Washington, d.c.
{11-05-2012}

Putin cancela reunión con Obama en EEUU; se verán en México 
Anne Gearan //  Associated Press

El presidente ruso, Vladimir Putin, no realizará la visita que tenía planeada a Estados Unidos este mes, en la que asistiría tanto a una cumbre económica como a una esperada reunión con el presidente estadounidense Barack Obama, informó el miércoles la Casa Blanca.

Agregó que Obama y Putin acordaron reunirse el mes próximo en los márgenes de otra reunión económica, la cumbre del G20, en México.

El líder ruso le dijo el miércoles a Obama en una conversación telefónica que no podía unirse a los demás gobernantes del grupo de los ocho países más industrializados en las afueras de Washington entre el 18 y 19 de mayo debido a que necesita tiempo para trabajar en los detalles finales de su nuevo gabinete, dijo la Casa Blanca.

El gobierno de Obama había movido la reunión del G8 a la residencia campestre de Camp David en lugar del sitio que estaba planeado en Chicago, en parte para alojar a Putin.

El cambio de parecer de Putin pareció haber tomado por sorpresa a la Casa Blanca. El asesor de Seguridad Nacional Tom Donilon había viajado a Moscú la semana pasada para analizar la agenda del G8 y otros asuntos con el presidente ruso y otros funcionarios.

El Kremlin no confirmó de inmediato el cambio de planes.

Putin asumió este mes, al regresar tras seis años a un cargo que ya había desempeñado durante dos períodos anteriormente. Hizo de las duras críticas a Estados Unidos un tema central en su elección, pero no está claro si va a suspender la cooperación con Washington en varias áreas que echó a andar el ex presidente Dmitri Medvedev.

"Los dos presidentes reiteraron su interés en el diálogo sostenido de alto nivel que ha caracterizado el restablecimiento de las relaciones y el progreso sustancial de los últimos tres años", desde que Obama asumió el cargo, dijo la Casa Blanca en un comunicado sobre la llamada telefónica.

La declaración listó varias áreas de cooperación, como la seguridad nuclear y no proliferación, la guerra en Afganistán y la adhesión de Rusia a la Organización Mundial del Comercio. No mencionó si los líderes discutieron las áreas de desacuerdo, tales como la respuesta internacional a la violencia en Siria.

Medvedev, que intercambió posiciones con su mentor Putin como primer ministro de Rusia, va a reemplazarlo en la reunión del G8, dijo la Casa Blanca.

Obama alcanzó los titulares en su última reunión con Medvedev en una cumbre de seguridad nuclear en Corea del Sur en marzo, cuando al presidente norteamericano se le oyó decir que tendría más flexibilidad para trabajar con Rusia sobre defensa contra misiles después de la elección presidencial estadounidense.

Los republicanos atacaron el comentario, diciendo que el presidente tiene una agenda oculta que podría incluir concesiones a los rusos si gana la reelección.

La oposición de Rusia a los planes de Estados Unidos y la OTAN para un escudo de defensa antimisiles en Europa fue el trasfondo del sorpresivo anuncio de un cambio en la sede de la reunión del G8 hace unas semanas. La cumbre fue planeada desde hace mucho para realizarse junto a una cumbre más grande de líderes de la OTAN en Chicago.

Putin informó que no quería asistir a la cumbre de la OTAN -a la que a veces son invitados los líderes rusos- ni involucrar a los líderes de la OTAN en la cuestión de los misiles, dijeron diplomáticos estadounidenses y de otros países. Hablaron bajo condición de anonimato para poder discutir temas sensibles.

El plan de defensa antimisiles está en la agenda de la OTAN para Chicago, aunque es posible que la mayoría de los debates de la cumbre se concentren en Afganistán.

El cambio a Camp David fue en parte un intento de Estados Unidos por mostrarse más acogedor con Putin, para que se pudiera reunir con discreción con las grandes potencias en los albores de su presidencia sin la incómoda coincidencia con la OTAN y el tema del escudo antimisiles, dijeron diplomáticos.

Washington, d.c.
{05-11-2012}

Putin opts out of G-8 summit, cancels meeting with Obama
FoxNews.com

Just  days after reclaiming the Russian presidency, Vladimir Putin has canceled his planned visit to the United States, where he'd been scheduled to attend a major economic summit and meet with President Obama.

The White House confirmed in a statement late Wednesday that Putin told Obama on a phone call he'd be sending Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in his place. Putin claimed he was too busy finalizing cabinet appointments to make the May 18-19 G-8 Summit at Camp David. Yet the Obama administration had moved the gathering to the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland from the planned venue in Chicago partly to accommodate Putin.

Whether or not the schedule change marked an intentional snub, the let-down comes less than a week after the nation's military chief of staff warned that Russia would consider preemptive strikes, if a dispute with the United States over a Europe-based missile defense system worsens.

Russia vehemently opposes the planned placement of radars and missile interceptors in Romania and Poland, saying they would undermine Russia's nuclear deterrent. The United States says the system is needed to protect against potential missile attacks by Iran and that the installations could not act against Russian missiles.

