Weltpolitik Blog Weltpolitik Blog This blog is dedicated to World Politics, energy and geostrategy. 
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El Pent谩gono admite que un avi贸n militar viol贸 el espacio a茅reo venezol
2008-05-20 05:23:00 Estados Unidos asegura que la incursi贸n a茅rea se debi贸 a un acto completamente involuntario.- El ministro de Exteriores de Venezuela, Nicol谩s Maduro, ha citado al embajador norteamericano para que explique el sobrevuelo sobre unas islas al norte de Caracas.El Pent谩gono ha reconocido que un avi贸n militar estadounidense viol贸 el espacio a茅reo venezolano el pasado s谩bado 17 de mayo. El anuncio de Washington se produce horas despu茅s de que Venezuela pidiera explicaciones a Estados Unidos por una incursi贸n a茅rea producida pasado el fin de semana y solicitara la comparecencia del embajador norteamericano en Caracas, Patty Dutty, para que ofreciera explicaciones sobre el hecho. El Pent谩gono ha asegurado que la incursi贸n de uno de sus aviones en territorio venezolano se debi贸 a un acto completamente involuntario.El incidente se produjo en la noche del s谩bado, cuando los radares venezolanos detectaron que una aeronave sobrevolaba el archipi茅lago de La Orchila, a 160 kil贸met...
Russia's oil industry. Trouble in the pipeline
2008-05-11 20:36:00 Despite booming demand and record prices, Russia's oil industry faces problems.WHEN the price of oil reached another record on May 6th, of over $122 a barrel, analysts pointed to attacks on pipelines in Nigeria and turmoil in Iraq as the immediate causes. Even small disruptions to supplies from such places can cause the price to jump, since only Saudi Arabia has the capacity to replace the lost production, and it does not seem inclined to do so. But to understand how supplies became so scarce in the first place, one must look at the state of the oil industry in Russia, the world's second-biggest producer. Over the past seven years, according to Citibank, Russia accounted for 80% of the growth in oil production outside the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. The increase in its output in the early part of the decade matched the growth in demand from China and India almost barrel for barrel. Yet in April, production fell for the fourth month in a row. It is now over 2... More About: Industry , Pipeline
Angry China
2008-05-11 20:29:00 CHINA is in a frightening mood. The sight of thousands of Chinese people waving xenophobic fists suggests that a country on its way to becoming a superpower may turn out to be a more dangerous force than optimists had hoped. But it isn't just foreigners who should be worried by these scenes: the Chinese government, which has encouraged this outburst of nationalism, should also be afraid. For three decades, having shed communism in all but the name of its ruling party, China 's government has justified its monopolistic hold on power through economic advance. Many Chinese enjoy a prosperity undreamt of by their forefathers. For them, though, it is no longer enough to be reminded of the grim austerity of their parents' childhoods. They need new aspirations. The government's solution is to promise them that China will be restored to its rightful place at the centre of world affairs. Hence the pride at winning the Olympics, and the fury at the embarrassing protests during the torch re... More About: Angry
A parade of power in Russia
2008-05-11 02:23:00 In the past week tanks, nuclear-bomb carriers and armoured vehicles drove up and down Tversakaya street鈥擬oscow's main drag鈥攁nd military jets whizzed past your correspondent's kitchen window, scaring children and knocking over plants. Reportedly damage caused to the roads will cost 1 billion roubles ($44m) to repair. This was in preparation for a military parade that was held on Friday May 9th on Red Square. Such parades are held every year, but this was the first time since the cold war that Russia brandished its military hardware. The parade was supposed to celebrate victory in the second world war, but it also symbolised the return of Russia as a triumphant power in the course of eight years of Vladimir Putin's rule. This was only in part a Soviet style affair: the Lenin Mausoleum which witnessed such affairs in Soviet times was covered by a banner. It was a contemporary show.Coming two days after the inauguration of Dmitry Medvedev as Russia's president, it was supposed t... More About: Power , Parade
