Archive | May, 2011

Photostream : Obama appoints army general to top military job

 

President Obama's nominee for the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, nominee Adm. James Winnefeld, right, to be vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and Gen. Ray Odierno, left, to be Army Chief of Staff walk to a Rose Garden announcement ceremony at the White House in Washington Monday, May 30, 2011 (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

(L-R) U.S. President Barack Obama shakes hands with Army Chief of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey, Navy Admiral James "Sandy" Winnefeld, and Army Gen. Ray Odierno listen during an event of Department of Defense personnel announcements at the Rose Garden of the White House May 30, 2011 in Washington, DC. Obama has named Dempsey to be the new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Winnefeld to be the new vice chairman of the JCS, and Odierno to replace Dempsey as Army Chief of Staff. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

(L-R) US General Martin Dempsey, Admiral James Winnefeld Jr., and General Raymond Odierno listen while US President Barack Obama makes a Defense Department staff announcement in the Rose Garden of the White House. President Obama nominated Army chief of staff General Martin Dempsey to replace Admiral Michael Mullen as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. (AFP/Brendan Smialowski)

(L-R) US General Martin Dempsey, Admiral James Winnefeld Jr., and General Raymond Odierno listen while US President Barack Obama makes a Defense Department staff announcement in the Rose Garden of the White House May 30, 2011 in Washington, DC. President Obama nominated Army chief of staff General Martin Dempsey to replace Admiral Michael Mullen as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral James Winnefeld Jr. as the new Vice Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff and General Raymond T. Odierno to become the new Secretary of the Army. AFP PHOTO/Brendan SMIALOWSKI

Ya Rafah, Ya Flotilla Palestina, Menyapa Sisi Politik Keamanan Israel

Perdana Menteri Israel Benjamin Netanyahu mendapat sambutan yang sangat meriah ( STANDING OVATION) dari anggota Kongres Amerika saat berpidato tanggak 24 Mei 2011 di Capitol Hill, Washington DC. Setidaknya, sepanjang Netanyahu berpidato itu, ia mendapatkan 29 kali STANDING OVATION dari seluruh anggota Kongres Amerika

 

Kekecewaan Mahmoud Abbas Dan Hamas Menjelang Obsesi Deklarasi Palestina Merdeka

Jakarta, 31 Mei 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM) — Persis seminggu yang lalu, atau tepatnya 24 Mei 2011, Perdana Menteri Israel Benjamin Netanyahu menjadi bintang di hadapan seluruh anggota Kongres Amerika saat ia diberi podium kehormatan untuk berpidato.

Tak bisa dipungkiri bahwa Netanyahu memang terlihat betul secara terang benderang seakan menjadi anak emas kalangan politisi Amerika saat muncul di podium Kongres Amerika.

Perlu waktu satu minggu untuk mengamati berbagai reaksi atas pidato Netanyahu di hadapan Kongres Amerika.

Komentar paling buruk tentu datang dari pihak Fatah dan Hamas yang mewakili kalangan Palestina.

Yang paling gamblang diutarakan oleh perwakilan Fatah bahwa Netanyahu bukan “A Man Of Peace”.

Ejekan dari pihak Fatah kepada Netanyahu ini patut disayangkan sebab ejekan itu terkesan asbun alias asal bunyi saja !

Netanyahu memang bukan “A Man Of Peace” dalam konotasi yang muluk-muluk.

Siapapun pemimpin di Israel, bukan ” A Man Of Peace” dalam arti kiasan.

Tetapi, seluruh pemimpin di Israel ( baik yang duduk di pemerintahan dan di kalangan militer mereka ) memang terus didorong, diharapkan dan diminta oleh semua komunitas internasional untuk terus membuka peluang perdamaian dengan Palestina.

Justru perdamaian itulah yang sedang diusahakan oleh komunitas internasional untuk bisa terwujud antara Palestina dan Israel.

Dan pidato Netanyahu itu, sesungguhnya bukan atas inisiatif dan kemauan Netanyahu secara pribadi.

Ia diminta dan diundang secara resmi oleh Ketua Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat Amerika John Boehner untuk berbicara tentang visi dan misi Israel dari sisi politik, pertahanan dan keamanan.

 

Ketua Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat Amerika, JOHN BOEHNER, kiri, berjalan bersama Perdana Menteri Israel Benjamin Netanyahu yang diundang untuk berpidato secara khusus di hadapan seluruh anggota Kongres Amerika di Capitol Hill, Washington DC, pada tanggal 24 Mei 2011.

 

Sehingga kalau ada pihak yang merasa tak nyaman dengan pidato Netanyahu, maka yang harus ditanya adalah Ketua DPR Amerika John Boehner, mengapa Boehner berinisiatif harus mengundang Perdana Menteri Israel untuk berbicara di hadapan Kongres Amerika ?

Tetapi kalau ada yang ingin mempertanyakan itu kepada Ketua DPR Amerika, John Boehner, maka pertanyaan itu bisa dipatahkan sebab Kongres Amerika punya hak untuk melakukan kebijakan politik mereka ( termasuk kebijakan mengundang pemimpin negara tertentu untuk menjadi tamu khusus mereka ).

Jadi jika ada yang mengecam pidato Netanyahu di hadapan Kongres Amerika ( bahwa seakan-akan ia tak pantas berdiri di podium Kongres), satu hal yang harus di ingat bahwa jika kita ingin menyampaikan kritik atau kecaman, hendaklah semua kritik dan kecaman itu harus berlandaskan rasionalitas yang terukur dan sangat jelas.

Jika dari kehadiran Netanyahu di hadapan Kongres Amerika, keintiman antara Amerika dan Israel dipertanyakan dan disesalkan oleh sebagian pihak, maka yang mempertanyakan dan menyesalkan hal itu yang justru harus ditanya balik.

“Lho, mengapa kita harus heran ? Sebab dekat dan kuatnya hubungan Amerika dan Israel adalah sesuatu yang sudah bukan menjadi rahasia umum lagi” !”

Kita hanya akan buang waktu jika mempermasalahkan kuatnya Amerika dan Israel bersekutu alias sudah dari sononya mereka begitu.

Mau diapakan lagi ?

 

Presiden Palestina Mahmoud Abbas bertemu dengan Mohamed Hussein Tantawi selaku pimpinan tertinggi militer Mesir pada hari Senin, 30 Meo 2011, untuk mengucapkan terimakasih kepada Mesir yang telah membuka secara permanen pintu perbatasan menuju Jalur Gaza

 

Photostream : Palestinian Unity Ceremony in Cairo

Selang beberapa hari dari pidato Netanyahu di hadapan Kongres Amerika, tepat pada tanggal 28 Mei 2011 Pemerintahan baru Mesir ( yang sejak kejatuhan Hosni Mubarak, dijabat oleh kalangan MILITER MESIR sesuai mandat pengunduran diri dari Hosni Mubarak) mengumumkan bahwa mereka memutuskan untuk membuka secara permanen pintu perbatasan di wilayah Rafah untuk masuk ke Jalur Gaza.

