Geopolitical mosaic: Assad emigrates to Moscow or Minsk, and the IMF will not save the US from the crisis
Syria will not submit to the West. Iranian State Television and Radio referring to Mehr News, reports that the Syrian President, commenting on the incident with the downed Turkish fighter, said: the Syrians will never obey the policies of the United States and the West.
In an interview with the Turkish Jumhuryat newspaper, Bashar al-Assad said that in Syria "until the very moment the plane crashed, they did not know that it belonged to the Turkish Air Force." The president added: “The plane flew in the air corridor that had been used three times by the Israeli aviation. Our radars could not identify him, and he himself did not give us information, so the military shot him down. ”
At the same time, Assad stressed that the plane was shot down precisely in Syria’s airspace when flying low. He was hit by a “small ZRK battery”, which does not hit targets at a distance over 2,5 km.
Assad is time to emigrate to Russia. Or maybe to Belarus? Western countries are urging Russia to grant political asylum to the Syrian president. Pavel Tarasenko, Elena Chernenko, Gennady Sysoev (Kommersant).
According to Kommersant, an unnamed source in Russian diplomatic circles, Western countries, and especially the United States, are trying to persuade Moscow to take the Syrian leader back by giving him political asylum in Russia. However, the source "Kommersant" assured journalists: "We have no plans to pick up Assad and there is no."
The Syrian opposition has no clear leader yet. However, the arrival of a delegation of Syrian opposition leaders led by politician Michel Kilo next week to negotiate in Moscow can correct this “facelessness” of the opposition. Kilo, who participated in both internal (acting in Syria) and external (abroad) opposition, may turn out to be a compromise figure, journalists write, around which the opponents of Assad will unite.
The president of Syria himself, in a recent interview with the Turkish newspaper Cumhuriyet, announced for the first time that he was ready to resign if he was convinced that this step would lead to a settlement of the conflict.
Vladimir Sotnikov, senior researcher at the Center for International Security at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told Kommersant: “Moscow can give Assad political asylum if he realizes that the West is not ready to give security guarantees to the Syrian leader and his family.” The expert also admits that “Moscow will hold talks with Belarus and, in order not to annoy public opinion in the West, persuade Minsk to shelter Assad: Lukashenko is quite ready for this.”
Fight in Cairo. At the conference of the Syrian opposition, its representatives were torn apart, not agreeing on terminology. Talk about it "Vesti"referring to ITAR-TASS and local media.
The verbal skirmish due to the wording of the final document between the Syrian opposition at the conference turned into assault. Drachunov had to separate the guards of the hotel, where the meeting of the opposition.
The cause of the fight was the Kurdish question. The Secretary General of the Arab League Nabil al-Arabi announced that the participants of the forum approved all the items of the final documents, with the exception of the concept of "Kurdish people". Representatives of the Kurdish National Council did not tolerate this and said they were leaving the meeting. They tried to stop, followed by a fight. After the fight, the delegates of the Kurdish group still left the conference. “This is unfair,” said KNS representative Abdelaziz Othman. “We are leaving because this conference has abandoned the provision on the recognition of the Kurdish people.”
The conference showed that the opposition, as before, is very far from uniting and is simply not capable of acting as a united front. Not a single document was adopted at the forum, but only some agreements were reached. In addition, among the delegates remained insurmountable differences on the need for foreign military intervention in the affairs of Syria.
The draft outcome document provides for a course for a transitional period, which should begin with the overthrow of Assad and bring to justice all those responsible for the bloodshed. All internal issues will be decided, according to the draft document, by the Syrians themselves. However, assistance is expected from the Arab countries and the world community - “to protect the unity, sovereignty and stability of Syria.”
This apparently means the following: you help us with money, weapons, equipment and soldiers, and then we say thank you and build a new world. The noble West, of course, is just waiting for the moment when it will be possible to bow out and leave the geopolitical scene.
Despite the general approval of the draft opposition document, it is not known when it will be adopted.
10 thousand against Syria. How is 2 July Interfax With reference to the Iranian channel "Press TV", about 10 thousand well-armed fighters spread to Syria across the border with Lebanon to support the rebels and inciting civil war in the country.