India to upgrade over 50 Mirage fighters
2008-05-11 01:21:00 India is close to sign a contract with France, worth an estimated 1 billion euros ($1.54 billion) for the upgrade of the 51 Mirage-2000 fighters in service with the Indian air force (IAF), a national newspaper said on Friday, citing military sources. The contract may be signed in summer pending price negotiations. In March 2008, India signed a $964 million deal with Russia for the upgrade of 63 MiG-29 Fulcrum fighters. According to the Times of India newspaper, "the upgraded Mirage-2000 jets will get new avionics, including an advanced navigation system, new mission computers with increased capacity and processing speed, helmet-mounted displays, glass cockpits, internal electronic warfare suites and, of course, better armaments and weapon systems." India bought 40 Mirage-2000s in the mid-1980s, and later added another 20 aircraft. Since then, 10 Mirages have been lost in crashes. IAF is pursuing the modernization of its fleet of Russian MiGs, British Jaguars and French Mirage-2000s ... More About: India , Fighters
China's submarine progress alarms India
2008-05-10 20:28:00 By Siddharth Srivastava NEW DELHI - Recent reports about China's nuclear-powered submarine and naval capabilities are raising concern in New Delhi. It has also drawn attention to India 's failure to effectively implement an elaborate naval expansion plan that stands significantly delayed. According to reports, commercial satellite images indicate that the Chinese are building a massive strategic naval base on Hainan island, in the South China Sea, south of Hong Kong. This confirms suspicions of several Asian nations since 2002 about the underground submarine base. A reputed British daily has described the base as a "vast, James Bond-style edifice capable of concealing up to 20 nuclear-powered submarines and which will enable China to project its power across the region". Nuclear submarines can remain under water longer than conventional diesel-electric submarines and are thus difficult to detect. They are also capable of firing nuclear warheads. Refusing to confirm or deny the base... More About: Progress , Submarine , Alarms
An oil-addicted ex-superpower
2008-05-10 20:11:00 By Michael T Klare Nineteen years ago, the fall of the Berlin Wall effectively eliminated the Soviet Union as the world's other superpower. Yes, the USSR as a political entity stumbled on for another two years, but it was clearly an ex-superpower from the moment it lost control over its satellites in Eastern Europe. Less than a month ago, the United States similarly lost its claim to superpower status when a barrel of crude oil roared past US$110 on the international market, gasoline prices crossed the $3.50 threshold at American pumps, and diesel fuel topped $4. As was true of the USSR following the dismantling of the Berlin Wall, the US will no doubt continue to stumble on like the superpower it once was; but as the nation's economy continues to be eviscerated to pay for its daily oil fix, it, too, will be seen by increasing numbers of savvy observers as an ex-superpower-in-the-making. That the fall of the Berlin Wall spelled the erasure of the Soviet Union's superpower status ... More About: Addicted
Los papeles de las FARC acusan a Ch谩vez