Putin's presidential campaign also was decidedly unfriendly toward the U.S. Earlier Wednesday, speaking to thousands of soldiers at the annual Red Square military parade, Putin declared that his country is a force for world security and that Russia will stand up for its positions.

Neither the White House nor the Kremlin had discussed the change in plans until Wednesday, but a White House official said National Security Adviser Tom Donilon was informed of it when he visited Putin and other Russian officials in Moscow last week.

There was no immediate confirmation of the change in plans from the Kremlin. Putin took power this week, returning after six years to a post he had previously held for two terms. He made sharp criticism of the United States a central theme in his election, but it is not clear whether he will pull back from cooperation with the United States in several areas begun by former President Medvedev.

"The two presidents reiterated their interest in the sustained high-level dialogue that has characterized the reset of relations and the substantial progress of the last three years," since Obama took office, the White House said in a statement outlining the phone call Wednesday.

The statement listed several areas of cooperation such as nuclear security and nonproliferation, the war in Afghanistan and Russian membership in the World Trade Organization. It did not mention whether the leaders discussed areas of disagreement, such as the international response to violence in Syria.

Medvedev, who changed places with his mentor Putin as Russia's prime minister, will fill in for Putin at the G-8 meeting, the White House said. Obama made headlines at his last meeting with Medvedev at a nuclear security summit in South Korea in March, when Obama was overheard saying he would have more flexibility to work with Russia on missile defense after the U.S. presidential election.

Republicans pounced on the remark, saying the president has a hidden agenda that could include concessions to the Russians if he wins re-election.

Russian opposition to U.S. and NATO plans for a missile defense shield in Europe was the subtext of a surprise announcement earlier this spring of a change in venue for the G-8 meeting. The summit was long planned to take place adjacent to a larger summit of NATO leaders in Chicago.

Putin let it be known that he did not want to attend the NATO summit, as Russian leaders sometimes do by invitation, or engage NATO leaders on the missile issue, U.S. and other diplomats said. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomacy. The missile defense plan is on the NATO agenda for Chicago, although most of the summit discussions are likely to center on Afghanistan.

The switch to Camp David was partly an attempt by the U.S. to appear welcoming to Putin, so that he could meet quietly with European and other large powers at the dawn of his presidency without the awkward juxtaposition with NATO and the missile shield issue, the diplomats said.

The White House said Obama and Putin agreed to meet next month on the sidelines of another economic gathering, the larger G-20 summit in Mexico.

MOSCOW, RUSSIA
{05-08-2012}

Moscow protesters arrested in march against Putin
Nataliya Vasilveya  //  Associated Press

A demonstration by at least 20,000 people on the eve of Vladimir Putin's inauguration as president turned into a battle with police Sunday after some protesters tried to split off from the approved venue and march to the Kremlin.

Club-wielding officers wearing helmets seized demonstrators and hauled them to police vehicles, dragging some by the hair, others by the neck. Several protesters were injured, including one man with blood dripping from his head down the left side of his face.

Three leaders of the opposition movement that gained new life over the winter were among those arrested: Sergei Udaltsov, Alexei Navalny and Boris Nemtsov.

More than 400 people were arrested, and Russia's chief investigative agency said it was considering filing criminal charges of inciting riots against some of them. Police reported that 12 riot police officers were injured.

Previous installments of an unprecedented wave of protests that burst out after fraud-plagued parliamentary elections in December had been marked by fastidious order. The crowds, sometimes as big as 100,000 or more, had carefully kept to agreed-upon meeting-places and routes, even making a point of thanking police who stood guard in vast numbers, but did not interfere.

Sunday's break in that pattern likely reflected a sense of anger and impotence among protesters upset that Putin was handily elected to a new term in the Kremlin despite their defiance. Putin, who imposed a political system that stifled dissent and who dismissed the protesters as callow, pampered youths and Western stooges, will be sworn in for a six-year term Monday.

Sunday's demonstration started out peacefully, with protesters cheerfully marching down a wide avenue to a square on an island near the Kremlin. Some were pushing baby carriages and carrying young children on their shoulders. Many held clever homemade posters.

Some demonstrators aimed to turn up the pressure by trying to split off and head to the Kremlin, on the other side of the river.

When a phalanx of riot police blocked their approach to the bridge leading to the Kremlin, the protesters formed human chains and chanted "This is our city" and "Putin is a thief." Some demonstrators hurled stones at the police, and throat-irritating gas wafted through the air.

After about an hour of tense confrontation, police began pushing protesters back toward the square and harshly detained some of them. Police then detained protesters who had remained peacefully on the square. Two of the opposition leaders were dragged away while addressing the crowd and the third before he could take the stage.

The ground was left littered with broken glass and splattered with blood. Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, defended the police action.

"I would have liked them to be tougher," he said on the Dozhd cable television channel.

Before the march turned violent, some of the demonstrators acknowledged that Putin's March election win was a blow to morale.

"It's true that some have been disappointed," said Yuri Baranov, a 46-year-old information technology specialist. But "the most important thing is that people have awakened."

Others admitted some doubts about whether the protests would spur any long-term change.

Journalism group cites censorship in 10 countries
Eileen Alt Powell  //  Associated Press

The Horn of Africa nation Eritrea leads the world in imposing censorship on the media, followed closely by North Korea, Syria and Iran, a journalism group said Wednesday.