It is reported that the militants have, among other weapons, anti-tank missiles. According to available information, they occupied the city of al-Quseir in the province of Homs.
New tunnels were excavated and new bunkers were built. Iran has helped Hezbollah improve the tunnel system in southern Lebanon. This is done in anticipation of a possible Israeli attack. Reports about this resource MIGnews with reference to the Lebanese newspaper Al-Joumhouria, which refers to "European diplomatic sources and European secret services." In addition, the newspaper said that, under the supervision of Iranian military engineers, a system of tunnels was also created in the Bekaa Valley.
Hezbollah dug new tunnels and built bunkers south of the r. Litani. The tunnels are equipped with ventilation, lighting and communication systems. In the tunnels are arranged warehouses of weapons and ammunition, medical equipment. There are field kitchens, toilets and heating systems. It is noted that the tunnels under the Bekaa go deep into the Syrian territory.
Libyan prisoners released. This tells Igor Kryuchkov (Moscow News).
Four representatives of the International Criminal Court (ICC), including the former Russian ambassador to the Netherlands, Alexander Khodakov, arrived in Holland yesterday. All of them were held in Libya for just under a month.
Democratic Libyan authorities said their release was a gesture of goodwill. The investigation of the four representatives of the ICC is not completed. They will again answer the questions of the investigation, but already in The Hague. They are accused of violating official instructions. The ICC pledged to keep Tripoli informed of the investigation.
The arrest of lawyers was due to the fact that representatives of the ICC Melinda Taylor and Helena Assaf during a meeting with their son Gaddafi Seif Al-Islam allegedly tried to convey a message to him from one of his former political advisers. In order not to leave colleagues, Alexander Khodakov and Esteban Losiya refused to leave Libya without them.
In Libya, they see the activities of conspirators planning to take out Gaddafi’s son from the country.
Death by polonium? Al Jazeera journalists reported yesterday that Yasir Arafat’s clothes and personal belongings of Yonir Arafat, deceased in 2004, were found to contain traces of polonium-210. About this tells Vadim Zlobin (Utro.ru).
Traces of polonium were found on those Arafat things that journalists received from his widow. These items were transferred to the Institute of Radiophysics in Lausanne for research. The head of the institute, Francois Bosch, confirmed the presence of polonium-210 in samples.
Experts specify that it will be possible to find out where the “polonium trace” leads to, only after researching the remains of Arafat and soil samples from his grave. Suha, the widow of Arafat, has already filed an application requesting the exhumation of her husband's body.
Conference of the International School of NATO. It opened on July 2 in Baku. Its theme is “Anti-crisis measures: approaches of the international community, opportunities and resources”. Reports about it Institute of Caspian Cooperation with reference to ABC.az.
The opening ceremony was a speech by the Ambassador of Romania to Azerbaijan, Daniel Christian Ciobanu. He shared his views on the possibilities of joint actions by NATO countries in countering the threat of the global economic crisis, combating terrorism, supporting democracy in the world and protecting human rights. Ciobanu praised the cooperation of Azerbaijan with NATO.
It is reported that the summer session will last until July 7. The following topics will be discussed: “Theoretical view on the crisis”, “Review of military crises”, “Financial crisis”, “Regional conflicts”, “Nuclear energy” and others.
According to RosbaltThe special representative of the NATO Secretary General in the Caucasus and Central Asia, James Appathurai, should take part in the conference. His official visit to Azerbaijan is scheduled for July 5-6.
The great sin of Comrade Shevardnadze. "Vesti" With reference to the Tbilisi newspaper Asaval Dasavali and ITAR-TASS report that the former Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze regrets the transfer of power to Mikhail Saakashvili. Comrade Shevardnadze admitted this himself, giving an interview to the popular newspaper Asaval Dasavali.
As the former Georgian president said, his “greatest sin against the people and the country is that he handed over power to Mikhail Saakashvili.” He stressed: “Then I had no choice but to retire early, but I am ready to repent a thousand times and apologize to the people of Georgia for transferring power to Mikhail Saakashvili. I admit my mistake and apologize to the people. "
According to Shevardnadze, Saakashvili "is not able to solve the main problems of Georgia" (ITAR-TASS information).
