11th June, 2012
A rocket-propelled grenade hit a British diplomatic convoy in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi on Monday, wounding two security guards, officials said.
Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
UK mission in Libyan city of Benghazi comes under attack
Posted by seumasach on June 11, 2012
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Set up to be shot in Syria’s no man’s land?
Posted by seumasach on June 9, 2012
Alex Thompson(Channel 4)
8th June, 2012
Standing outside the Safir Hotel in Homs as the white UN Nissan landcruisers stood waiting, the Irish officer in charge, Mark Reynolds, came over: “Usual rules Alex OK? We’re not responsible for you guys. If you get into trouble we’ll leave you, yes? You’re on your own.”
“Yup – no problem Mark. Understood.”
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: Free Syria Army (FSA) | Leave a Comment »
Britain to mediate US-Pak standoff
Posted by seumasach on June 8, 2012
8th June, 2012
Pakistan has strongly reacted to the latest statement by United States Secretary of State Leon Panetta that no matter Islamabad’s protests, the drone attacks on the tribal areas will continue. This shouldn’t come as surprise. If the painfully slow negotiations to repair US-Pakistan ties aren’t getting anywhere anytime soon, the main reason is the widespread indignation over the drone attacks in the public opinion, which the leadership in Islamabad cannot afford to ignore.
Of course, it was doubly inappropriate that Panetta made the statement from Indian soil. Equally, it is intriguing that Panetta made the much-publicised statement of the US “reaching the limits of our patience with Pakistan” in the course of a joint press conference in Kabul with Afghan defence minister Abdul Wardak.
The best explanation that can be given to Panetta’s outburst in Kabul is that he was probably deflecting attention away from the latest air strike by NATO on a wedding party in Logar province killing 18 civilians. But Panetta couldn’t have overlooked the shift in the regional context, which would make it almost impossible from now onward for Washington to ‘isolate’ Pakistan.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s intention to play a role in Afghanistan; SCO’s induction of Afghanistan as an observer (despite the US’ opposition to the idea); President Hamid Karzai’s visit to Beijing and the emerging Sino-Afghan strategic partnership; Chinese President Hu Jintao’s profound statement on Afghanistan (”We will continue to manage regional affairs by ourselves, guarding against shocks from turbulence outside the region, and will play a bigger role in Afghanistan’s peaceful reconstruction.”); strong push by Pakistan and India to seek SCO membership; warming up of Russia-Pakistan ties — all these are playing into the US’ predicament in Afghanistan and grating on the American nerve.
Simply put, Pakistan has gained much ’strategic depth’ vis-a-vis US. The fact thatNATO exaggerated the worth of its recent agreements with the Central Asian states on transit routes exposes the criticality of the reopening of the routes via Pakistan. There is indeed no viable option at affordable cost for the NATO to evacuate its war materials from Afghanistan except via the Pakistani routes; and, the Pakistani side realises it.
The weekend visit by the US assistant secretary in the dept of defence Peter Levy, followed by the arrival of British Foreign Secretary William Hague in Islamabad next week, underscores the sense of urgency in wrapping up the negotiations on the transit routes so that the schedule of withdrawal of the NATO troops from Afghanistan can be finalized. The crunch time has come. Whether Hague could succeed where the US failed so far, is the big question.
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Massacres de Houla et renvoi des ambassadeurs syriens
Posted by seumasach on June 1, 2012
Jean-Paul Baquiast
30th May, 2012
Il est tout-à-fait étonnant de constater que François Hollande a décidé le 29/05 de renvoyer l’ambassadrice de Syrie à Paris, suite aux massacres dits de Houla, en total alignement avec les positions prises par le bloc atlantique mené par Obama. La France prend ainsi parti dans une affaire qui n’a rien de clair, avec une rapidité que le valeureux Bernard Henri Levy n’a pas manqué de saluer.
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‘No sense in NATO’ – Serbian president-elect in RT exclusive
Posted by seumasach on May 28, 2012
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Oops, BBC: Iraq photo to illustrate Houla massacre?
Posted by seumasach on May 28, 2012
28th May, 2012
With the shock of the Houla tragedy ringing across the world, the BBC has released a story with a harrowing picture of rows and rows of children’s bodies awaiting burial… But isn’t that post-Saddam Iraq?
Posted in Syria, Uncategorized | Tagged: houla massacre | Leave a Comment »
UN Security Council issues statement condemning Houla Massacre
Posted by seumasach on May 28, 2012
27th May, 2012
The UN Security Council has issued a statement condemning “in the strongest possible terms” the massacre of civilians in the Syrian village of Houla, during which more than 100 people are reported to have been killed.
Read more
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Welfare to work ‘fraud scandal’
Posted by seumasach on May 27, 2012
23rd May, 2012
Written evidence submitted to Parliament by a former chief auditor at A4e shows how an “unethical culture” led to “systemic fraud” at the company, which holds major government contracts. When concerns were raised about wrongdoing with senior managers, little was done to address the widespread abuse of taxpayers’ money, the whistleblower alleged.
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Biden vows to confront rising power of China
Posted by seumasach on May 27, 2012
This should be viewed in the context of significant concessions to Chinese banks to operate in the USA , the revaluation of the Yuan as repeatedly demanded by the US and the visit of the Chinese Defence Minister accompanied by 27 Chinese generals to the Pentagon
27th May, 2012
The US Vice President Joe Biden says Washington has devised a new policy in a bid to counter the rising power and influence of China.
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Greece hopes for boost from EU leaders’ summit
Posted by seumasach on May 23, 2012
23rd May, 2012
Greece’s caretaker Prime Minister Panayiotis Pikrammenos has met European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso ahead of an EU leaders’ summit in Brussels, during which they are expected to discuss growth, the fiscal pact and the euro crisis.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: Greek crisis | Leave a Comment »
Tehran seeks to reset relations
Posted by seumasach on May 15, 2012
“A trend in Europe is that compliant right-wing politicians who have forfeited European national security into American hands are on their way out, and a more self-assertive EU is on the rise that could detach itself from the American-Israeli militaristic modus operandi.”
Kaveh Afrasiabi
16th May, 2012
In the current tumult of diplomatic maneuvers ahead of the crucial Baghdad talks on Tehran’s nuclear program between Iran and the P5+1 nations scheduled for May 23, reflected in multiple “cold” signals from the West, Iran and France are poised to reset their troubled relations if certain conditions are met.
Posted in Iran, Uncategorized | Tagged: french diplomacy, hollande agenda, independent Europe, iran-EU | Leave a Comment »
In These New Times 