The Committee to Protect Journalists said in a report that 10 countries stand out as censors by barring international media, putting "dictatorial controls" on domestic media and imposing other restrictions.

Rounding out the 10 worst censors are Equatorial Guinea, Uzbekistan, Burma which also is known as Myanmar, Saudi Arabia, Cuba and Belarus.

The report by the committee, a nonprofit organization based in New York, was released to mark World Press Freedom Day on Thursday.

Many of the countries on this year's list also were on the committee's last list, published in 2006."In the name of stability or development, these regimes suppress independent reporting, amplify propaganda and use technology to control rather than empower their own citizens," CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon said in a statement accompanying the report. "Journalists are seen as a threat and often pay a high price for their reporting," he said. "But because the internet and trade have made information global, domestic censorship affects people everywhere."

Also Wednesday, Amnesty International said in a report that Sudan has stepped up its crackdown on journalists by detaining reporters, confiscating newspapers and infiltrating social media sites."Since May 2011, the Sudanese authorities have shut down 15 newspapers, confiscated more than 40 newspaper editions, arrested eight journalists and banned two from writing, seriously curtailing freedom of expression," said Erwin van der Borght, Amnesty International's Africa director.

In making its list, CPJ said its staff evaluated the countries on 15 benchmarks. They include blocking of websites, restrictions on electronic recording, absence of privately owned or independent media, and restrictions on journalists' movements.

In Eritrea, which is run with an iron hand by President Isaias Afewerki, that "no foreign reporters are granted access ... and all domestic media are controlled by the government," the report said.

It added that North Korea, Syria and Iran were "three nations where vast restrictions on information have enormous implications for geopolitical and nuclear stability."

North Korea has tested nuclear weapons, Iran is believed to be working to develop them and Syria reportedly has had nuclear ambitions.

North Korea, which topped the 2006 list, "remains an extraordinarily secretive place," the report said. It noted, though, that there have been "some tiny cracks" in its censorship, including the opening of an Associated Press bureau in the capital this year.

It said censorship "has intensified significantly in Syria and Iran in response to political unrest." Syria has banned foreign reporters from the country and limited local reporters from moving freely as it uses its military and police to put down a civilian uprising. Iran, meanwhile, has blocked websites and imprisoned journalists to limit publication and broadcast of information, the report said.

The report gave these reasons for including the other nations:

- Equatorial Guinea, where all media are directly or indirectly controlled by the president.

- Uzbekistan, where "there is no independent press and journalists contributing to foreign outlets are subject to harassment and prosecution."

- Burma, where reforms "have not extended" to rigid censorship laws.

- Saudi Arabia, which "has tightened restrictions in response to political unrest."

- Cuba, where the Communist party controls all domestic media.

- Belarus, where recent crackdowns have sent "remnants of independent media underground."

In 2006, the top-10 censored countries were North Korea, Burma, Turkmenistan, Equatorial Guinea, Libya, Eritrea, Cuba, Uzbekistan, Syria, and Belarus.

Jerusalem, israel
{05-02-2012}

Israel army chief: Other nations could strike Iran
Associated Press

Israel's military chief said Thursday that other countries have readied their armed forces for a potential strike against Iran's nuclear sites to keep Tehran from acquiring atomic weapons.

Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz did not specify which nations might be willing to support or take direct action against Iran. Still, his comments were one of the strongest hints yet that Israel may have the backing of other countries to strike the Islamic Republic to prevent it from developing nuclear arms.

"The military force is ready," Gantz said. "Not only our forces, but other forces as well."

"We all hope that there will be no necessity to use this force, but we are absolutely sure of its existence," he told The Associated Press, adding that he was not speaking on behalf of any other nation.

Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, and that it does not aim to develop atomic weapons.

Israel, which views a nuclear Iran as an existential threat, has said it will not allow Tehran to acquire a nuclear bomb. It cites Iranian calls for Israel's destruction, Tehran's support for militant groups and its development of missiles capable of striking the Jewish state.

Israel's key ally, the United States, favors diplomacy and economic sanctions and has said military action on Iran's nuclear facilities should only be a last resort if all else fails. U.S. logistical and diplomatic support would likely be crucial to any potential Israeli strike.

Washington and other major powers have imposed a series of crippling economic sanctions while opening a dialogue with Iran.

Gantz said that in his assessment Iran is seeking to develop its "military nuclear capability," but that the Islamic Republic would ultimately bow to international pressure and decide against building a weapon.

The key to that pressure, he said, were sanctions and the threat of a military strike.

Gantz's stance on Iran's intentions appeared to put him at odds with Israel's political leaders, who have staked out a more hardline position. Gantz denied that was the case Thursday, saying there was no internal disagreement over Iran's aims.

But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told CNN on Tuesday that international sanctions have not changed Iran's behavior, and that the country continues to enrich uranium -- a key step toward developing a weapon.

The sanctions "haven't rolled back the Iranian program or even stopped it by one iota," Netanyahu said.