2008-05-10 18:59:00 El ordenador de Ra煤l Reyes revela la colaboraci贸n del presidente con la guerrillaEl pasado 8 de noviembre, Hugo Ch谩vez recib铆a en Caracas a Luciano Mar铆n, alias Iv谩n M谩rquez, dirigente de las Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC). El motivo: impulsar el acuerdo humanitario con Colombia para canjear a 44 secuestrados por 500 guerrilleros presos. Eso fue la parte p煤blica. Pero hubo otra reuni贸n secreta. En ella, el presidente venezolano "aprob贸 sin pesta帽ear la solicitud" de 300 millones de d贸lares [194 millones de euros] hecha por la guerrilla marxista. Adem谩s, se dise帽贸 un plan para recibir en la regi贸n venezolana del Orinoco el armamento enviado a las FARC por dos traficantes australianos y se puso en marcha un mecanismo de coordinaci贸n entre la guerrilla y el Ej茅rcito venezolano, al m谩s alto nivel.As铆 lo cuenta el propio Iv谩n a sus compa帽eros del Secretariado de las FARC en un correo datado el 12 de noviembre de 2007. El mensaje est谩 en uno de l... More About: Farc
Vladimir Putin tells summit he wants security and friendship
2008-04-05 18:30:00 President Putin , in a bravura performance before the world鈥檚 media at the end of the Nato summit, warned President Bush and other alliance leaders that their plan to expand eastwards to Ukraine and Georgia 鈥渄idn鈥檛 contribute to trust and predictability in our relations鈥. The Russian President, who hands over to Dmitri Medvedev on May 7, said that the world鈥檚 problems could not be solved without Russia and he appealed for the West to give due consideration to his country鈥檚 security concerns. 鈥淪o let鈥檚 be friends, guys, let鈥檚 be frank and open,鈥 he said through an interpreter. Expansion of the alliance to Russia鈥檚 borders 鈥渨ould be taken in Russia as a direct threat to the security of our country鈥. Nato statements that this was not directed against Russia were not enough, he said. Mr Putin, who strode into the huge press conference centre inside Ceausescu鈥檚 palace in Bucharest to a round of applause from many of the waiting journalists, declared that his c... More About: Security , Friendship , Summit , Vladimir Putin
George Bush and Vladimir Putin unveil final double act
2008-04-05 18:26:00 Tomorrow's seaside summit of the presidents of Russia and the United States will bring down the curtain on a double act that has lasted for 28 performances and seven years. George Bush will join Vladimir Putin at his summer residence in the Black Sea resort of Sochi for their last meeting before the Russian leader stands down in favour of Dmitri Medvedev next month. Mr Bush is the man who famously claimed to have looked his counterpart in the eye and got 鈥渁 sense of his soul鈥 at their first meeting in June 2001. The judgment of history awaits both men. In 2000 Mr Bush was in charge of a confident international colossus, ready to flex its economic and military muscles to make its vision of the world come true; Russia was still a humbled former superpower struggling to get to grips with post-Soviet reality and fighting - and apparently losing - a war with separatists in Chechnya. What a difference eight years makes. After 9/11, Afghanistan and Iraq, Mr Bush is regarded at home as... More About: George Bush , Double , Final
La Casa Blanca espera que las conversaciones entre Bush y Putin se desarrol
2008-04-05 18:18:00 Ambos l铆deres tratar谩n el escudo antimisiles, el tratado de armas convencionales y la ampliaci贸n de la OTAN La Casa Blanca espera que la reuni贸n entre el presidente estadounidense, George W. Bush , y su hom贸logo ruso, Vladimir Putin , se desarrollen en la 鈥渄irecci贸n correcta鈥, de cara a la firma de un 鈥渕arco estrat茅gico de trabajo鈥, seg煤n ha informado la portavoz Dana Perino.En la reuni贸n prevista para hoy en el balneario ruso de Sochi, ambos l铆deres conversar谩n sobre el Sistema de Defensa Antimisiles (DAM), el tratado de armas convencionales FACE, as铆 como la situaci贸n en Kosovo, Oriente Pr贸ximo y la ampliaci贸n de la OTAN.En relaci贸n al escudo antimisiles que Estados Unidos pretende instalar en el centro de Europa, Perino subray贸 que 鈥渄e momento nadie ha dicho que todo haya finalizado鈥, dadas las fuertes cr铆ticas de Rusia, que considera que el sistema supone un incremento innecesario de la tensi贸n en la zona.鈥淐reemos que el di谩logo se encamina en la ...