Georgian project. As passed yesterday from the UN correspondent ITAR-TASS Oleg ZeleninThe UN General Assembly adopted a draft resolution on Abkhazia and South Ossetia put forward to vote by Georgia on the problem of refugees and displaced persons. 60 countries voted in favor, 15 voted against, and eighty-two states abstained.
Criticized the document Russia. Alexander Pankin, the first deputy ambassador of the Russian Federation to the UN, said that the resolution proposed by Georgia "only complicates the already shaky negotiation process being conducted in Geneva." According to the diplomat, Tbilisi “is the time to put up with objective reality,” according to which there are two new states in the region. “It’s impossible to change this conjuncture reality by adopting resolutions,” said Pankin.
The document proposed by Tbilisi calls, among other things, "... the creation of security-friendly conditions conducive to the voluntary, safe, dignified and unimpeded return of all internally displaced persons to their places of origin."
Russian is the cause of the hunger strike. Ukrainian oppositionists are holding a protest in Kiev against the adoption of a law on the fundamentals of the state language policy. This tells RIA "Novosti" correspondent Alyona Meita.
The number of protesters is not exactly known. According to the opposition, several thousand people came to the protest rally, and according to the Ukrainian media, there are only a few hundred.
Representatives of the opposition forces staged a rally last night outside the Ukrainian House, where Viktor Yanukovych’s press conference should be held today. According to the Batkivshchyna Party, during the rally, its participants clashed with the Berkut fighters: the latter used tear gas. However, according to the UNIAN news agency, in the Kiev police deny the use of gas. In the metropolitan headquarters of the police they reported: “The police did not use any special means, including tear gas, but, on the contrary, several masked people used liquid from an aerosol can against the“ Berkut ”. Also, the police noted that not one of the participants in the clashes was detained.
On Tuesday, the Verkhovna Rada approved the draft law on languages, despite the fact that oppositional deputies actively tried to prevent voting. Now, if the law approved by the parliament is signed by the president, the Russian language will receive regional status - where it is native for at least 10% of the population (and this is 13 from the 27 administrative-territorial units of Ukraine).
Oppositionists, outraged by the adoption of the law, said they would not participate in the work of parliament until the end of the current session. Seven deputies even went on a hunger strike.
Rotting Europe. Hollande's campaign promises come true! In France, writes "Lenta.ru", referring to France-Press, same-sex couples from 2013, will be able to marry, and even adopt children.
Prime Minister Jean-Marc Erault yesterday spoke to members of parliament and said: “In the first half of 2013, the right to marriage and adoption will be available to all couples, without any discrimination.”
The legalization of same-sex marriage and the permission of such couples to adopt children, reminds “Lenta”, was one of the pre-election promises of Francois Hollande.
In advanced democratic France, civil unions between same-sex couples have already been allowed (since 1999), but in comparison with official spouses they limit the rights of partners. Early last year, homosexual fans tried to challenge the ban on same-sex marriage in the French Constitutional Court, but the court decided that the articles of the civil code, in which marriage is defined only as a union between a man and a woman, are in full compliance with the Constitution.
The majority of deputies, following the results of yesterday’s parliamentary hearing, were supported by the cabinet of ministers formed after Hollande took office as president.
And the majority of deputies, we will add from ourselves, is the quintessence of the people's opinion. At least the majority of the people. Draw your own conclusions.
Cases Sarkozy. Andrey Baranov ("Vesti") talks about how badly Monsieur Sarkozy, the former president of France, now lives.
First, French investigators searched both the house and Nicolas Sarkozy's office (he himself was in Canada prudently): the ex-president is suspected of being illegally sponsored by Lilian Betancourt in 2007 . There is a testimony from the former accountant of the owner of the twenty billionth state, according to which this richest woman personally handed 150.000 euros in cash to the chief treasurer of election headquarters Sarkozy. Yes, and other witnesses claim that in the same year 2007 more than once saw Monsieur Sarkozy visiting Betancourt, where he received brown envelopes with bills from a generous elderly business woman. The prosecution believes that the amount of illegal donations Betancourt on the Sarkozy campaign could reach 800.000 euros.
To prove his innocence, Sarkozy sent the judge a couple of weeks ago ... a copy of his weekly. And there it is clearly stated that the owner of the notebook visited Betancourt only once: he is a busy person.