Madrid, spain
{04-18-2012}

Argentina bashed by Spain, EU for oil takeover
Alan Clendenning  //  Associated Press

Argentina's President Cristina Fernandez is attempting to quell increasing unrest at home and boost her popularity with an "unlawful" bid to nationalize YPF, the Argentine oil unit of Spanish energy firm Repsol, the company's president claimed Tuesday as the group's shares plunged more than 7 percent.

As Spain's government prepared retaliatory measures against Argentina, the European Commission added to the two nations' rapidly rising economic and diplomatic tensions by indefinitely postponing a meeting with Argentine officials over a bilateral trade and economic treaty between the European Union and Argentina.

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said he was "seriously disappointed" by Argentina's decision and warned that "this creates an uncertainty which is not helpful to our economic relations and to the economy as a whole."

Fernandez sparked the firestorm between Spain and Argentina on Monday when she sent a bill to her country's congress to put a majority stake of YPF in state hands, effectively nationalizing the oil company. Argentina has in the past accused Repsol of failing to invest enough in YPF and its oil sector.

Repsol president Antonio Brufau told reporters that the company demands just compensation and will fight Fernandez' plan, adding that she "carried out an unlawful act and made unlawful charges after a campaign aimed at knocking down YPF shares and allowing expropriation at a bargain price."

YPF, he added, was singled out while other foreign energy companies with Argentina operations were not targeted.

The decision by Fernandez "is only a way of covering up the social and economic crisis Argentina is facing" amid high inflation and energy prices, Brufau added.

Repsol shares were down 7.1 percent to (EURO)16.25 ($21.34) each in early afternoon trading in Madrid, far underperforming the benchmark Ibex index, which was up 1 percent. Analysts were concerned that Argentina has not stated any compensation terms for the nationalization of YPF, which has 42 percent of Repsol's global reserves, estimated at 2.1 billion barrels of crude.

Brufau told reporters that YPF is worth $18.3 billion, and he valued Repsol's 57 percent stake in the unit at $10.5 billion. Argentina wants to take over Repsol shares representing 51 percent of YPF, meaning Repsol would be left with 6 percent and shareholders including a rich Argentine family would not be affected.

In a sign of the rising tensions between Spain and Argentina over the nationalization plan, the Spanish foreign ministry summoned Argentina's ambassador to Madrid for the second time in five days to mount another formal protest.

Justice Minister Alberto Ruiz Gallardon said Argentina's plan to nationalize YPF "represents an extraordinary political error in the medium and long term."

Gallardon and other officials suggested Spain would retaliate, but did not say how. Energy Minister Jose Manuel Soria said the government could take action within days and cited possible lines of diplomatic or commercial retaliation against Argentina but did not provide specifics.

YPF is Argentina's largest company and vital for its energy future, especially after a recent find of huge unconventional oil and natural gas reserves - a discovery that Brufau stressed came from his company's exploration efforts.

But the company has been under intense pressure from Fernandez' government to raise output while its shares have plunged in recent months on fears of possible state intervention.

Argentina this year expects to import more than $10 billion worth of gas and natural liquid gas to address an energy crisis even though it is an oil-producing nation, according to estimates from the hydrocarbon sector.

Spain's government is seeking to line up allies to contest the nationalization and possibly isolate Argentina economically. Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy is expected to try to drum up support this week during a trip to Mexico and Colombia.

Brufau encouraged shareholders to take part in the upcoming legal battle, and accused Fernandez of being "an expert manipulator" in her accusations that Repsol underfunded its YPF unit. He said Repsol has invested $20 billion in Argentina since it bought its stake in YPF in 1999.

As Fernandez was announcing the takeover on national television, Argentine authorities went to YPF headquarters in Buenos Aires and expelled Spanish executives, Brufau said.

Their "behavior with our managers and employees was pathetic and embarrassing," he said.

Bilateral accords between Spain and Argentina will allow Repsol to take its case to the United Nations and the World Bank after Argentine lawmakers allied with Fernandez approve the plan, as is expected.

"It will be a long (legal) battle," Brufau warned.

Spain is the largest foreign investor in Argentina, ahead of the United States. Spanish bank and telecommunications companies have a heavy presence in Argentina, where they have earned strong profits to offset deep losses in recent years at home due to the financial crisis.

Spain's Telefonica SA operates six companies in Argentina, where it is the leading telecom provider, with revenue last year of (EURO)3.17 billion, up from (EURO)3 billion in 2010, according to its annual report.

The YPF nationalization has made the business climate in Argentina more uncertain for foreign companies, but experts doubted Fernandez would announce nationalizations affecting others.

"There's going to be a lot of mounting pressure on Argentina not to do more of this," said Antonio Moreno, an economics professor at the University of Navarra. "I don't think they're going to be able to go on a nationalization spree."

Buenos aires, argentina
{04-17-2012}

Argentine president plans to nationalize oil co.
Associated Press

    Argentine President Cristina Fernandez on Monday proposed a bill to nationalize the YPF oil company that is controlled by Spain's Repsol, moving ahead with the plan despite fierce opposition from Madrid.

Fernandez said in an address to the country that the measure sent to congress on Monday is aimed at recovering the nation's sovereignty over its hydrocarbon resources. She said the shares being expropriated will be split between the national and provincial governments.