Pintu perbatasan ini ditutup secara permanen sejak tahun 2007 lalu ( pasca kemenangan Hamas pada pemilihan umum di Jalur Gaza ).

Dan sehubungan dengan telah dibukanya kembali pintu perbatasan di Rafah, Presiden Palestina Mahmoud Abbas bergegas menemui pimpinan militer Mesir Muhamed Hussein Tantawi yang kini memegang tampuk kekuasaan tertinggi pasca jatuhnya Presiden Hosni Mubarak.

Abbas datang menemui Tantawi pada hari Senin, 30 Mei 2011.

Di hari yang sama ( Senin, 30 Mei 2011), Perdana Menteri Netanyahu juga mengeluarkan pernyataan bahwa pembukaan pintu perbatasan menuju Jalur Gaza dari arah Rafah justru akan membuat situasi keamanan Israel menjadi terancam.

Yang kini perlu dicermati adalah sampai seberapa jauh Israel mengantiasipasi gangguan keamanan pasca dibukanya kembali pintu perbatasan Rafah.

Sebab akan terbuka dengan luas peluang dan kesempatan bagi Hamas untuk membangun konsolidasi mereka untuk lebih memantapkan eksistensi ( termasuk didalamnya peluang untuk menambah dan memperkuat persenjataan jika patut dapat diduga ada pihak-pihak tertentu yang diam-diam hendak memasok senjata ke Jalur Gaza ).

Hamas sendiri menyampaikan pandangan mereka bahwa tidak dibutuhkan pemantau asing pasca terbukanya kembali pintu perbatasan di Rafah.

Melalui salah seorang tokoh terkemuka di kalangan Hamas ,Ghazi  Hamad yang berbicara kepada radio lokal pada hari Senin ( 31/5/2011) bahwa tidak dibutuhkan pemantau asing.

Sementara menurut salah seorang tokoh Fatah, Saeb Erekat, mekanisme operasi penyeberangan di Rafah sewaktu-waktu bisa berubah, terutama pasca pembentukan pemerintahan koalisi antara Fatah dan Hamas.

Perbatasan Rafah di wilayah Mesir yang menghubungkan ke Jalur Gaza, Palestina, telah dibuka kembali secara permanen oleh pemerintahan baru Mesir, setelah selama 4 tahun ditutup.

 

Israel tentu tak senang dengan dibukanya kembali pintu perbatasan Rafah. Sebab, ancaman keamanan bagi negara mereka akan semakin terbuka lebar jika kekuatan bersenjata Hamas bisa meningkat secara fantastis pasca pembukaan pintu perbatasan tersebut.

Pihak oposisi di Israel mempersalahkan Perdana Menteri Benjamin Netanyahu atas keputusan Pemerintah Mesir membuka secara permanen pintu perbatasan menuju Gaza dari titik Rafah.

Sebenarnya kalau mau jujur, tak ada satupun pihak di dalam Pemerintahan Israel yang pantas dipersalahkan atas kebijakan domestik yang diambil oleh Pemerintahan baru di Mesir ( yang kini dikuasai kalangan MILITER MESIR ).

Benjamin Netanyahu adalah Perdana Menteri Israel, bukan Perdana Menteri Mesir.

Selain Shimon Peres sebagai Presiden, Benjamin Netanyahu adalah pimpinan dari militer Israel ( bukan pimpinan dari militer Mesir ).

Tidak ada satu orangpun di Israel yang bisa melibatkan diri ( baik langsung atau tidak langsung ) dalam setiap pertimbangan dan kebijakan resmi dari pemerintahan baru di Mesir ( pasca jatuhnya Presiden Hosni Mubarak ).

Mesir sedang dalam kondisi yang sangat amat ditekan dan disorot oleh rakyatnya sendiri, plus oleh komunitas internasional, agar secara sungguh-sungguh melaksanakan reformasi.

Bisa jadi, salah satu bentuk reformasi atau perubahan yang sangat signifikan yang mereka anggap sangat populer dan mendatangkan berkah politik yang besar adalah memakai isu Palestina.

Sehingga, perhatian dunia, tak hanya tertuju hal ihwal mengenai Hosni Mubarak sekeluarga ( dalam konteks peradilan ).

Memang harus ada terobosan politik yang jitu dari Pemerintahan baru Mesir untuk mengangkat citra mereka di hadapan rakyatnya, tetangga-tetangganya di kawasan, dan di hadapan komunitas internasional.

Pemerintahan baru di Mesir tak bisa disalahkan dengan kebijakan membuka secara permanen pintu perbatasan menuju Jalur Gaza.

Tetapi, dengan dibukanya kembali pintu perbatasan tersebut, baik angkatan pertahanan ( militer ) di Mesir dan Israel, harus sangat bersiaga penuh meningkatkan kewaspadaan mereka.

 

Presiden Israel Shimon Peres, berkemeja biru, didampingi pimpinan militer Israel ( IDF Chief of Staff ) Letnan Jenderal Benny Gantz sedang mengunjungi sebuah latihan militer di Israel tanggal 24 Mei 2011.

 

 

Kini, dengan dibukanya pintu perbatasan Rafah, maka Israel Defense Forces ( IDF ), tak bisa lagi hanya mengandalkan sistem pertahanan roket tercanggih mereka yaitu IRON DOME.

IRON DOME yang dibangun di perbatasan tertentu antara Israel dan Gaza, diharapkan dapat mematahkan serangan roket dan mortar yang selama ini terus menerus dikirimkan sayap militer Hamas ke wilayah Israel.

Dan kini, dengan dibukanya pintu perbatasan Rafah, maka ancaman keamanan pada IDF tak sekedar dan tak sebatas roket atau mortar semata.

Bisa lebih parah dan bisa lebih serius dari sekedar roket dan mortar.

Hamas, sampai detik ini, masih dinyatakan sebagai grup teroris dan secara resmi nama Hamas masuk ke dalam daftar hitam terorisme di sejumlah negara dan kalangan komunitas internasional.

Bayangkan jika persenjataan Hamas menjadi meningkat lebih hebat pasca terbukanya semua peluang dan kesempatan berhubungan dengan “pihak luar” secara bebas dan leluasa.

