Russia Gives Poland Documents on Kaczynski Plane Crash

 

 

RUSSIA, April 6, 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM) — Russian prosecutors say they have given Poland more documents from the investigation into the plane crash that killed Polish President Lech Kaczynski almost a year ago, VOA reported on Wednesday.

The handover of the 14 volumes of documents took place Wednesday after Poland requested more legal assistance with the probe into the disaster.

Russia had already provided Poland with other files on the crash last April 10 near the Russian city of Smolensk. All 96 people on the plane were killed, including the president’s wife and other high-level officials.

Russian aviation officials have concluded the Polish pilots’ decision to land in bad weather caused the crash. The Interstate Aviation Committee published a report in January saying crew members were pressured by high officials, and indirectly the head of state, to land despite the weather.

Flight recorder audio suggested the crew feared President Kaczynski would be angry if they aborted plans to land.

But Polish authorities believe Russian air traffic controllers also played a role. (*)

Irjen Budi Gunawan : Saya Tidak Punya Rekening Di Citibank, Ini Fitnah & Pembunuhan Karakter

Kepala Divisi Profesi dan Pengamanan Mabes (Propam) Polri Irjen Budi Gunawan

WAWANCARA EKSKLUSIF

 

Jakarta, 6 April 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM) — Kasus penipuan yang dilakukan oleh Malinda Dee — mantan pegawai Citibank — ternyata berbuntut panjang. Nama seorang perwira tinggi Mabes Polri ikut terbawa-bawa. Dan terbawa-bawanya nama dari Irjen Budi Gunawan selaku Kepala Divisi Profesi dan Pengamanan Mabes Polri, tak lain tak bukan karena muncul pemberitaan di Harian KORAN TEMPO edisi Rabu (6/4/2011) dengan judul : “Jenderal Polisi Jadi Korban Malinda”.

Lewat reporter Koran Tempo bernama Eni Saeni, wawancara dilakukan melalui pembicaraan telepon pada hari Selasa (5/4/2011) pukul 14.33.

Namun Kapolri Jenderal Timur Pradopo menegaskan bahwa pemberitaan di Koran Tempo samasekali tidak benar sebab harian ini tidak pernah melakukan wawancara dengan Irjen. Budi Gunawan.

Kapolri: Irjen Budi Tak Pernah Diwawancarai

Seolah gayung bersambut, lewat website Tempo Interaktif, dimuat berita lanjutan yang berjudul : “Tempo Pastikan Wawancarai Irjen Budi Gunawan.

Disebutkan dalam berita ini, “Wawancara dengan Kepala Divisi Profesi dan Pengamanan Inspektur Jenderal Budi dilakukan melalui telepon oleh Eni Saeni, Staf Redaksi Koran Tempo, pada jam 14.33. Saat itu, Eni menanyakan, apakah Budi menjadi salah satu korban Malinda? Sambil tertawa Budi menjawab “iya”. Soal nilainya? “Ah enggak besar, nanti aja ya, saya lagi rapat.” Budi pun kemudian menutup telepon selulernya”.

Rabu (6/4/2011) sore, KATAKAMI.COM menghubungi Pemimpin Redaksi Koran Tempo, Darsono, untuk mengkalrifikasi soal klaim wawancara dengan Irjen Budi Gunawan.

“Kami ingin memastikan bahwa kami memang melakukan wawancara dengan Pak Budi Gunawan. Kami sedang menyiapkan data percakapan …. ya, record contact yang ada di HP”.

KATAKAMI.COM menanyakan kepada Darsono, “Apakah bukti-bukti yang disiapkan Koran Tempo, termasuk rekaman wawancara dengan Irjen Budi Gunawan ? Apakah Koran Tempo memiliki bukti rekaman wawancara ? Sebab Irjen Budi Gunawan mengaku kecewa sebab Koran Tempo dianggap telah melakukam pembunuhan karakter terhadap dirinya “.

Darsono menjawab, “Saya tidak tahu tapi kami akan mengusahakan. Yang jelas, kami memang mengontak beliau. Dan sama sekali tidak ada niat untuk melakukan pembunuhan karakter terhadap Pak Budi Gunawan”.

Irjen Budi Gunawan

Untuk mengkonfirmasikan semua pemberitaan dari Koran Tempo, KATAKAMI.COM mendapat kesempatan untuk melakukan WAWANCARA EKSKLUSIF dengan Irjen Budi Gunawan.