Putin descarta una nueva Guerra Fr铆a
2008-04-05 18:10:00 El presidente ruso apuesta por el di谩logo para resolver las diferencias con la OTAN - Mosc煤 permitir谩 a la Alianza cruzar Rusia para apoyar a las tropas en Afganist谩n.El presidente de Rusia, Vlad铆mir Putin , evit贸 ayer las amenazas en su reuni贸n con los l铆deres de la OTAN, pero mantuvo firme su posici贸n sobre los temas que le inquietan, como la ampliaci贸n de la Alianza hasta las fronteras rusas y la instalaci贸n de elementos del escudo antimisiles norteamericano en Polonia y la Rep煤blica Checa.Medios de la delegaci贸n rusa indicaron que a los problemas ya existentes entre Mosc煤 y la Alianza se ha unido otros suplementarios en la cumbre de la Alianza en Bucarest y 茅stos hacen referencia tambi茅n al escudo, un tema que qued贸 reservado para la reuni贸n de los presidentes de Rusia y Estados Unidos este fin de semana en Sochi, en la costa rusa del Mar Negro. En la sesi贸n del Consejo Rusia-OTAN a puerta cerrada, Putin "reproch贸" a la Alianza Atl谩ntica el "desde帽ar los int... More About: Guerra , Nueva
Bush abre la puerta de la OTAN al resto de los Balcanes
2008-04-05 18:06:00 El presidente estadounidense tiende la mano a Macedonia, Bosnia, Montenegro y Serbia.- Afirma que la oferta de ingreso de Croacia y Albania representa 鈥渦n voto de confianza鈥.La puerta de la OTAN est谩 abierta a todos los pa铆ses del este europeo y los Balcanes. Es el mensaje que ha lanzado hoy el presidente de EE UU, George W. Bush , en un discurso en Zagreb para felicitar a los nuevos miembros de la Alianza, al mismo tiempo que ha afirmado que la oferta de ingreso a pa铆ses balc谩nicos representa 鈥渦n voto de confianza鈥 con el que Croacia y Albania continuar谩n sus reformas y ser谩n 鈥渕iembros firmes鈥 de la Alianza.鈥淟a OTAN est谩 abierta a todos los pa铆ses de la regi贸n鈥, ha dicho Bush ante una abarrotada plaza de San Marco. El mandatario tambi茅n ha recordado que la Alianza ha ofrecido un 鈥渄i谩logo intensificado鈥 a Bosnia y a Montenegro, dos rep煤blicas ex yugoslavas y ha hecho un llamamiento a Serbia para que se acerque a la OTAN y encuentre 鈥渆l lugar que le c...
Un nuevo progresismo
2008-04-05 18:01:00 Emerge un nuevo progresismo en el mundo, continuador de una tradici贸n fecunda e innovador en muchos aspectos. Hoy y ma帽ana, buena parte de 茅l se congrega en Londres. All铆 est谩n convocados m谩s de doscientos pol铆ticos, acad茅micos, expertos y policy-makers de todo el globo, incluyendo una decena de jefes de Estado y de Gobierno. Es lo que se denomina Cumbre de Gobiernos Progresistas. Asistir茅 a dicha reuni贸n en mi calidad de presidenta de Chile; como representante de una naci贸n que, desde la recuperaci贸n de su libertad, ha optado democr谩ticamente caminar por el sendero del desarrollo inclusivo, de la prosperidad y la justicia social.Se realiza esta reuni贸n en un momento especialmente clave para las ideas progresistas. A comienzos de esta d茅cada dejaron el poder una serie de gobiernos de centroizquierda en todo el mundo, especialmente en Europa, terminando aquella marea progresista que se gest贸 a fines de los a帽os noventa. Pero poco a poco el centroizquierda ha ido gana...
