenger jets in response to US sanctions.

“Since last week, our planes have been refused fuel at airports in Britain, Germany and UAE because of the sanctions imposed by America,” Mehdi Aliyari, secretary of the Iranian Airlines Union, was quoted as saying by the ISNA news agency.

The new measures are the most sweeping US sanctions on Iran for over a decade. They are focused on sales of refined oil products, but also punish banks that trade with entities linked to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, or with 16 Iranian banks on a blacklist.

The sanctions were imposed in response to Iran’s continued enrichment of uranium, in breach of six UN resolutions, amid concerns that Tehran is seeking to build a nuclear weapon. Iran insists its programme is a peaceful venture designed only to generate electricity.

Companies that are deemed to break the sanctions face harsh penalties, including being barred from the US financial system and denied US contracts.

BP’s standing in the US and its relations with the White House have already suffered dramatically as a result of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

The sanctions passed by Congress also make it much harder for the White House to avoid applying the penalties. As a result, several companies broke off dealings with Iran even before the legislation took effect, and more are likely to play safe by adopting a strict interpretation of the law.

US officials say that sanctions are not intended to hurt ordinary Iranians, but the new law forces the administration to apply measures with a broad impact on the economy.

However, it is thought unlikely that the original aim was to target Iranian passenger aircraft.

US officials such as Stuart Levey, the Treasury undersecretary who has taken charge of much of the sanctions drive, have called on companies to refrain from doing business with Iran because of the risk of unwittingly becoming involved with a blacklisted group, such as a subsidiary of the Revolutionary Guard.

Additional reporting by James Blitz.