In These New Times

A new paradigm for a post-imperial world

Obama trying to marginalize the intransigent anti-Syrians

Posted by seumasach on February 16, 2015

Thierry Meyssan

Voltairenet

16th February, 2015

After long hesitating, the Obama administration has adopted its new defense doctrine. For the Levant, it is no longer a question of “reshaping the broader Middle East”, nor of overthrowing President Bashar Assad, but only of “reducing” the Islamic Emirate. The White House hopes to put its military machine in order and running. To do this, President Obama is trying to get the support of Congress.

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Moscow urges Croatia to end involvement in Ukraine

Posted by seumasach on February 14, 2015

Moscow Urges Croatia, Other Countries to Stop Mercenaries’ Involvement in Ukraine

Russia Insider

13th February, 2015

MOSCOW, February 12, (TASS) – Moscow wants to remind Croatia, whose citizens are fighting in the Ukrainian army, that a new peace agreement reached in Minsk calls for the withdrawal of all foreign forces from Ukraine, the Russian foreign ministry said on Thursday.

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OSCE Head Confirms No Russian Troops in Donbas

Posted by seumasach on February 14, 2015

Sputnik

13th February, 2015

OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier said he did not see any Russian troops in the east of Ukraine.

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Russia’s Putin wins in Ukraine conflict

Posted by seumasach on February 13, 2015

M.K.Bhadrakumar

Indian Punchline

12th February, 2015

The 16-hour marathon talks through last night and this morning in Minsk regarding conflict resolution in Ukraine by the leaders of the countries involved in the so-called ‘Normandy format’ – Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine – ended in an agreement. The 13 main points of the new agreement have carried forward the twelve-point Minsk accord of last September. But there is ‘additionality’ too insofar as timeline has been given for compliance by the warring sides and other protagonists.

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Full text of the Minsk-2 agreement

Posted by seumasach on February 12, 2015

Saker

12th February, 2015

According to the Financial Times, the following is based on a translation of the Russian document:

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The Minsk “Agreement”

Posted by seumasach on February 12, 2015

Mr Mercouris is perfectly correct to point out that everything now depends on the Europeans. I am not so pessimist as he is on this point. If the Europeans fail to lean sufficiently on Kiev to get them to concede to Novorussian aspirations, then I think the European integration project is finished. It is this realization, with growing divisions over the sanctions, as well as the dire military situation from the point of view of their, rather unsavoury, proxies, which is panicking them to the negotiating table. They have already abandoned the worst excesses of their congenital Russophobia: it is they who are giving ground, not the Russians. This has been a humiliation for them. Since the have to throw their weight around somewhere, it will be, in my view, at the expense of Kiev. We shall see! It is also a very rich and varied terrain for the Greek government to manoeuvre and to apply the Archimedes principle.

Alexander Mercouris

Saker

12th February, 2015

Already there is debate about who has “won” and who has “lost” in the Minsk talks.

The short answer is that as the German foreign minister Steinmeier correctly said there is no breakthrough but the Russians and the NAF have made progress.

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Merkel’s difficult mission to Obama

Posted by seumasach on February 9, 2015

M.K.Bhadrakumar

Indian Punchline

 

The German Chancellor Angela Merkel has arrived in Washington for talks regarding a peace plan for Ukraine. At the same time, Russian President Vladimir Putin is heading for Cairo on a two-day visit, signifying a major thrust in Moscow’s “return” to the Middle East. The two are apparently unrelated events and yet they overlap in a curious way.

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All parties confess time has come to solve Ukrainian crisis

Posted by seumasach on February 9, 2015

Sputnik

9th February, 2015

BRUSSELS, (Sputnik) – Russia, Germany, France, and Ukraine have agreed that the time has come to reach a solution on the Ukrainian crisis, European Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn said Monday.

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Sarkozy: Crimea cannot be blamed for joining Russia

Posted by seumasach on February 9, 2015

RT

8th February, 2015

Crimea cannot be blamed for seceding from Ukraine – a country in turmoil – and choosing to join Russia, said former president of France, Nicolas Sarkozy. He also added that Ukraine “is not destined to join the EU.”

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Tsipras charts path forward for Greece as funds at risk

Posted by seumasach on February 8, 2015

If it’s a question of a bridging loan perhaps Russia could oblige

Bloomberg

6th February, 2015

(Bloomberg) — Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras will chart a path forward for Greece in parliament on Sunday, two days after the head of the euro-area finance ministers’ group shot down his proposal to avoid being shut off from funding at the end of the month.

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Tsipras sees red (pipeline), accepts Putin invite

Posted by seumasach on February 8, 2015

Neurope

6th February, 2015

ATHENS – The new Greek government’s improved relations with Russia may help the implementation of Gazprom’s planned Turkish Stream pipeline to Europe.

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