Weltpolitik Blog Weltpolitik Blog This blog is dedicated to World Politics, energy and geostrategy. Articles
European energy reform unveiled
2007-09-19 18:41:00 Plans have been put forward in Brussels that would open European energy markets to greater competition. The European Commission put forward proposals that would force energy giants to "unbundle" operations. This means that businesses which generate power and supply gas would not be allowed to control the electricity grid or pipeline networks.Firms would be forced to either sell transmission networks or lease them to new operators. The Commission says that the move would encourage new entrants to the sector as well as boost investment in infrastructure. The proposals would also shield markets from outsiders such as Russia's Gazprom, which supplies about 25% of Europe's gas. If it wanted to enter the market, it too would have to separate its supply and network businesses, under the regulations. 'Competitive' A Commission report said the existing dominance in some countries of vertically integrated companies, meant that too many EU residents and firms "lack a real choice of supplie... More About: Energy , Reform , Rope
19th APEC Ministerial Meeting concludes
2007-09-07 16:58:00 The 19th APEC Ministerial Meeting has concluded at Sydney, Australia with the release of the Joint Statement. You can read this document bellow.Joint StatementWe, the APEC Ministers, met on 5-6 September in Sydney to participate in the 19th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministerial Meeting.The meeting was co-chaired by the Hon Alexander Downer MP, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Australia and the Hon Warren Truss MP, Minister for Trade of Australia. We welcomed the participation in the meeting of the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) and the APEC Official Observers.Under the theme of “strengthening our community, building a sustainable future”, we reviewed developments in the region, the achievements we have made this year and the challenges facing our future.The Asia-Pacific region remains the engine of world growth. Incomes are rising, poverty is declining, employment is growing, investment is increasing and trade is expanding. Growth in the past year has been s...
RAF intercepts eight Russian bombers as Putin provokes West
2007-09-07 04:43:00 The RAF scrambled to intercept eight Russian nuclear bombers heading for Britain yesterday in the biggest aerial confrontation between the two countries since the end of the Cold War. The Tupolev-95 Bear bombers were approaching in formation when they were met by four Tornado F3 fighter jets. Defence sources said that the Russian pilots turned away as soon as they spotted the approaching Tornados and did not enter British airspace. Norway had earlier sent four F16 jets to shadow the Russians as they neared its airspace in what Moscow insisted was a training mission. The bombers had flown over international waters from the Barents Sea to the Atlantic before heading for Britain. Russian Bears flying in pairs have triggered several alerts this year as they neared the 12-mile British airspace zone, but this was the first time that so many bombers had simultaneously tested British air defences. The exercise is expensive for the RAF. It costs more than £40,000 an hour to fly a Tornado F3... More About: West , Putin
US seeks stronger Asian democracy
2007-09-07 04:34:00 US President George W Bush has called for the strengthening of democracy across Asia. In a speech ahead of the Asia-Pacific summit in Sydney, he said free countries should work together to support democratic institutions. Mr Bush singled out Burma, calling on the military government to free all political prisoners, including opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. He also urged China to use next year's Olympics to show "greater openness".In his wide-ranging speech to business leaders in Sydney, Mr Bush said Australia and the US were united by common interests. "We seek an Asia-Pacific region that is growing in freedom and prosperity and peace," he said. Speaking on the eve of the 21-nation Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (Apec), the US president called on members to help break the deadlock in the Doha round of trade talks.He said the round was a "once-in-a-generation" chance and that America was prepared to show flexibility. "The United States is committed to seizing this opportunit... More About: Democracy , Asian , Stronger
Bush and Hu hold 'friendly' talks