The president complained that Argentina last year had to spend more than $3 billion to important gas and petroleum.  B YPF is Argentina's biggest company, and Spain is Argentina's largest foreign investor, with the United States in second place.

Governors of oil-producing Argentine provinces have withdrawn about 15 oil leases, representing 18 percent of YPF's crude production, alleging the company failed to keep its promises to develop them. YPF has countered that it has invested millions in those areas and plans to increase production, but Argentine officials have said that still falls short.

How Argentina may try to displace Repsol, which owns 57 percent of YPF, has been the subject of wide speculation since the government's pressure campaign began in February. Even with its share prices depressed, YPF is valued at $13.6 billion, and buying half of that would deplete Argentina's treasury of funds it needs to maintain the populist subsidies that have kept the country's economy afloat.

The president's proposal declares that the exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons is "of national public interest" and declares that building up the nation's supply is a priority.

Argentina this year expects to import more than $10 billion worth of gas and natural liquid gas in the face of an energy crisis, according to estimates from the hydrocarbon sector.

YPF is not the first big firm to be nationalised by President Cristina Fernandez and it is unlikely to be the last.   Fernandez has continued the economic nationalism of her late husband and predecessor, Nestor Kirchner, bringing such companies as the national airline under renewed state control.

Like Aerolineas Argentinas, YPF was privatised in the 1990s by former President Carlos Menem, a man who transformed the Peronist party into an engine of free-market reform.

But since Argentina's economic collapse of 2001-02, Peronism has gone back to its original corporatist vision, and many sectors of the economy that were liberalised in that era are now back in government hands.

Spanish officials have already protested the plan, saying Argentina risks becoming "an international pariah" if it takes control of Repsol's YPF subsidiary.

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo last week summoned Argentine Ambassador Carlo Antonio Bettini to convey concern over possible nationalization of YPF, which represents 42 percent of Repsol's total reserves, estimated at 2.1 billion barrels of crude.

On Monday Spain's ruling People's Party said the government would defend national interests  "The government has to decide on its response, but I don't have the slightest doubt that it will be the most appropriate response to defend national interests and Spanish interests and a sufficient and complete response to defend the interest of Spanish companies in Argentina," said the general secretary of the party, Maria Dolores Cospedal.

The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, has made it clear it backs Spain's position. In November last year, YPF, which was privatised in 1993, announced a major find of 1bn barrels of shale oil.  Argentina has some of the world's largest reserves of shale oil and gas, hydrocarbons trapped deep underground.  It is ranked number three in the world in terms of recoverable resources, behind China and the US, according to the US Energy Information Administration.

"This president is not going to answer any threat, is not going to respond to any sharp remark, is not going to echo the disrespectful or insolent things said," Fernandez said to applause from business, union and political leaders at an official event announcing the proposed law. "I am a head of state and not a hoodlum."

UNITED NATIONS, NEW YORK
{04-15-2012}

UN Sending Truce Observers to Syria
Margaret Besheer  //  The United Nations

The United Nations Security Council unanimously gave the go ahead Saturday for a small group of observers to be deployed to Syria to monitor a fragile truce between the government and armed opposition fighters.  Some last-minute negotiations were required to win the full 15-nation council’s approval.

Resolution 2042 authorizes up to 30 monitors to be deployed immediately to Syria, where a shaky truce held Saturday despite reports of government shelling in the flashpoint city of Homs.

Britain's ambassador, Mark Lyall Grant, noted that the resolution is clear about the commitments both the Syrian government and the opposition must fulfill.

"First, it must end the movement of troops towards and begin the pull back from population centers and cease the use of heavy weapons.  As the Joint Special Envoy [Kofi Annan] has made clear, it must also return troops and heavy weapons to their barracks.  Second, it must implement the full six-point proposal in its entirety; and third, it must ensure that the monitoring mission we have authorized can operate effectively with full freedom of movement and access, freedom to interview individuals without retaliation against them, allow unobstructed communications and guarantee its safety without prejudice to freedom of movement.  The opposition, too, must refrain from violence and ensure that it gives the regime no excuse to renege on its commitments," he said.

This is the first time since the crisis began over a year ago that the council has adopted a resolution on the situation.  But that unanimity was threatened Friday, when veto-holder Russia raised objections to language in a western-drafted resolution and presented its own version. Negotiations continued into the evening and by Saturday morning, compromises had been made to bring Moscow on board with the western text.

Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told the council after the vote that Moscow considers the final resolution to be more balanced.  "For many months now, the situation in Syria has been the subject of the fixed attention and alarm of the international community and it is understandable.  There have been too many casualties, too much suffering to befall the Syrian people, with too many destructive consequences if the crisis continues to ratchet up, not only for Syria itself, but for regional peace and stability," he said.

The British ambassador said 25 monitors have been identified and could begin arriving in Syria within 24 hours now that their mission has been authorized. 

But U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice cautioned that their deployment would be a test to see if it is possible to send a larger mission.