Atmosfir peperangan yang sangat buruk harus diantisipasi oleh semua pihak terkait situasi keamanan di Israel dan Palestina pasca dibukanya kembali pintu perbatasan tersebut.

Dan jika peperangan itu sudah semakin tak terelakkan maka ancaman keamanan itu akan menjalar di negara lain yang ada di sekitar Israel dan Palestina.

Semua ini hanya perkiraan yang masih sangat mentah.

Belum teruji. Dan belum terbukti.

Tetapi semua spekulasi inipun akan terpatahkan jika para petinggi Hamas bisa mengendalikan sayap militer mereka untuk tidak memperburuk situasi keamanan.

 

Presiden Palestina Mahmoud Abbas, kiri, berbincang dengan pimpinan HAMAS, Khaled Meshaal, pada saat Fatah dan Hamas menanda-tangani kesepakatan rekonsiliasi dan persatuan ( UNITY ) di Kairo, Mesir, tanggal 4 Mei 2011

 

Pemimpin Hamas, Khaled Meshaal, harus memastikan bahwa pihaknya tidak akan menggunakan pembukaan pintu perbatasan Rafah sebagai pintu yang sangat nyaman untuk membangun kesempurnaan persenjataan mereka untuk kepentingan peperangan melawan dan menghancurkan “musuh bebuyutan” mereka selama ini.

Khaled Meshaal harus sangat mampu mengendalikan sayap militernya demi keselamatan kalangan sipil yang kini lalu lalang di pintu perbatasan itu untuk keluar atau masuk dari wilayah Gaza.

Akan jauh lebih baik jika pembukaan pintu perbatasan Rafah secara permanen itu memang murni semurni-murninya digunakan oleh kebutuhan dan kepentingan rakyat ( sipil) Palestina.

Bukan untuk kepentingan yang berbau militeristik ( Hamas ).

Khaled Meshaal juga harus mengingat bahwa tujuan Fatah dan Hamas untuk melakukan reskonsiliasi dan persatuan ( UNITY ) adalah untuk membangun koalisi pemerintahan baru Palestina demi kebaikan rakyat mereka.

Jadi, persatuan ( UNITY ) itu bukan untuk mencari dan menambah masalah baru yang gaungnya akan sangat mendunia, jika ternyata sayap militer Hamas memanfaatkan pembukaan pintu perbatasan Mesir dan Gaza untuk kepentingan militeristik yang tujuan utamanya adalah mengibarkan bendera perang.

Angkatan Pertahanan ( Militer ) Israel, pasti tidak akan ragu-ragu meladeni umpan, provokasi dan tawaran untuk berperang dari pihak Hamas.

Sekecil atau sebesar apapun ancaman keamanan pada wilayah mereka, bisa ditebak bahwa militer Israel pasti akan dengan sangat sigap melakukan serangan balasan.

Dan pasca pembukaan perbatasan Rafah tersebut, maka bisa dispekulasikan bahwa saat ini Israel dalam tahap menunggu.

Atau istilahnya, “Wait and See !”

Tak mungkin mereka akan tenang-tenang saja saat ini pasca pembukaan pintu perbatasan tersebut.

Mereka pasti sudah menganalisa dan memperkirakan kemungkinan terburuk yang bisa terjadi, jika ada provokasi atau serangan sepihak dari lawan.

Kalau didepan mata, yang tampak hanyalah potensi kontak senjata dan peperangan yang berulang antara Palestina dan Israel, maka peta jalan menuju perdamaian yang selama ini diusahakan oleh semua pihak akan menjadi morat marit.

Lalu, pertanyaannya, masih adakah harapan untuk perdamaian itu bisa terwujud ?

Jika membayangkan potensi kontak senjata dan peperangan itu kembali terbuka lebar, maka siapapun yang duduk di kursi penonton menyaksikan panggung (proses) perdamaian antara Israel dan Palestina, mau tak mau jadi harap-harap cemas.

 

Perdana Menteri Israel Benjamin Netanyahu, tengah, berbincang dengan Kepala Staf Angkatan Pertahanan Israel, Letnan Jenderal Benny Gantz, kiri, saat mereka mengunjungi sistem pertahanan roket, IRON DOME di wilayah Ashkelon, Israel, 10 April 2011

 

Jadi, saat ini, pimpinan militer di Israel, yaitu Letnan Jenderal Benny Gantz, punya begitu banyak tugas penting yang harus ia tangani sepanjang bulan Juni khususnya, dan bulan-bulan selanjutnya.

Ya Rafah.

Ya Flotilla.

Pembukaan pintu perbatasan Rafah mulai tanggal 28 Mei lalu, harus disikapi dengan tenang dan baik oleh miiliter Israel.

Sebab, akan ada kalangan sipil yang lalu lalang di pintu perbatasan untuk untuk menyeberang berdasarkan kebutuhan hidup dan kepentingan masing-masing.

Kemudian, iring-iringan armada kapal kemanusiaan Flotilla juga dijadwalkan akan menghampiri perairan Israel di bulan Juni mendatang.

Sekretaris Jenderal Perserikatan Bangsa Bangsa ( Sekjen PBB ) Ban Ki-moon sudah memberikan peringatan resmi kepada semua pemerintah agar ( jika ada ) warga negaranya yang ingin berpartisipasi dalam iring-iringan armada Flotilla itu, hendaklah menempuh jalur yang legal.

Hamas tak perlu mengecam Ban Ki-moon.

Tidak ada dari pernyataan Sekjen PBB yang salah terkait himbauan soal Flotilla tersebut sebab PBB berkomitmen sangat tinggi untuk mencegah terjadinya tindak kekerasan ( seperti yang terjadi pada insiden Flotilla di bulan Mei tahun 2010 lalu ).

Melalui himbauannya beberapa hari lalu, Sekjen PBB tidak melarang pemberian bantuan kemanusiaan tetapi menghimbau agar semua pihak yang ingin berpartisipasi dalam armada FLOTILLA PALESTINA itu, hendaknya memberi bantuan kemanusiaan mereka dengan cara yang legal.

Barangkali maksudnya, jangan cari gara-garalah !

Carilah cara yang paling tepat untuk menyalurkan bantuan kemanusiaan itu untuk rakyat Palestina di Jalur Gaza !

Tampaknya, bulan Juni ini akan menjadi bulan yang sangat sibuk bagi militer Israel.

Ya Rafah.

Ya Flotilla.

Ya Persaatuan ( UNITY ) antara Fatah dan Hamas.

Semua seakan menyapa secara bersamaan sisi politik, pertahanan dan keamanan Israel dari semua penjuru angin.