Di sela-sela rapat penting yang dilakukan Divisi Propam Polri di Hotel Ambara di bilangan Jakarta Selatan, selama 30 menit Irjen Budi Gunawan menemui KATAKAMI.COM untuk menjawab sejumlah pertanyaan yang menyangkut kasus Malinda Dee.

Berikut ini WAWANCARA EKSKLUSIF dengan Kepala Divisi Propam Polri Irjen Budi Gunawan :

KATAKAMI.COM (K) : Terimakasih untuk kesempatan wawancara eksklusif ini. Nama anda disebut oleh Koran Tempo sebagai salah satu korban penipuan dari Melinda Dee, mantan pegawai Citibank. Apa komentar anda ?

BUDI GUNAWAN (BG) :  Semua yang dituliskan oleh Koran Tempo itu tidak benar. Saya tegaskan disini bahwa tidak ada satu mediapun yang melakukan wawancara dengan saya. Baru kepada anda hari ini, saya bersedia diwawancarai. Jadi, saya sangat kecewa sekali kepada Tempo.

(K) : Kecewa bahwa pemberitaan itu dituliskan tanpa melakukan konfirmasi dan wawancara ?

(BG) : Ya, saya tidak pernah diwawancarai. Jadi saya sangat heran kalau Tempo mengumumkan bahwa reporter mereka menelepon saya pada jam sekian sekian. Mereka bicara dengan siapa ? Apakah benar dengan saya ? Sebab pada hari Selasa (5/4/2011) kemarin, seharian penuh saya mengikuti rapat. Apakah mungkin dalam suasana rapat yang begitu formal, saya bisa seenaknya menjawab telepon dan ketawa-ketawa ? Anda lihat sendiri sekarang. Saya pun sedang mengikuti rapat penting. Tapi saya hargai itikat baik dan kerja profesional anda yang datang secara langsung untuk meminta wawancara seperti ini.

(K) : Pak Budi Gunawan, benarkah anda punya rekening di Citibank ?

(BG) : Saya tidak punya rekening tabungan di Citibank. Saya tidak kenal dengan yang namanya Malinda Dee. Lalu darimana ceritanya, saya bisa disebutkan sebagai korban penipuan ? Sekali lagi saya katakan bahwa saya tidak punya rekening tabungan apapun di Citibank. Saya merasa dizolimi. Seakan-akan hendak dibangun opini publik bahwa saya memiliki uang yang sangat banyak. Dan media massa, harusnya profesional. Media harus menyuarakan kebenaran dan keadilan. Sebab semua pemberitaan Tempo yang menyangkut diri saya adalah kebohongan. Ini menyangkut nama baik, harkat dan martabat saya. Saya merasa bahwa pemberitaan Tempo adalah sebuah pembunuhan karakter … character assassination … terhadap diri saya.

(K) : Apa langkah yang akan diambil menyikapi pemberitaan Tempo ?

(BG) : Saya dengar, Kepala Divisi Humas Polri yang akan mengirimkan hak jawab kepada Koran Tempo. Jadi biarlah ini ditangani oleh Humas.

(K) : Baik Pak Budi, terimakasih untuk wawancara ini.

(BG) : Terimakasih sama-sama.

 

 

 

(*)

Obama urges Israel to make peace with Palestinians

President Barack Obama meets with Israeli President Shimon Peres in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, April 5, 2011. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

 

WASHINGTON DC, April 6, 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM) — As unrest sweeps the Middle East, it is more urgent than ever to make peace between Israel and the Palestinians, President Barack Obama said Tuesday after meeting with Israeli President Shimon Peres, AP reported on Tuesday.

The meeting occurred even as the United States condemned the announcement that new Israeli apartment buildings have been approved for a contested part of Jerusalem. Palestinians refuse to restart negotiations unless Israel stops building housing in east Jerusalem and the West Bank, occupied territory that the Palestinians claim for their future state.

Obama did not speak about the housing announcement after his Oval Office meeting with Peres, Israel’s ceremonial president and longtime advocate of peace talks.

Obama said the two had an extensive discussion about developments in the Middle East, where uprisings have toppled longtime rulers, including key U.S. and Israeli ally Hosni Mubarak of Egypt.

“He and I both share a belief that this is both a challenge and an opportunity,” Obama said. “That with the winds of change blowing through the Arab world, it’s more urgent than ever that we try to seize the opportunity to create a peaceful solution between the Palestinians and the Israelis.”

Peres, too, said that it was necessary to return to peace talks.