Saudi king rejects Cheney's belligerency
2008-03-22 18:25:00 Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah in a meeting with visiting US Vice President Dick Cheney has rejected any US military strike against Iran. King Abdullah is against any US military strike against Iran, Saudi official sources said. Cheney who arrived in Saudi Arabia on Friday discussed Iran's nuclear program and its increasing influence in the Middle East with senior Saudi officials, DPA reported. Saudi Arabia, along with other Persian Gulf Arab countries, sees negotiations as the best way to resolve the standoff between the US and Iran. The king also told Cheney that the Middle East should be free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction, the sources added. The Saudis say any nuclear non-proliferation efforts should include Israel, which is widely believed to be the only nuclear power in the Middle East with around 200 nuclear warheads. The US vice president's efforts to drum up support for Washington's war mongering policies against Iran comes as a recent NIE report... More About: Saudi
Cheney in oil talks with Saudis
2008-03-22 18:13:00 US Vice-President Dick Cheney has met Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah to discuss ways of stabilising the oil market. US officials said there was "a lot of commonality" in the talks in Riyadh on the way to move forward in the global energy market.Oil prices have risen about 16% this year, but the oil producers' cartel, Opec, has declined to raise output. On Thursday, Mr Cheney held talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Kabul, urging greater Nato commitment. Mr Cheney's Middle East tour also took him to the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, five years after the US-led invasion. He will also visit Israel, the West Bank and Turkey before returning to Washington.Market volatility In meetings that also included Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi, US officials said there was a "very thorough" discussion of short, medium and long-term goals for the oil market. "There was I think a lot of commonality in their assessment about the structural problems confronted by the global energy market now and so...
La OCDE certifica que la econom铆a de EE UU est谩 al borde de la recesi贸n
2008-03-22 18:06:00 Para la econom铆a de Estados Unidos, la recesi贸n es una posibilidad que cada vez est谩 m谩s cerca de tornarse en certeza. Muchos expertos, con el ex presidente de la Reserva Federal, Alan Greenspan, a la cabeza, dan por descontado que el PIB estadounidense ha dejado ya de crecer y que su valor se reduce. Pero la Organizaci贸n para la Cooperaci贸n y el Desarrollo Econ贸mico (OCDE) es el primer organismo multilateral que constata que EE UU puede entrar en recesi贸n este a帽o.En la 煤ltima revisi贸n de sus previsiones para este a帽o, la OCDE, que aglutina a las principales econom铆as occidentales, reduce de forma notable su estimaci贸n para Estados Unidos. As铆, mientras la previsi贸n para la zona euro no se cambia (1,9%), el crecimiento anual del PIB estadounidense en 2008 pasar铆a del 2% al 1,4%. Un vaticinio que se apoyar铆a en una recuperaci贸n a partir de la segunda mitad del a帽o, porque hasta el verano el panorama es poco alentador. El informe apunta a un crecimiento sobre el t...
Sarkozy y Brown se al铆an para crear una nueva generaci贸n de centrales nuc
2008-03-22 17:52:00 Francia y Reino Unido anunciar谩n la pr贸xima semana un plan de cooperaci贸n nuclear durante la visita del presidente franc茅s a Londres.Francia y Reino Unido anunciar谩n la pr贸xima semana un plan com煤n para construir nuevas centrales nucleares y exportar tecnolog铆a, seg煤n informa el diario The Guardian este s谩bado. Seg煤n este diario, la tecnolog铆a francesa puede ser muy 煤til al Gobierno brit谩nico para ejecutar su proyecto de construir de una nueva generaci贸n de centrales nucleares, aprobado recientemente.El anuncio del acuerdo se realizar谩 probablemente la pr贸xima semana en el transcurso de la visita oficial a Londres del presidente franc茅s, Nicolas Sarkozy , que se reunir谩 el jueves en Londres con el primer ministro brit谩nico, Gordon Brown . Brown espera que el plan de cooperaci贸n permita a Reino Unido dotarse de personal cualificado para las centrales. Los brit谩nicos, por su parte, trabajar铆an con los franceses para exportar tecnolog铆a a todo el mundo en el curso... More About: Para , Nueva