Tergantung cara dan isi sapaan itu, apakah menyapa secara baik, atau secara kasar dan brutal ?

Hindarilah semua bentuk anarkisme sebab semua upaya yang dikehendaki komunitas internasional adalah segala sesuatu yang memang dapat mempromosikan perdamaian bagi kedua belah pihak.

Janganlah lagi berperang sebab sudah bukan saatnya untuk terus menerus mempertahankan peperangan dan permusuhan yang tak berkesudahan.

 

Make Peace Not War

 

Ya Rafah, ya Flotilla, ya Unity, ya apapun juga agenda penting yang hendak atau sedang dilakukan di bulan Juni ini, ya itu itu juga harapan dari komunitas internasional : berdamailah secara langsung.

Jangan buang waktu.

Dan jangan memperpanjang lagi masa penahanan terhadap seorang prajurit Israel yang sudah ditawan sejak tahun 2006 lalu.

Sebab di bulan Juni ini jugalah, masa penawanan terhadap Gilad Shalit memasuki tahun ke-5 ( Gilad ditangkap dan ditawan oleh HAMAS pada tanggal 25 Juni 2006).

Jadi, jika himbauan untuk melepaskan Gilad Shalit disampaikan kepada Hamas, maka himbauan yang senada juga perlu disampaikan kepada Israel.

Israel juga harus mempertimbangkan pelepasan bagi tahanan politik Palestina yang kini ada di penjara Israel, jika nanti pada akhirnya ( mudah-mudahan) Khaled Meshaal dan kalangan Hamas memutuskan untuk membebaskan Gilad Shalit.

Harus sama-sama toh, sama-sama membebaskan.

Sama-sama melakukan dan menunjukkan itikat yang baik.

 

 

(MS)

Mahmoud Abbas in Egypt for talks with military leader

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (L) sits with Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, head of Egypt's Supreme Council of the Armed Forces during their meeting in the Ministry of Defence headquarters in Cairo May 30, 2011. REUTERS/Khalil Hamra/Pool

 

CAIRO, May 30, 2011  (KATAKAMI.COM / AFP) – Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was in Egypt on Monday for talks with the country’s de facto head of state on efforts to seek UN recognition for a Palestinian state, a military source said, AFP reported.

Abbas briefed Field Marshall Hussein Tantawi — who heads the military council in power since president Hosni Mubarak was ousted in February — on his recent trip to Doha.

At a meeting of an Arab monitoring committee chaired by Qatar, the Arab League said in a statement it “supports the appeal to the UN asking that Palestine, within the 1967 borders, becomes a full-fledged state” of the international organisation.

The two also discussed an Egyptian-sponsored reconciliation deal that put an end to the bitter division between Abbas’s Fatah movement and the Islamist Hamas group and paves the way for a new government and elections within a year.

During the talks, the Palestinian president thanked Tantawi for opening the Rafah crossing, the only border with Gaza that bypasses Israel, in a bid to ease the blockade on the strip.

The border had remained largely shut since June 2006 when Israel imposed a tight blockade on Gaza after Palestinian militants snatched Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who is still being held.

The blockade was tightened a year later when the Islamist movement Hamas seized control of the territory, ousting forces loyal to the Western-backed Palestinian Authority.

The decision to permanently reopen the Rafah crossing came more than three months after former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak resigned under pressure following 18 days of massive street protests against his rule. (*)

Photostream : Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas meets Head of Egypt’s Supreme Council of the Armed Forces

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, right, walks next to Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, head of the Egyptian Armed Forces Supreme Council, left, before their talks in the ministry of defense headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, Monday, May 30, 2011. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra, Pool)

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (R) walks next to Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi (2nd R), head of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Armed Forces before their meeting in the Ministry of Defence headquarters in Cairo May 30, 2011. REUTERS/Khalil Hamra/Pool

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (L) sits with Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, head of Egypt's Supreme Council of the Armed Forces during their meeting in the Ministry of Defence headquarters in Cairo May 30, 2011. REUTERS/Khalil Hamra/Pool

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (2nd R), accompanied by a Palestinian delegation, meets Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, head of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Armed Forces (R) during their meeting in the Ministry of Defence headquarters in Cairo May 30, 2011. REUTERS/Khalil Hamra/Pool

Russia must not permit foreign firms’ dumping says Putin

Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin Photo : REUTERS/Alexei Nikolsky/RIA Novosti/Pool

 

RUSSIA, May 30, 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM / RIA NOVOSTI) — The Russian government must prevent foreign companies’ attempts to carry out dumping on the local industrial market, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Monday.

“We must not permit someone, a foreign producer to carry out dumping on our domestic market. Healthy competition is not just possible, it is necessary but dumping is unacceptable,” Putin told a government meeting on road construction and operation.

He has also promised support for local makers of construction machinery.

“We’ll render support to our machine-building companies, including when creating joint ventures and cooperating with leading foreign partners,” Putin said.  (*)

Photostream : British Prime Minister David Cameron And His Wife Samantha Holiday In Ibiza

Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife Samantha walk through the village of Santa Gertrudis during their holiday on the Spanish Balearic island of Ibiza May 29, 2011. REUTERS/Chris Radburn/Pool

British Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife Samantha Cameron walk hand in hand through the centre of Santa Gertrudis at the beginning of their holiday on the island of Ibiza on May 29, 2011 in Spain. After leaving the G8 summit in France, British Prime Minister David Cameron, with children Nancy (7) and Arthur (5), took a flight to the Balearic island of Ibiza to join his wife Samantha and their baby daughter Florence, who had arrived the day before. (Photo by Chris Radburn - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife Samantha Cameron walk hand in hand through the centre of Santa Gertrudis at the beginning of their holiday on the island of Ibiza on May 29, 2011 in Spain. After leaving the G8 summit in France, British Prime Minister David Cameron, with children Nancy (7) and Arthur (5), took a flight to the Balearic island of Ibiza to join his wife Samantha and their baby daughter Florence, who had arrived the day before. (May 28, 2011 - Photo by WPA Pool/Getty Images Europe)

Obama to name Army head new Joint Chiefs chairman

U.S. President Barack Obama (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

 

Washington, May 30, 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM / CNN) – U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday will nominate Gen. Martin Dempsey, the relatively new Army chief of staff, to be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, according to a source familiar with the plans, CNN reported on Monday.

The term of the current chairman, Adm. Michael Mullen, ends in September.

Obama will also name Adm. James Winnefeld, the current head of the U.S. Northern Command, to serve as vice chairman, according to the source.

Gen. Ray Odierno will be nominated to replace Dempsey as the Army’s chief of staff, the source added.