"The resolution also expresses the council's intention to establish a larger observer mission once the secretary-general presents a blueprint and if it is clear the cease-fire is holding and the government is cooperating.  We see this advance team's deployment as an important test of the Syrian government's intentions.  If the government obstructs its work it will raise serious concerns about moving forward with the establishment of the full mission," she said.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon must present the council with his recommendations for a full monitoring mission by Wednesday.

Mr. Ban and U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan met Saturday evening in Geneva, where they welcomed the adoption of the council resolution authorizing the advance team's deployment and reiterating the Security Council's full support for Mr. Annan's six-point plan.

Damascus, Syria
{04-02-2012}

Syria authorities target children, says UN rights chief
Associated Press

    Syrian authorities are systematically detaining and torturing children, the United Nations' human rights chief, Navi Pillay, has told the BBC.

Ms Pillay said President Bashar al-Assad could end the detentions and stop the killing of civilians immediately, simply by issuing an order.

Syria has accepted a peace plan, amid scepticism about its intentions.

Most opposition groups have now agreed that the Syrian National Council will formally represent the Syrian people.

Navi Pillay, in an interview with the BBC before Syria accepted the plan, said Mr Assad would face justice for the abuses carried out by his security forces.

Asked if he bore command responsibility for the abuses, Ms Pillay said: "That is the legal situation. Factually there is enough evidence pointing to the fact that many of these acts are committed by the security forces [and] must have received the approval or the complicity at the highest level.  "Because President Assad could simply issue an order to stop the killings and the killings would stop."

Ms Pillay said she believed that the UN Security Council had enough reliable information to warrant referring Syria to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

We have been here before. Last November, President Assad agreed to a deal proposed by the Arab League which had many of the same elements as the Annan plan - withdrawal of government forces from residential areas, freeing of political prisoners and good-faith negotiations with the opposition.

None of those promises was kept:  The Annan plan contains no timetable for implementation, but for it to get any momentum, it must produce results on the ground in a matter of days.

The Syrian opposition groups who have been meeting in Istanbul this week are unanimous in their belief that President Assad is just playing for time. So they are convinced they will never have to confront the dilemma over whether to sit down and negotiate with him.

At Russia's request, the Annan plan makes no mention of any requirement for President Assad to leave office. But almost all the opposition groups say that requirement is non-negotiable; all they would be willing to talk about is how he leaves office, and what kind of system follows his departure.

Disunity haunts Syrian opposition: "I feel that investigation and prosecution is a crucial element to deter and call a stop to these violations," she said.

She listed what she called "horrendous" treatment of children during the unrest. "They've gone for the children - for whatever purposes - in large numbers. Hundreds detained and tortured... it's just horrendous," she said.

"Children shot in the knees, held together with adults in really inhumane conditions, denied medical treatment for their injuries, either held as hostages or as sources of information."

Ms Pillay said anyone who committed such violations would be held to account.

"There is no statute of limitations so people like [Mr Assad] can go on for a very long time but one day they will have to face justice."

On Tuesday, Radhika Coomaraswamy, the UN special representative for children and armed conflict, said they had received claims that the rebel Free Syrian Army was using children as fighters.

Opposition meets

The UN says more than 9,000 people have been killed since the uprising against President Assad began a year ago.

Late on Tuesday, several Syrian dissident groups meeting in Istanbul agreed to recognise the Syrian National Council as the official representative of the Syrian people.

The BBC's Jonathan Head at the gathering said none of the delegates he spoke to believed President Assad was sincere, and the Syrian opposition would never accept any deal allowing him to remain in power.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said President Bashar al-Assad would be judged by events. But our correspondent says their disunity was openly on display, with constant disputes and walkouts.

Earlier, a spokesman for UN and Arab League envoy Kofi Annan said he considered the Syrian acceptance of his six-point peace plan an "important initial step" but that implementation was key.

Mr Annan - currently in Beijing where he has held talks with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao - has written to President Assad urging him to put his commitments into immediate effect.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said President Assad would be judged by events.

"Given Assad's history of over-promising and under-delivering, that commitment must now be matched by immediate actions," she said.

"If he is ready to bring this dark chapter in Syria's history to a close he can prove it by immediately ordering regime forces to stop firing and begin withdrawing from populated areas."

However, there were reports of further violence on Wednesday.

Toulouse, France,
{03-20-2012}

Gunman killed four people in Toulouse, Francia
Associated Press

     A French police official says the gun used to kill four people at a Jewish school Monday was the same gun used in attacks on three French paratroopers last week.

Police had been investigating a connection between the attacks after a gunman opened fire outside Ozar Hatorah school in the southwestern French city of Toulouse, killing a rabbi, his two sons and one other child, according to the prosecutor's office.

Prosecutor Michel Valet said a 30-year-old rabbi and his 3-year-old and 6-year-old sons were killed in the attack just before classes started at the Ozar Hatorah school.

Another child, the 8-year-old daughter of the school principal, was also killed, school officials said. Valet said a 17-year-old boy was also seriously wounded and in the operating ward of a city hospital.

"The drama occurred a bit before 8 a.m. A man arrived in front of the school on a motorcycle or scooter," Valet said, adding that the man got off his scooter outside the school and opened fire.

"He shot at everything he had in front of him, children and adults," he said. "The children were chased inside the school."

Officials say the shooter fled the scene on a scooter.