2007-09-07 04:22:00 US President George Bush has held talks with his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao in the Australian city of Sydney. Mr Bush described the talks as friendly despite the fact they tackled thorny issues including religious freedom, climate change and exchange rates. Few details have emerged so far, but Mr Bush said Mr Hu was "quite articulate" over the issue of product safety. This contentious topic was highlighted recently by a series of recalls of Chinese-made products.Mr Hu and Mr Bush were meeting ahead of a summit of Asia-Pacific leaders.While the official leaders' meetings of the 21-nation Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (Apec) forum are not due to take place until the weekend, several bilateral discussions have already taken place on the sidelines.Australian Prime Minister John Howard met Mr Hu earlier on Thursday, and the two countries agreed to hold annual security summits. Mr Bush, meanwhile, began his day by meeting Australian opposition leader Kevin Rudd. Mr Rudd is far ah... More About: Friendly , Hold
US 'must reduce presence in Iraq'
2007-09-07 04:10:00 The US should reduce its troop presence in Iraq so as not to appear an "occupying force", a key 20-member US security commission has recommended. The panel of retired police and military officers told the Senate that Iraqi forces should be replacing US troops by early next year. But the report also warned Iraqi troops would not be ready to take over fully within the next 18 months. It also said the Iraqi police force was ineffective and should be scrapped. The report is the latest in a series to be considered by the US Congress as it debates the Iraq war. Security surge The panel's head, Gen James Jones, told the Senate Armed Services Committee: "The force footprint should be adjusted in our view to represent an expeditionary capability and to combat a permanent-force image of today's presence."Significant reductions, consolidations and realignments would appear to be possible and prudent... This will make an eventual departure much easier." Democrats welcomed the call for a reduc... More About: Presence , Reduce
Irán mantiene abierta la brecha transatlántica
2007-09-07 03:16:00 Europeos y estadounidenses discrepan sobre el uso de la fuerza frente al régimen iraní - El 50% de los europeos cree que la relación con EE UU no mejorará con un nuevo presidente.Asentada la polvareda de la ruptura entre europeos y estadounidenses a propósito de la guerra de Irak, aquel enfrentamiento ofrece indicios de haber consolidado diferencias de enfoque entre ambos lados del Atlántico que se reavivarían en caso de crisis internacional ante los planes nucleares de Irán. Aunque hasta ahora los aliados van de la mano en su estrategia diplomática ante Teherán, las respectivas opiniones públicas muestran diferentes sensibilidades: mientras el 47% de los estadounidenses considera aceptable una intervención militar en la República Islámica, sólo el 18% de los europeos opta por la fuerza. Pese a las diferencias, la mayoría de los europeos (54%) pide que la UE se coordine con EE UU para mantener la estabilidad mundial.Éste es uno de los resultados ofrecidos por el son... More About: Tran , Ansa
Francia debate poner fin a la antiglobalización
2007-09-07 02:48:00 El informe del ex ministro socialista Hubert Védrine pide a los franceses que abandonen "su desconfianza estéril" Hubert Védrine, que fuera ministro de Exteriores del último Gobierno socialista francés (1997-2002), ha elaborado por encargo del presidente de la República, Nicolas Sarkozy, un informe "sobre Franc ia y la mundialización" en el que aconseja a sus conciudadanos que abandonen "su desconfianza estéril" en este proceso económico y social que domina el planeta. Védrine considera que la desconfianza en la globalización es generalizada, pero que sólo los franceses pretenden vivir contra ella y no aceptan que es un hecho irreversible que hay que intentar controlar y del que es posible beneficiarse. Védrine entregó ayer el informe a Sarkozy. "Como todos los informes, puede quedar en nada o puede convertirse en un instrumento de reflexión", dijo.Védrine (Saint Silvain Bellegarde, 1947) es uno de esos hombres políticos que sólo Francia podía producir. Licenciado ... More About: Debate
Una relación agridulce
2007-09-07 02:11:00 El presidente de EEUU, George W. Bush y su homólogo chino, Hu Jintao, han abordado hoy algunos de los temas más espinosos de su relación en un encuentro de 90 minutos que ha concluido con buenas palabras y sin avances concretos. La reunión ha tenido lugar en el marco de la cumbre del foro de Cooperación Económica Asia Pacífico (APEC) que se celebra en SydneyBush ha calificado la reunión con Hu de "muy constructiva", a lo que ha añadido: "teníamos mucho de lo que hablar". Por su parte, Hu ha descrito el encuentro de 90 minutos como "franco y amistoso"."Hablamos sobre nuestras relaciones económicas y sobre comercio", entre ellas, la cotización del yuan y la situación de los tipos de cambio, ha dicho el inquilino de la Casa Blanca. "Nuestras exportaciones a China han aumentado (...) lo que es positivo", ha indicado Bush, que ha añadido a continuación que EE UU todavía tiene "un gigantesco déficit comercial con China, lo que hace que queramos trabajar con ellos para (..... More About: Agri