If confirmed by the Senate, Dempsey would be in the key position of being Obama’s senior military advisor overseeing the drawdown of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, while also working with incoming Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, who still needs to be confirmed by the Senate, in establishing priorities for cutting defense spending.

Dempsey has extensive combat experience. He served as the commander of the 1st Armored Division in Baghdad in 2003, and then helped train Iraqi security forces in a subsequent tour of duty in Iraq. He also has served as acting commander of the U.S. Central Command overseeing U.S. military operations in the Middle East, Persian Gulf and Central Asia.

Speaking to CNN Monday, Mullen refused to confirm the selection of Dempsey as his successor. But the chairman said he has the “highest regard” for Dempsey “as a soldier and someone who is very, very committed to our young men and women” in the military.

The selection of Dempsey is unusual partly because he took over as head of the Army only on April 11. In that brief period of time, Dempsey has earned strong praise for what is considered to be his outgoing personality. Among other things, the general receives a list of soldiers both in the United States and overseas every week and calls them to get their direct opinions on life in the Army.

He spent last Friday in Washington meeting with children who have lost parents and other relatives in war-time military service.

He has also gained attention for his long-standing habit of beginning some of his public speaking events by singing songs such as “New York, New York.” On his Facebook page he recently asked troops to offer their suggestions for music he could play at events where he is speaking.

Dempsey’s sense of humor has opened him up for some ribbing as well, like at the ceremony when he took command of the Army.

“His rise to this great height is yet another one of those classic American immigrant success stories,” said Army Secretary John McHugh during official remarks. “One can only imagine how different his life might have been had his family not decided to leave New Jersey and move across the river to New York state.”

Gen. James Cartwright, a four-star Marine who currently is vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs, had been the perceived front runner to replace Mullen. But in a 30-minute meeting with Obama before the president left for his recent trip to Europe, Cartwright was told he would not get the job, according to a Defense Department official with direct knowledge of the meeting.

The official declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of discussing White House personnel meetings involving the president.

Cartwright is now expected to submit his retirement papers and conclude his term as vice chairman as scheduled in early August.

Cartwright had long been considered a White House favorite, but had run afoul of other senior officers inside the Pentagon who felt he more than once went behind their backs in offering the president military recommendations and advice on a range of issues, including lower troop levels in Afghanistan.

The Defense Department official who is familiar with Cartwright’s thinking says the general was aware of these criticisms, and only offered recommendations when asked by the president.

“There was an impression created he wasn’t a team player,” said the official, who was offering a defense of Cartwright’s actions

“Gen. Cartwright never believed he was a deputy. He believed he had a legal and moral obligation to give the president his best military advice,” the source said. “He is not obligated to provide the same advice as everybody else.”

The official acknowledged the widespread view many had, however, that Cartwright plays his cards close to the vest inside the Pentagon and often shared little with colleagues about his real thinking.

The official also noted that neither Defense Secretary Robert Gates nor Mullen had recommended Cartwright for the job as chairman, which meant his nomination by the White House would have been difficult to justify to Congress.

Spokesmen for both declined to publicly comment on any aspect of the chairmanship issue.

Cartwright had also been the subject of an investigation by the department’s inspector general over whistleblower allegations of improper conduct with a junior female officer who fell asleep intoxicated in his hotel room during a business trip. He was cleared of wrongdoing by Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, but the official said Cartwright felt he was the still the subject of a “whispering campaign” after that.  (*)

Photostream : Spanish Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia Attends Audiences at La Zarzuela Palace

Prince Felipe of Spain (C) and Princess Letizia of Spain (R) receive the Archbishop of Madrid, Cardinal Antonio Maria Rouco Varela (L) at Zarzuela Palace on May 30, 2011 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images)

Prince Felipe of Spain and Princess Letizia of Spain attend several audiences at Zarzuela Palace on May 30, 2011 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images)

Prince Felipe of Spain and Princess Letizia of Spain attend several audiences at Zarzuela Palace on May 30, 2011 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images)

 

Prime Minister Netanyahu warns Egypt losing control of growing terror groups in Sinai

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu talks during a Likud faction meeting in the Knesset, Israel's parliament, in Jerusalem, Monday, May 30, 2011. (AP Photo/Tara Todras-Whitehill)

 

Israel, May 30, 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM / HAARETZ) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Monday that Egypt’s new military government was having a “hard time” controlling the rise of international terror organizations in the Sinai Peninsula, HAARETZ reported.

“Egypt is having a hard time realizing its sovereignty in Sinai,” Netanyahu said during a meeting of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. “International terror organizations are stirring in Sinai and their presence is increasing due to Sinai’s connection to Gaza.”

Netanyahu also warned that Hamas is getting stronger and that Israel is concerned for its future in the region, in particular with its peace partners Egypt and Jordan.

“Hamas is strengthening in Egypt,” Netanyahu said. “It transferred more of its activities to Egypt and less to Syria due to the turmoil there. The Muslim Brotherhood is also not an insignificant player in Egypt.”

The prime minister noted that Israel must act responsibly in light of the Arab world turmoil, saying that even though Israel supports the hope for democracy, it is unclear when and if this will happen.

Meanwhile on Monday, Egyptian security forces were pursuing 400 al-Qaida members who have been located in Sinai, said a senior Egyptian security source on Sunday.

According to a report on Egypt’s Al-Hayat television channel, the operatives were planning terrorist attacks in Egypt and in Sinai.

The source said the al-Qaida members include Bedouins, Palestinians and foreign Arab nationals. They reportedly attacked a number of security stations in the past in the El Arish area.

Last January, Egypt’s interior minister said al-Qaida is trying to establish terror cells in the Gaza Strip. His remarks came as Egyptian security forces had arrested 19 suspected al-Qaida militants, who were suspected of planning suicide bombings at holy sites throughout the country.  (*)

Israeli PM Netanyahu : Sinai Becoming Dangerous

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu talks during a Likud faction meeting in the Knesset, Israel's parliament, in Jerusalem, Monday, May 30, 2011. (AP Photo/Tara Todras-Whitehill)

 

Israel, May 30, 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM / IsraelNationalNews.Com) — Speaking at a meeting of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel needed to step carefully these days, given the unrest in the Arab world.

“We don’t know what will become of these countries,” he said. “We are happy about the democratic tendencies being shown, but we don’t know if and when democratic regimes will be set up”, Israel National News.Com reported on Monday.
Sinai was a major problem, Netanyahu said. The new government in Cairo “is having trouble exerting its authority over Sinai. We saw this in the two bombings of the gas pipeline there. Terror groups have set up shop in Sinai, and they are getting stronger because of Sinai’s connection to Gaza. Hamas in Egypt is getting stronger, and Hamas has moved many of its activities from Syria to Egypt. We are concerned over what will happen in the region, especially with the countries on the ‘peace fronts,’ Egypt and Jordan,” Netanyahu added.