Idealists with guns or evil ideologues: the neocon myth
2008-03-17 00:44:00 鈥淲e know where they [the WMDs] are. They鈥檙e in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad and east, west, south and north somewhat.鈥 Donald Rumsfeld March 30, 2003After Saddam Hussein, perhaps the biggest political casualties of the war in Iraq, at least in the view of armchair pundits, were a once-obscure but a now globally notorious bunch of American thinkers and activists called the neoconservatives. Few loosely aggregated groups of intellectuals and their sympathisers in government have been as universally reviled in the popular mind as the neocons. For their persistent advocacy of regime change, and their insistence that the US should not shrink from using its military power to achieve it, they are widely believed to have provided the intellectual basis for the invasion of Iraq. Five years after the invasion they tend to be viewed as either a gang of uniquely malevolent ideologues intent on widening American dominion through violent means, or a bunch of helplessly naive idealists... More About: Guns , Evil , Neocon , Myth
Iran鈥檚 hardliners surge ahead in poll
2008-03-17 00:35:00 THE hardline supporters of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the firebrand Iranian president, appeared to be heading for victory in parliamentary elections last night, despite earlier predictions that more pragmatic conservatives who favour a less confrontational approach to the West might triumph. With half the 290 seats in the Majlis, or parliament, declared, Ahmadinejad鈥檚 backers had surged ahead with 57, compared with 40 for the moderate slate. Analysts had forecast that the pragmatic conservatives led by Mohammed Bagher Qalibaf, the mayor of Tehran, and Ali Larijani, the former international negotiator on Iran鈥檚 nuclear programme, might win the day and temper Ahmadinejad鈥檚 radical policies. Both men are considered to be possible challengers to the diminutive president in elections next year. When Qalibaf lost the 2005 presidential election, he replaced Ahmadinejad as mayor of Tehran. He has since used the office to advance his own 2009 campaign. Larijani resigned as Iran鈥檚 chief neg... More About: Poll , Surge , Ahead
Iran faces power play after vote
2008-03-17 00:29:00 On the face of it, the victory was fairly overwhelming. By Sunday evening, conservatives had won four times as many seats as the reformists, retaining control of the Iran ian parliament. No doubt they will take it as an endorsement of their uncompromising view of Iran's Islamic system, of the nuclear programme, and of Iran's assertive foreign policy. No doubt they will conveniently forget that a large proportion of the reformist candidates were disqualified. And the cards were stacked against reformists in other ways. They were often not allowed to hold public rallies. Their newspapers were regularly closed down. Nevertheless, even in Tehran, where voters did have a range - sometimes a bewildering range - of reformists and conservatives to choose from, supporters of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad topped the poll. Power struggle It all looks like good news for the president, bad news for Western governments hoping for the moderates to temper those aggressive policies. But as he prepa... More About: Play , Faces , Vote
LA POL脥TICA EXTERIOR DE ESPA脩A TRAS EL 9-M
2008-03-14 02:25:00 Por Andr茅s OrtegaSea osado en pol铆tica exteriorConstruya sobre lo que ya se ha conseguido. Despu茅s, atr茅vase a lanzar sus nuevas propuestas y, sobre todo, mant茅ngalas. Enhorabuena por su victoria. Debe prepararse para lo imprevisible, pero empiece a planear lo previsible. La pol铆tica exterior, por diversas razones, no ha brillado durante los pasados cuatro a帽os, en los que no pareci贸 ser (importa poco que la percepci贸n fuera fundada o no) una de las prioridades del presidente del Gobierno, m谩s volcado en las cosas de casa. Y cuando falla el input presidencial, en nuestros tiempos falla mucho. No se duerma, presidente. Sea osado. En esta legislatura habr谩 ocasiones para hacer una pol铆tica exterior firme y clara. El pr贸ximo enero, EE UU estrenar谩 presidente. Nicolas Sarkozy, en Francia, no para de lanzar iniciativas. No se limite a rechazarlas ni a secundarlas; lance las suyas. Eso s铆, no repita el error que se cometi贸 en la anterior legislatura: anunciarlas sin tenerl...