“We don’t want to be in controversy with the Muslim world. We want to make friends with them. We want to have peace,” Peres said.

Peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians collapsed in 2008, reviving briefly in September 2010, but collapsing again when Israel ended a moratorium on settlement construction.

The United States wants peace talks to restart and Obama had pushed for a deal by September 2011. Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is expected to be in Washington next month.  (*)

The Associated Press

Obama: Israeli-Palestinian Solution ‘More Urgent than Ever’

U.S. President Barack Obama (L) walks with Israeli President Shimon Peres at the White House April, 5, 2011 in Washington, DC. President Obama and President Peres spoke about issues pertaining to Israel's security as well as expanding cooperation on security matters with the United States. (Photo by Avi Ohayon/GPO via Getty Images)

 

WASHINGTON DC, April 6, 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM) — President Barack Obama and Israeli President Shimon Peres have held wide-ranging talks at the White House on Israel-Palestinian peace efforts and what unrest in Arab countries could mean for peace and security in the region, VOA reported on Tuesday.

The president was asked about his talks with Mr. Peres during an impromptu news conference that focused primarily on the impasse with opposition Republicans over spending and a potential U.S. government shutdown.

Calling Mr. Peres “an extraordinary statesman” Mr. Obama said they had an extensive discussion about developments in the Middle East and their connection with Israel-Palestinian peace efforts.

“I think he and I both share a belief that this is both a challenge and an opportunity, that with the winds of change blowing through the Arab world it is more urgent than ever that we try to seize the opportunity to create a peaceful solution between the Palestinians and the Israelis, and he had some very interesting ideas around those issues,” he said.

 

U.S. President Barack Obama (R) meets with Israeli President Shimon Peres in the Oval office of the White House April, 5, 2011 in Washington, DC. President Obama and President Peres spoke about issues pertaining to Israel's security as well as expanding cooperation on security matters with the United States. (Photo by Mark Neyman/GPO via Getty Images)

 

President Obama would not elaborate on the ideas he says the Israeli leader offered.

In remarks to media, President Peres said he and Mr. Obama are convinced that the “awakening in the Middle East is a call of history” that should not be ignored requiring “necessary steps” to make it a success.

Events in the region, said Mr. Peres, also underscore the urgency of moving past the current stalemate to direct talks between Israelis and Palestinians.

“Both of us feel that the new situation calls for the renewal, for the immediate renewal, of the negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis.  The negotiations must be direct.  In spite of the fact that there are controversies, if there [were not] controversies we would not need negotiations.  And I think the sooner is better because the open window is limited by time and we have to act very decisively and very promptly,” he said.

Saying he spoke with President Obama about his speech in Cairo in 2009 proposing a new relationship with the Muslim world, Mr. Peres had this observation about unrest in the region which he said was not as much a clash of civilizations as a clash of generations.

 

U.S. President Barack Obama (R) meets with Israeli President Shimon Peres in the Oval Office of the White House April, 5, 2011 in Washington, DC. The two met during a working lunch in hopes to look for ways to boost the Middle East peace process. (Photo by Roger L. Wollenberg - Pool/Getty Images)

 

“The younger generations that opened their eyes and saw the ugliness of corruption, of dictatorship, of lack of hope.  Our heart is with them.  We would like them to succeed.  We think it is a great opportunity for all of us,” said Peres.

Regarding Egypt, where President Hosni Mubarak was ousted in February by a popular uprising, President Obama said he and Mr. Peres explored ideas to nurture economic opportunity so young Egyptians see a brighter future.

President Obama and Mr. Peres also discussed U.S. – Israeli security ties, with President Obama saying Israel’s security will always be a top priority.

Israeli media reports quote President Peres as saying in remarks to reporters in Hebrew, that he raised threats to Israel’s security from Iran, and the need for what he called a “defensive wall” against Iran.

Reports also quote Peres as saying he renewed a request that President Obama pardon Jonathan Pollard, the American convicted of spying for Israel in 1987 who is serving a life sentence in prison.

There were no indications out of Tuesday’s talks about possible next steps Israel might take on peace efforts with Palestinians, or what President Obama may be considering to get the process moving again.

Disputes over Israeli settlement construction in east Jerusalem have slowed Mr. Obama’s initiative begun last September for an Israeli-Palestinian agreement within a year.

The State Department on Tuesday voiced deep concern about plans announced on the eve of Mr. Peres’s visit to Washington for more than 900 new homes in a neighborhood of predominantly Arab east Jerusalem.  (*)