Hamas Moving HQ from Syria to Egypt, Warns Netanyahu  

Hamas is moving its headquarters from Damascus to Egypt, and the terror group is strengthening itself in the Sinai, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Security Committee Monday.

He also noted that the Muslim Brotherhood, from which Hamas sprung, also has become a more powerful force in Egypt since the ouster of Hosni Mubarak. The Prime Minister stated his concern about the inability of the provisional military regime in Egypt to exercise sovereignty in the Sinai, which borders Israel and from where Bedouin and Hamas terrorists smuggle weapons from Iran, Sudan, Syria and elsewhere into Gaza.

Al-Qaeda also has brought 400 terrorists into the area, according to an Egyptian official quoted by an Arab news agency,

The Prime Minister confirmed previous reports that Hamas supreme leader Khaled Mashaal has pulled out of Damascus, where his presence and welcome by Syrian President Bashar Assad is an additional worry for him in the face of the continuing uprising.

The vacuum of power in the Sinai has been illustrated by “the two gas explosions that occurred there” this year, Prime Minister Netanyahu told the Knesset committee. “Global terrorist organizations are interfering, there and their presence is increasing because of the geographic connection between Sinai and Gaza.”

The Sharon government agreed to pull out of Gaza following the 2005 expulsion of nearly 10,000 Jews in the area. Agreements with Egypt on security in the Sinai began falling apart after Hamas ousted Fatah from Gaza four years ago.

Following the Operation Cast Lead counterterrorist campaign at the end of 2008 and the beginning of 2009, Israel relied on American and European guarantees to monitor the transfer of goods and merchandise from the Sinai to Gaza, but these also have eroded. The opening of the Rafiah crossing this past Saturday has further harmed security.

The de facto dominance of Bedouin tribes and allied terrorists in the Sinai has set the stage for further stockpiling of advanced arms by Hamas and for plotting terrorist attacks at tourist and holy sites in Egypt.  (*)

Germany’s Merkel visiting India, Singapore

German Chancellor Angela Merkel REUTERS/Darrin Zammit Lupi

 

BERLIN, May 20, 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM / BOSTON.COM)  —  Economic, defense and environmental issues will top the agenda when Chancellor Angela Merkel and government ministers travel to India this week.

German officials said Monday that a deal to supply India with 126 fighter jets is sure to come up in Merkel’s talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi. German consortium Eurofighter Typhoon is one of two countries vying for the $11 billion contract.

Merkel starts her two-day visit on Tuesday. Seven German ministers will meet with their Indian counterparts in the first such talks between India and Germany.

Annual trade between Germany and India currently stands at euro15 billion ($21.5 billion). The nations have set the goal of raising that to euro20 billion by 2012.

Merkel will visit Singapore on her way home.  (*) 

Germany wants nuclear exit by 2022 at latest

File Picture : German Chancellor Angela Merkel (Photo by Henning Schacht-Pool/Getty Images)

BERLIN, May 30, 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM / Reuters)  —- Chancellor Angela Merkel’s ruling coalition declared on Monday it would shut all nuclear reactors by 2022, in a policy u-turn drawn up in a rush after the Fukushima disaster in Japan., REUTERS reported.

The coalition, sensitive to accusations it may increase dependence on highly polluting brown coal, said it planned to cut power use by 10 percent by 2020. But Merkel may be hard pressed to present the plan as anything but a political defeat at the hands of Social Democrat and resurgent Green rivals.

The proposal may be even more ambitious than the nuclear exit planned when the Social Democrats (SPD) and Greens were in power in 2000. It takes eight of 17 nuclear plants offline now and six by 2021.

But it could still face opposition from utilities.

Only nine months ago Merkel announced an extension of the lifespan of unpopular nuclear plants by an average 12 years. In March, after Japan’s earthquake and tsunami, she reversed that and put Germany’s entire energy strategy under urgent review.

“Our energy system has to be fundamentally changed and can be fundamentally changed. We want the electricity of the future to be safer and, at the same time, reliable and economical,” Merkel told reporters on Monday.

To accompany the nuclear exit, Germany plans to cut electricity usage by 10 percent by 2020 and double the share of renewable energy sources to 35 percent over the same period, according to a government paper seen by Reuters.

Merkel did not outline further details of the plan but the government paper said Germany’s goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2020 remained in place.

Most voters in Germany oppose atomic energy, which provided 23 percent of overall power before the seven oldest stations were shut down in March.

A disputed 2.3 billion euro a year tax on spent fuel rods will not be scrapped even as the coalition plans to go ahead with the shutdown, Environment Minister Norbert Roettgen said early on Monday after late-night talks in the chancellor’s office between leaders of the center-right coalition.

“(It’s) definite: the latest end for the last three nuclear power plants is 2022,” Roettgen said after the meeting and before leaving on his bicycle.

Merkel’s about-turn has done little to gain her support, but has drawn scorn from the opposition and within her own party ranks. Tens of thousands of people demonstrated against nuclear energy at the weekend all across Germany.

Nuclear policy is heavily disputed in Germany and the issue has helped boost the Greens, which won control of one of the CDU’s stronghold states, Baden-Wuerttemberg, in a March vote.

Merkel’s majority in the Bundesrat upper house, where the states are represented, vanished last year after the CDU failed to hold onto the populous North Rhine-Westphalia state. Losing Baden-Wuerttemberg, a vote held in the shadow of the Fukushima nuclear crisis, dealt another blow to Merkel’s authority.

Germany’s largest power provider RWE, which had suggested ending nuclear power in 2025, signaled its opposition to the deal. A spokesman for the company said the firm would keep “all legal options open.”

“The end (of nuclear power in Germany) by 2022 is not the date we had hoped for,” the spokesman said, declining to comment on the effect of the decision on the company’s earnings.

The decision could still face opposition from RWE’s peers E.ON, Vattenfall and EnBW, the other three utility companies that run the 17 plants.

German baseload power in the wholesale market on Monday rose 70 cents from Friday to 60.20 euros a megawatt hour.

“Prices must go up to account for permanently lower capacity. Neighboring Europe will have to price in the potential absence of German power in case of unfavorable supply situations,” one trader said.

Shares in utilities E.ON and RWE fell 2.2 and 2.4 percent respectively at the open.

NO WAY BACK

Some politicians had wanted a clause allowing for revision of the agreement in future. The Free Democrats, junior partners in Merkel’s center-right coalition, wanted no firm date but a flexible window for exit, plus the option of bringing back at least one of the seven oldest nuclear reactors in an emergency.