Japan, China and Indonesian energy
2007-09-02 21:27:00 Foreign investment is suddenly picking up in Indonesia, an indication that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's pro-business policies are finally starting to pay economic dividends in spite of the recent nationalistic and anti-foreign economic regulations passed by Parliament. New business ties with both Japan and China promise to push Indonesia on to a higher economic-growth trajectory in the years ahead. Last week Yudhoyono signed a big new free-trade agreement with visiting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the first wide-ranging bilateral pact Indonesia has ever entered with another country. The so-called Economic Partnership Agreement, which still needs to be ratified by both countries' legislatures, will reduce or eliminate tariffs on average by 90% on 9,275 different trade products. According to Fujio Mitarai, chairman of the Japan Business Federation, Tokyo views the new deal as a platform to secure a more stable supply of energy resources from Indonesian producers. Jak... More About: Energy , Done
Full Transcription of Prime Minister of Australia John Howard's Press Confe
2007-09-02 20:20:00 PRIME MINISTER: The APEC Meeting is undeniably the most important international meeting ever to have been held in Australia . The countries that comprise APEC represent eight out of 10 of Australia's top trading partners. Total trade with APEC economies was worth about $250 billion in 2006 and that represents 70 per cent of our total trade. So the first and most important point to be made is that APEC is hugely significant to Australia, both from an economic point of view and also from a strategic and security point of view. To have simultaneously here in Sydney the Presidents of the United States, Russia, China, Indonesia and the Prime Minister of Japan is an extraordinary event and it does represent an opportunity for this country to be displayed to the world and most particularly to our region. So I see this meeting optimistically and positively, I see this as an opportunity for the modern, sophisticated Australia through its largest city, undeniably the most beautiful, big city ... More About: Press , John , Full
APEC Leaders Week opens with focus on climate change, free trade
2007-09-02 19:50:00 The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum launched its 2007 Leaders Week here on Sunday to discuss a wide range of issues focusing on climate change and free trade.The Leaders Week started with a two-day APEC Concluding Senior Officials Meeting at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Center. Officials from the 21 APEC members will make final preparations for the APEC Ministerial Meeting, slated for Sept. 5-6, and APEC Economic Leaders Meeting, for Sept. 8-9. The weeklong meetings will also include a Business Advisory Council meeting, a business summit, and an ABAC dialogue with the economic leaders.Under the theme of "Strengthening Our Community, Building a Sustainable Future," the leaders, officials and representatives from APEC members will also discuss issues such as energy security, human security, forestry recovery and APEC reform. At the end of the week, a declaration on climate change could be adopted at the economic leaders meeting to show their determination to tac... More About: Climate Change , Climate , Change , Free , Trade
Howard to press new climate deal at APEC Meeting
More articles from this author:2007-09-02 19:32:00 Australian Prime Minister John Howard has urged fellow Asian leaders to find a new way forward on climate change. Speaking ahead of an Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation (Apec) meeting, Mr Howard said flexible targets should be adopted to cut emissions. Australia and the US are the only industrialised nations not to sign the Kyoto Protocol, arguing that capping greenhouse gases would harm growth. Mr Howard's stance has been criticised by environmentalists. World leaders - including US President George Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin - are starting to gather for the Apec meeting in Sydney to discuss climate change, free trade and regional security. "We need a new flexible framework that includes a long-term global goal and encourages a wide range of national actions by all," Mr Howard told a press conference ahead of the summit. Climate question Global leaders are widely expected to sign a statement about climate change during the summit, but Mr Howard added it was "very u... More About: Press , Deal , APEC 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 |
|
 |
|
 |