Russia's uneasy handover
2008-03-04 04:48:00 MOST elections have an element of uncertainty about them. Not Russia's. This weekend, barring a miracle, Dmitry Medvedev, Vladimir Putin's handpicked successor, will win the Russian presidency by a landslide. The emasculation of the country's fragile democracy鈥攆rom the Kremlin's monopoly over television to the crushing of any serious opposition candidates鈥攊s enough to ensure that. But so is Mr Putin's popularity: he enjoys an approval rating above 70%. This figure is artificially exaggerated, as is to be expected in a country with no democratic tradition, almost no free media and no independent power centres. But there is little reason to doubt that many, perhaps most, Russians are satisfied with Mr Putin's apparently successful eight years in office and willing to accept his choice of Mr Medvedev. Yet Mr Medvedev's chances of maintaining this level of satisfaction seem remote. Mr Putin's reputation rests on four chief claims advanced by his supporters, both at home and...
El presidente de Ir谩n exige en Bagdad la salida de los soldados de EE UU
2008-03-04 04:45:00 El presidente iran铆, Mahmud Ahmadineyad, concluy贸 ayer su hist贸rica visita a Bagdad con un llamamiento a la salida de las tropas estadounidenses de Irak, cuya presencia calific贸 de "humillaci贸n para los pa铆ses de la zona". Tambi茅n neg贸 las acusaciones norteamericanas de que su pa铆s entrena a terroristas. De madrugada, Ahmadineyad rez贸 en la mezquita de Kadhumiya, el m谩s importante santuario chi铆 de Bagdad, poniendo de relieve el simbolismo de su viaje."Consideramos que las fuerzas venidas del extranjero y que han viajado miles de kil贸metros deben marcharse y devolver su soberan铆a a los pueblos de la regi贸n", declar贸 el presidente iran铆 durante la conferencia de prensa con la que cerr贸 su visita de dos d铆as a Bagdad. En referencia a los 160.000 soldados estadounidenses desplegados en Irak, dijo que "s贸lo han tra铆do destrucci贸n" y que el coste de las operaciones militares hubiera podido financiar el desarrollo del pa铆s. "Su presencia es una humillaci贸n para los... More About: Salida
El Consejo de Seguridad refuerza las sanciones contra Teher谩n
2008-03-04 04:43:00 El Consejo de Seguridad de Naciones Unidas adopt贸 ayer, por una amplia mayor铆a, una nueva resoluci贸n exigiendo a Ir谩n que suspenda su programa nuclear y activando el r茅gimen de sanciones. Para ello, se imponen nuevas restricciones al comercio de bienes civiles y militares con la Rep煤blica Isl谩mica, y se pide que se vigilen las actividades financieras de dos bancos. Las entidades sospechosas son el Bank Melli y el Bank Saderat. Adem谩s, se contempla la congelaci贸n de activos de una docena de compa帽铆as y otra docena de individuos vinculados al programa at贸mico y de misiles bal铆sticos. Los pa铆ses deber谩n informar a la ONU sobre los viajes que realicen a su territorio las personas en la lista. Y se ampl铆a la prohibici贸n de viajes.La resoluci贸n tambi茅n pide que se haga un "ejercicio de vigilancia" al firmar nuevos acuerdos comerciales con Ir谩n, y autoriza a que se realicen inspecciones a las mercanc铆as de doble uso (civil y militar) que tengan como origen o destino es... More About: Contra
El t谩ndem Putin-Medv茅dev toma las riendas de Rusia
2008-03-04 04:37:00 Vlad铆mir Putin y Dmitri Medv茅dev comenzaron ayer a entrenarse en t谩ndem como presidente saliente y presidente entrante y abordaron la tarea de reformar la estructura del Gobierno a fin de tenerla a punto para el relevo en el Kremlin el pr贸ximo mayo.Los datos de la comisi贸n electoral central, basados en el 99,75% de los votos emitidos, indicaban que Medv茅dev hab铆a obtenido el 70,24%, casi 52,2 millones de votos, lo que supone un porcentaje ligeramente inferior al logrado por Putin en 2004 (71,31%), pero una cantidad superior de votos, ya que el actual jefe del Estado se qued贸 en 49,5 millones. A diferencia de comicios anteriores, las misiones de observadores occidentales fueron escasas. La delegaci贸n de la Asamblea Parlamentaria del Consejo de Europa (APCE), formada por 22 personas, dio luz verde a los resultados al afirmar que "reflejan la voluntad del electorado, cuyo potencial democr谩tico, por desgracia, no fue explotado". La misi贸n concluy贸 que las elecciones ten铆an ... More About: Rusia , Toma
Towards a new 'Suez crisis'