“There will be no clause for revision,” Roettgen said.

The coalition agreed to keep one of the older reactors as a “cold reserve” for 2013, if the transition to renewable energies cannot meet winter demand and if fossil fuels do not suffice to make up for a potential shortfall.

A massive earthquake and tsunami in March crippled Japan’s Fukushima plant, causing releases of radioactivity, sparking calls for tougher global safety measures and prompting some governments to reconsider their nuclear energy strategy.

The German decision still needs to go through parliament and leaders of the opposition Social Democrats and the Greens were present at parts of the meeting to enable a broad consensus.

The coalition wants to keep a nuclear tax, which was expected to raise 2.3 billion euros ($3.29 billion) a year from this year, but so far has not been levied. With the immediate exit of eight plants it will raise less than envisaged.

It had mulled dropping the tax in return for the utilities supporting and not suing the government over an early exit.  (*)

Aung San Suu Kyi plans tour of rural Myanmar in June

Aung San Suu Kyi

HONG KONG, May 20, 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM / AP) —  Myanmar’s pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi plans to tour the countryside next month in her first trip into the provinces since a 2003 political tour ended in her house arrest, AP reported.

Suu Kyi said she hoped to travel outside of Yangon in June but didn’t provide further details. She spoke Monday via videolink to an audience at Hong Kong University.

The Nobel Peace Prize laureate drew large crowds when she toured northern Myanmar, and her popularity rattled the military government. Exactly eight years ago Monday, supporters of the ruling junta ambushed her entourage. Several of her followers were killed, but she escaped, only to be arrested.

She was unconditionally released in November after Myanmar held a general election in which her party did not participate.  (*)

UN Secretary-General urges Gaza aid through legitimate crossings

UN Chief Ban Ki Moon

 

 

(UN) —- In a statement released by his office on Friday (May 27, 2011), the Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said :

The Secretary-General has sent a letter to Governments of countries around the Mediterranean Sea.  In these letters, the Secretary-General indicated that he was following with concern media reports of potential flotillas to Gaza.

He expressed his belief that assistance and goods destined to Gaza should be channelled through legitimate crossings and established channels.

He recalled the statements of the Quartet on 21 June 2010 and the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee on 13 April 2011 in this regard.

The Secretary-General called on all Governments concerned to use their influence to discourage such flotillas, which carry the potential to escalate into violent conflict.

He further called on all, including the Government of Israel, to act responsibly and with caution to avoid any violent incident.

The Secretary-General reiterated that, while he believed that flotillas were not helpful in resolving the basic economic problems in Gaza, the situation there remains unsustainable.

He urged the Government of Israel to take further meaningful and far-reaching steps to end the closure of Gaza, within the framework of Security Council resolution 1860 (2009).

In particular, he underlined that it was essential for the operation of legitimate crossings to be adequate to meet the needs of Gaza’s civilian population.  (*)

SOURCE : UN Website

Saudi Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal calls for lower oil prices

Saudi Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal says regional instability accounts for the high price of oil today.

 

May 30, 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM / CNN) – Saudi Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal said Sunday that he wants oil prices to drop so that the United States and Europe don’t accelerate efforts to wean themselves off his country’s supply, CNN reported.

In an interview broadcast Sunday on “CNN’s Fareed Zakaria GPS,” the grandson of the founding king of modern Saudi Arabia said the oil price should be somewhere between $70 and $80 a barrel, rather than the current level of over $100 a barrel.

“We don’t want the West to go and find alternatives, because, clearly, the higher the price of oil goes, the more they have incentives to go and find alternatives,” said Talal, who is listed by Forbes as the 26th richest man in the world.

He blamed continuing uncertainty over political stability in the region as well as disruptions in supply tied to unrest in Libya and Bahrain for the current high oil price.

“You’re not 100% sure what is going to happen, because you hear once in a while Iran coming and jumping and antagonizing and intimidating the Gulf region,” the prince said. “So, there’s a worry.”

A major investor in the United States, the prince said the country remains a desired investment target because of its stability.

“At the end of the day, the United States is down, for sure, but it is not out,” Talal said.

Asked about the so-called Arab Spring protests reshaping the political landscape in the Middle East and North Africa, he said the level of unrest in his native country is far below that of other countries because of economic stability and the love of the Saudi people for the monarchy.

Still, the prince said, Saudi Arabia needs to “enact some new laws whereby the participation of the people has to be done, one way or another.”  (*)

McFaul’s appointment may boost trust between U.S., Russia – expert

File Picture : Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, left, and U.S. President Barack Obama

 

RUSSIA, May 30, 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM / RIA NOVOSTI) —– An appointment of U.S. President Barack Obama’s top adviser, Michael McFaul a new U.S. ambassador to Russia may help to get rid of mistrust between the United States and Russia, the head of the Institute of Strategic Studies and Analysis, Alexander Konovalov told RIA Novosti.

Earlier on Sunday New York Times reported, citing an anonymous White House official that Obama had decided to appoint McFaul, a current senior director of Russian and Eurasian Affairs at the U.S. National Security Council, the next U.S. ambassador to Russia.

“McFaul is a young man, very close to Obama and a devoted supporter of his policy. Moreover, he is specializing on Russian issues. Since McFaul is a person from presidential staff, his appointment would show that Washington pays serious attention to the Russian politics,” Konovalov said.

The expert said that McFaul seems to be the best candidate to develop Russian-U.S. relations since “he knows Russia well, he is familiar with the problems of national security.”

McFaul was born in 1963 in the U.S. city of Glasgow, Montana. In mid-80s he obtained master’s degree in Slavic and East European Studies from Stanford University. In 1991, being a Rhodes Scholar, McFaul earned a Ph.D. in International Relations from Oxford University.

He is the author or several books on Russia, including Between Dictatorship and Democracy: Russian Post-Communist Political Reform and U.S. Policy Toward Russia After the Cold War.

Commenting on the possibility of McFaul’s appointment, Konovalov said that he had previously heard about it. “As far I understand, this rumor is being spread in Washington’s top circles. As a rule, such things are confirmed. I think we can take it seriously.”

White House and U.S. Department of State however refused to comment on McFaul’s candidacy.

McFaul may replace John Beyrle, a current U.S. ambassador to Moscow, appointed by Bush’s administration in 2008.   (*)

Obama’s advisor may be appointed U.S. ambassador to Russia

Michael McFaul

May 30, 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM / RIA NOVOSTI / NEW YORK TIMES) — U.S. President Barack Obama is planning to appoint Michael McFaul, a top national security aide at the White House, an ambassador to Russia, New York Times said on Sunday.