Concerns emerged about a possible serial killer with racist motivations, as investigators examined whether the attack was linked to two other shooting attacks in the Toulouse region that killed three French paratroopers and left another seriously injured.

According to a French police official, the gunman who killed four at a school in Toulouse fired 15 shots from a gun that officials identified as the same gun used in two attacks last week.

Fox News sources say it appears the gunman used one automatic pistol and one manual in all three incidents.

An Interior Ministry spokesman noted "similarities" between the attacks, including the use of  scooters in both cases and that both suspects were apparently very determined.

On Thursday, a gunman on a motorbike opened fire on three uniformed paratroopers at a bank machine, killing two and critically wounding the other. The attack in the town of Montauban occurred not far from the soldiers' barracks.

Four days earlier, a gunman on a motorbike shot and killed another paratrooper in Toulouse.

The motive for the killings is unclear.

The Paris prosecutor's office said Monday it will investigate eventual terrorist links to Monday's killing and the two killings of paratroopers last week. The prosecutor's office, in a statement, did not indicate any evidence so far of any form of terrorism.

France's Prime Minister Francois Fillon says he has asked for all schools and religious buildings to be secured in the wake of Monday's school shooting.

Sarkozy visited the school accompanied by Richard Prasquier, the president of CRIF, the umbrella group representing Jewish organizations.

"It's a day of national tragedy," Sarkozy said. "The barbary, the savagery, the cruelty cannot win. Hate cannot win. The nation is much stronger."

Paris, france
{03-16-2012}

Sarkozy likens Syria's Assad to a 'murderer'
Angela Charlton // Associated Press

     French President Nicolas Sarkozy likened Syrian leader Bashar Assad to a "murderer" while Russia said it was arming his regime, reflecting the ongoing divisions in the international community over how to bring the violence in Syria to an end.

The divisions over Syria were further evident with the news that Italy was joining a string of countries closing their embassies in Syria to protest the bloodshed.

Efforts by Kofi Annan, the international envoy charged with trying to help end the violence in Syria, have borne little so far.

The former U.N. secretary-general had questions about the response from Syrian authorities to his proposals "and is seeking answers," his spokesman Ahmad Fawzi said Wednesday.

"Given the grave and tragic situation on the ground, everyone must realize that time is of the essence," Fawzi said. "As he said in the region, this crisis cannot be allowed to drag on."

Annan, the joint U.N.-Arab League envoy, visited Syria over the weekend and had two meetings with President Bashar Assad. U.N. diplomats said Annan will brief the Security Council by videoconference on Friday morning.

Fawzi gave no details on the proposals or response, but in Washington, U.S. officials said the Syrian reply to Annan was unacceptable, notably because it does not include any reference to the demands of the Arab League for a political transition that would see Assad step down.

One U.S. official familiar with the matter said it was "not positive but not unexpected either.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because Annan has not publicly released the response, said it did not mention steps toward a transition, an end to government attacks on the opposition or the withdrawal of troops from civilian areas.

The French leader, whose country was Syria's one-time colonial ruler, urged humanitarian corridors to allow refugees out and aid into the country.

"We must obtain humanitarian corridors, and for that we must unblock the Russian veto and Chinese veto" at the U.N. Security Council, Sarkozy told Europe-1 radio.

U.N. Security Council members are meeting to decide what to do next to try to stop the violence.

The council has been considering a new resolution on Syria. Russia and China have vetoed two previous resolutions, saying they were unbalanced and demanded an end to government attacks only, not the opposition.

"The French army can in no way intervene" in Syria without U.N. backing, Sarkozy said. France has been active in efforts to end fighting in Syria, and was a leading player in the U.N.-mandated, NATO-led airstrike campaign in Libya.

Sarkozy reached out to both Assad and Libya's Moammar Gadhafi earlier in his tenure to try get them to cooperate with the international community. But after both leaders responded to uprisings last year with military repression of protesters, Sarkozy abandoned his support for them.

The U.N. estimates that more than 7,500 people have been killed since the anti-Assad struggle started in Syria a year ago inspired by Arab Spring uprisings elsewhere. As Assad's forces used deadly force to stop the unrest, protests spread and some Syrians took up arms.

Assad "is today behaving like a murderer and will have to answer for himself at the International Criminal Court," Sarkozy said.

International envoy Kofi Annan visited Syria over the weekend and was in Turkey on Tuesday to try to find a way to end the violence, but both the Syrian government and the opposition are refusing to talk to one another.

Italy said Wednesday it has closed its embassy in Syria and recalled its staff in reaction to continued crackdown on civilians by government troops. The Foreign Ministry reaffirmed "the strongest condemnation of the unacceptable violence by the Syrian regime against its own citizen."

Britain, Canada, France, Spain and the United States have each announced the closure of their embassies to protest the crackdown.

Sarkozy played down concerns about violence in Libya and the country's direction after Gadhafi's ouster.

"A country three times larger than France with 6 million residents, you have to leave it a bit of time. You cannot pass from dictatorship to democracy in 6 months," he said.