2008-02-03 04:55:00 The economic problems in the United States have drawn attention away from the continuing efforts of certain members of the George W Bush administration to provoke a military confrontation with Iran. Yet these two themes, economic vulnerability and warlike intent, may be woven together in the near future in a way that parallels an earlier crisis in the Middle East. Just over 50 years ago, Britain, France and Israel decided, for their different reasons, that the Arab nationalism personified by president Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt posed a threat to peace in the Middle East. When Nasser nationalized the Suez canal in the summer of 1956, he seemed to have played into the hands of his enemies. Britain and France believed they had an excuse for military action against Egypt which might be acceptable to the wider international community. Keeping their plans a secret from the United States, Britain, France and Israel prepared to attack Egypt. When this assault took place, it was militarily ... More About: Crisis
UAE Set to Launch Nuclear Program
2008-01-28 03:39:00 The United Arab Emirates is set to launch a nuclear programme, becoming the first Arab state to go ahead with announced ambitions to develop nuclear power.Flush with petrodollars, the government in Abu Dhabi is preparing a policy document that will soon be sent for comment to world powers, including the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, and to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN鈥檚 nuclear watchdog.Six Arab Gulf states, including the UAE, last year asked the IAEA to study the feasibility of a joint nuclear programme in a move seen as a political response to Iran鈥檚 nuclear activities...Several Arab states outside the Gulf have also expressed interest in nuclear power over the past year but the UAE is expecting to be the first to forge ahead with its plans.Financial Times More About: Nuclear , Launch , Program
Iran's Foreign Minister questions UN resolution
2008-01-28 02:50:00 Manouchehr Mottaki has urged major world powers to exercise restraint over a new UN resolution aimed at tightening sanctions against Iran. The Iranian foreign minister said the timing of the request that the UN Security Council consider a new draft resolution was "strange". Mr Mottaki was speaking to the BBC at the World Economic Forum in Davos. He said the push for the new resolution looked like an exercise in influencing public opinion. It would have been more logical, he said, to wait for the new report on Iran's nuclear activities due soon from the International Atomic Energy Agency - the UN's nuclear watchdog - before taking action. 'Show patience'Mr Mottaki refused to be drawn on what Iran would do if tighter UN sanctions were imposed. But in the meantime, he said, he was urging Security Council members to show patience. "Our recommendation is to keep their patience, to continue support for Iran and IAEA, to wait for completion of this process and then we can sit together ... More About: Questions , Foreign , Minister , Foreign Minister , Resolution
Silvio Berlusconi grasps at return to power
More articles from this author:2008-01-28 02:41:00 The perma-tanned tycoon, Silvio Berlusconi , has launched a record fifth bid for the Italian premiership by pledging that his centre-right coalition will cut taxes and stop public prosecutors using telephone taps in corruption inquiries. Berlusconi, 71, and his followers celebrated in typically flamboyant style, with champagne and car horns hooting through the streets of Rome last week, when Romano Prodi鈥檚 government, the 61st since the war, fell after less than two years in office. Prodi鈥檚 coalition collapsed after losing a confidence vote in the Senate, the upper house. His centrist ally, Clemente Mastella, the justice minister, had pulled out of the coalition after he and his wife were linked to a corruption case. Berlusconi will meet Giorgio Napolitano, the president of Italy, as part of a series of talks between the head of state and political leaders to resolve the crisis. Berlusconi said he will call for early elections which he wants by mid-April. He said one of the first... More About: Power , Return , Silvio Berlusconi 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 |
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