McFaul, 47, is known as an “architect” of Russian-U.S. reset policy. Being a Rhodes scholar, he was the first who traveled to the Soviet Union in early 80s. He is also the author or several books on Russia, including Between Dictatorship and Democracy: Russian Post-Communist Political  Reform and U.S. Policy Toward Russia After the Cold War.

“Mike, as the guy who really helped the president establish the reset, is the perfect person to go to Moscow to make sure there’s no lapse in momentum in the relationship,” a source in White House told NY Times on conditions of anonymity.

The source also told the paper that Obama had informed the Russian president, Dmitry Medvedev about his choice during their meeting at the G8 summit in Deauville.

The U.S. Department of State refused to comment on the publication, saying they are not obliged to give any comments before the official announcement.

A Kremlin source dismissed the information that Medvedev had been informed about the possible McFaul’s ambassadorial appointment.

“During the official part of the talks there had not been such information,” the source said, adding that Kremlin however is positive over McFaul’s candidacy.  (*)

Khamenei backs Ahmadinejad, calls for end to crisis

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, seen here in 2007, has backed President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's government and called for an end to a crisis within the ruling conservative camp, state television said.

May 29, 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM / FRANCE 24 / AFP ) —-  Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday backed President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s government and called for an end to a crisis within the ruling conservative camp, state television said.

“While there is weakness and problems … the composition of the executive branch is good and appropriate, and the government is working. The government and parliament must help each other,” Khamenei said.

“When the law is passed, the government must implement it with full power and without any excuse,” Khamenei, who has the final say in the Islamic republic, told Iran’s parliamentarians.  (*)

 

 

 

SOURCE : FRANCE 24 & AFP

Netanyahu : Unification of Jerusalem is a foundation of nation of Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) sits next to Jerusalem mayor Nir Barkat during the weekly cabinet meeting, his first since returning from the United States, at the David Citadel in Jerusalem on May 29, 2011. (Photo by JIM HOLLANDER/AFP/Getty Images)

 

ISRAEL, May 29, 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM / HAARETZ) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his government’s support for a united Jerusalem on Sunday, calling the unification of Jerusalem one of the “foundations of the nation of Israel”, HAARETZ reported on Sunday.

Speaking at a special government meeting held at the David Citadel in Jerusalem, the prime minister said Israel had won congressional support during his most recent trip to Washington, where he presented the issue of Jerusalem’s unification.

“The wide support for these principles is an inalienable asset for the state of Israel,” Netanyahu said. “The world knows that the nation of Israel and our friends are loyal to Jerusalem and its legacy.”

“The government is obligated to building Jerusalem, as [Jerusalem] is the heart of the nation,” Netanyahu said.

The prime minster spoke to the U.S. Congress last week, where he said that Israel is willing to make painful concessions for peace, but Jerusalem will not be divided.

“Jerusalem must never again be divided,” Netanyahu said to round of applause by the congressmen. “Jerusalem must remain the united capital of Israel.”

The day after the prime minister’s speech in Washington, the speaker of the Knesset and several other government ministers attended a dedication ceremony for the new Jewish settlement of Ma’aleh Zeitim, in East Jerusalem’s Ras al-Amud neighborhood.

At the ceremony, Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin condemned those that seek to “cut up” Jerusalem, as bringing “disaster” onto the city and its residents.

The comments come shortly after a weekend in which U.S. President Barack Obama called for negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians based on borders from 1967, which Netanyahu rejects as “indefensible”.  (*)

Arab League to seek U.N. seat for Palestinian state

Amr Moussa talks to Arafat's nephew, Nasser al-Qidwah (L) during the fourth meeting of the Yasser Arafat Foundation at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, May 3, 2011. REUTERS/Asmaa Waguih

DOHA, May 29, 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM / Reuters) – The Arab League decided on Saturday to seek full U.N. membership for a Palestinian state in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, with East Jerusalem as its capital, ignoring opposition from the United States and Israel, REUTERS reported.

The Arab League’s peace process committee, meeting in Doha, said it would request membership for the state of Palestine at the U.N. General Assembly’s meeting in New York in September.

“The committee decided to go to the United Nations to request full membership for Palestine on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital,” it said in a statement.

The 1967 borders refer to Israel’s frontiers as they stood on the eve of the 1967 Middle East war in which it captured the Gaza Strip from Egypt and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, from Jordan.

The Palestinian leadership began peace talks with Israel nearly two decades ago with the aim of founding a state alongside Israel in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

Israel says that peace talks and an agreement are the only way for the Palestinians to achieve their goal of nationhood.

But with the peace process at a standstill, the Palestinian leadership has been seeking new ways to advance their cause. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas opposes the use of violence.

The Arab League’s U.N. move looks set to fail because of the opposition of the United States, which has veto power in the Security Council. But Israel fears the maneuvering will leave them looking vulnerable on the diplomatic front.

U.S. President Barack Obama, in a May 19 speech, condemned what he described as “symbolic actions to isolate Israel at the United Nations,” a reference to the Palestinians’ plan to push for recognition at the September meeting. The Palestinians currently have the status of U.N. observers without voting rights.

NO COMMON GROUND

The Doha meeting had been convened in the wake of major Middle East policy speeches in Washington by Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Netanyahu had said in a speech to the U.S. Congress he was ready to make “painful concessions” for peace, saying he was ready to give up parts of what he called the ancestral Jewish homeland — a reference to the West Bank.

The Palestinians said Netanyahu’s ideas for peace had put more obstacles in the path of an already moribund peace process.

Abbas, in his opening remarks to the Doha meeting, said there were “no shared foundations” for peace talks with Netanyahu and seeking U.N. recognition was his only option.

“We see from the conditions that Netanyahu laid out that there are no shared foundations … for negotiations. Our fundamental option is to go to the United Nations,” he said.

He expressed fear that the step would lead some states to “try to impose a siege upon us,” though he did not say to which governments he was referring. “We hope that there will be a safety net from the Arab states,” he said.

The Palestinian Authority (PA) headed by Abbas is dependent on financial support from international donors including the United States and the European Union.

It also relies on customs duties collected on its behalf by Israel, which triggered a financial crisis for the PA earlier this month when the Israeli government temporarily withheld the funds following a reconciliation deal between the rival Fatah and Hamas groups.

U.S.-brokered talks between the Palestinians and Israel broke down last September in a dispute over continued Jewish settlement building in the occupied West Bank.

“In these circumstances, it seems better to me that we freeze discussion of the peace process until there is a partner ready for peace,” said Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr al-Thani, who was chairing the meeting.  (*)

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