Moscow, Russia
{03-14-2012}

Russia Says It Will Keep Selling Weapons to Syria
Vladimir Isachenkov  //  Associated Press

     Russia has no intention of curtailing military cooperation with Syria despite calls from the West to stop arming President Bashar Assad's regime, a senior Russian government official said Tuesday.

Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov said Russia will abide by existing contracts to deliver weapons to Syria despite Assad's yearlong crackdown on the opposition, during which the U.N. says over 7,500 people have been killed.

"Russia enjoys good and strong military technical cooperation with Syria, and we see no reason today to reconsider it," Antonov told reporters.

Russia has shielded Syria, its last ally in the Arab world, from U.N. sanctions over the Assad regime's bloody suppression of an uprising against his government.

Moscow has been a steadfast ally of Syria since Soviet times, when it was led by the current president's father, Hafez Assad, and has long supplied Damascus with aircraft, missiles, tanks and other heavy weapons.

The Syrian port of Tartus is now the only naval base Russia has outside the former Soviet Union. A Russian navy squadron made a call there in January in what was seen by many as a show of support for Assad.

Also in January, a Russian ship allegedly carrying tons of munitions made a dash for Syria after telling officials in EU member Cyprus, where it had made an unexpected stop, that it was heading for Turkey. Turkish officials said the ship had instead charted course for Tartus.

"The only thing that worries us today is the security of our citizens," Antonov said in a reference to Russian military personnel in Syria that are training the Syrians in the use of weapons supplied by Russia.

He declined to say how many of them are currently stationed in Syria.

"It's part of our contractual obligations," said Antonov, who oversees military technical cooperation with foreign countries. "When we supply weapons, we have to provide training."

Antonov dismissed allegations that Russia has sent special forces officers to assist government forces.

"There are no (Russian) special forces with rifles and grenade launchers running around," he said.

Moscow insists it will block any U.N. resolution that could pave the way for a replay of what happened in Libya, where NATO action helped oust Moammar Gadhafi.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who won presidential elections on March 4, has recently accused the West of fueling the Syrian conflict by refusing to also demand from Assad's opponents to pull out from besieged cities along with government troops.

Russian diplomats have dismissed Western hopes for a shift in Moscow's stance on Syria after Putin's election victory as "wishful thinking."

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said after discussing the Syrian crisis at the U.N. on Monday that a cease-fire in Syria would have to be observed by both government forces and the opposition and requires international monitoring.

"Both parties should realize that they will be monitored by independent observers who will see how they observe the demand for an immediate cease-fire that will be put forward," Lavrov said Tuesday at a news conference in Moscow.

"There shouldn't be a situation where there are demands for the government to pull out of cities and villages and no demands put to armed groups" to do the same, he said.

Lavrov said Assad wouldn't agree to withdraw his forces if the opposition fails to respond in kind.

"A unilateral pullout of government forces would be absolutely unrealistic. The Syrian government will not do that," he said.

Jerusalem, Israel
{03-13-2012}

Israel launches fresh air strikes on Gaza
Associated Press

      Israeli air strikes have pounded Gaza for a second day, in the worst violence in the region for almost a year. Palestinian sources said at least 15 militants had been killed in the two days of fighting.

Israel says almost 100 rockets fired from Gaza have struck Israel since the exchange of fire began. The US condemned the rocket attacks, calling them "cowardly", while the Arab League called the Israeli air strikes "a massacre".

The UN and the European Union have expressed concern and appealed for calm. The latest flare-up began on Friday when an Israeli air strike on a car in Gaza City killed militant commander Zohair al-Qaisi, secretary general of the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), and two of his associates.

Gaza militants quickly unleashed a barrage of rockets toward southern Israeli communities. Palestinian doctors said Israeli air strikes on Saturday killed one person near the southern town of Rafah on the border with Egypt and two more in Khan Younis.

They said that at least 26 Palestinians had been wounded over the two days, five seriously. Israeli officials said rocket attacks against Israel had injured four people. They said Israel's Iron Dome missile-interception system had taken out 28 rockets heading towards populated areas.

Schools in several southern Israeli communities closed on Sunday, affecting more than 200,000 students, Israeli media reported.  The Israeli army said it struck several targets inside Gaza including "a terrorist squad" planning to fire rockets.

It said the air strikes were "in direct response to the rocket fire at Israeli communities in southern Israel". Defence Minister Ehud Barak said "the Israeli army will hit anyone planning to attack Israeli citizens".

The increase in violence alarmed world powers trying to bring peace talks between Palestinians and Israelis back on track.

US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Washington condemned "in the strongest terms" the rocket fire from Gaza, saying the attacks had "dramatically and dangerously escalated".

Israel says its Iron Dome missile launchers, like this one in Ashdod, stopped several rockets "We call on those responsible to take immediate action to stop these cowardly acts," she said.

The Arab League issued a statement accusing Israel of carrying out a "massacre".

It called for a tough stance from the international community against the Jewish state.

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said the bloc was "following with concern the recent escalation of violence in Gaza and in the south of Israel".

"It is essential to avoid further escalation and I urge all sides to re-establish calm," she said.

UN spokesman Richard Miron called the situation in Gaza "very fragile and unsustainable".

"We deplore the fact that civilians are once again paying the price," he said.