Here, it turns out, what weighty arguments can bring to the court of politics: you send a weekly to the court, in which it is said in black and white - I wasn’t there more than once! The strange thing is that the French court ignored this indisputable evidence.
Secondly, Sarkozy is suspected of receiving multimillion-dollar bribes-kickbacks for delivering submarines to Pakistan (the “Karachi case”).
Thirdly, the ex-president is accused of receiving funding for the 2007 election campaign from the Libyan budget on behalf of Gaddafi.
What can I say - except that it is not easy to be president! True, it becomes much harder when you stop being it.
Dear Breivik. As transmitted from Stockholm correspondent ITAR-TASS Irina Dergachevareferring to the newspaper Verdens Ganges, the staff of the psychiatric ward in the Il prison, which is organized specifically for the maintenance of Anders Breivik, will be approximately 20 people. Security alone will cost taxpayers 30 thousand Norwegian Kroner (5 thousand dollars) daily. Moreover, the restructuring of the building under the psychiatric ward will require costs in the amount of about 2 million crowns (almost 330 thousand dollars).
These are the financial news from Norway. It is also reported that terrorist Breivik will be in Il prison, regardless of whether he is sentenced to compulsory treatment or imprisonment.
How did humanoids come from Europe! Twenty people will live only to make it convenient Breivik!
You can only shudder, imagining how many people will stretch after Breivik, hoping to find peace and stability in the 21 year. The humanoids hardly think about this: their job is to arrange in such a way that the letter of the law is respected.
By the way, Breivik is guaranteed an audience for preaching ideas of anti-multiculturalism. For 21 a year, he can convert the entire staff of the new prison department to his faith. Unless, of course, he is recognized as mentally ill, and doctors and orderlies will not gradually do their job.
Afghan national security forces will independently control the southern part of Afghanistan. It is reported "Afghanistan.ru" with reference to the National Television of Afghanistan.
Last Sunday, the Afghan national security forces took control of the southern part of the country from the international armed forces. The solemn ceremony in Kandahar was attended by the governors of Kandahar, Uruzgan and Zabul, representatives of ISAF, the Afghan military, as well as representatives of civil organizations.
At a press conference, General Abdul Hamid said that from now on night raids will be carried out by units of the Afghan army.
Soon, Kandahar and the districts of Dand, Daman and Arghandab will also come under the control of the Afghan armed forces.
NATO shipments will travel through Pakistan again. The government of Pakistan has resumed deliveries of goods to NATO forces in Afghanistan through its territory, as announced on July 3 by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Reports about it "Lenta.ru" with reference to the Associated Press.
The decision to resume cargo transit, according to Clinton, was made after the United States officially apologized for the death of 24 by the Pakistani military, destroyed as a result of NATO air strikes 26 on November 2011. Apologies, according to Clinton, were made during her telephone conversation with Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar.
Thus, it is possible to summarize: America learns to apologize in difficult times. It only took seven months for her to understand that, with the current balance of forces in geopolitics, the world position of the United States is no longer such that, due to the old habit of avoiding politeness, to pry and to avoid apologies.
Pakistani press notesthat this is the first time that a high-ranking official from Washington has apologized for the victims of the American UAV raids.
In addition to the apology, Pakistan received money. As reported from Washington correspondent RIA "Novosti" Denis Voroshilov, The United States unblocked a package of aid to Pakistan worth about 1,1 billion dollars. The reason for this decision was the consent of the authorities of the country to open a corridor for the transit of NATO goods to Afghanistan.
“The allocation of this amount has already been approved, the process has already begun,” an anonymous representative of the US administration told reporters.
The money, according to a White House official, compensates Pakistan for counter-terrorism operations.
According to Hillary Clinton, NATO and the United States will be able to ship goods and troops to Afghanistan along the old routes and at the same rates.
The Taliban are threatening. Meanwhile, the Pakistani Taliban announced yesterday that they were organizing mass attacks on caravans with cargoes for NATO troops. The goal of the Taliban is to thwart the agreement reached between Islamabad and Washington on the resumption of transit of goods through Pakistani territory. Reports about it correspondent RIA "Novosti" Evgeny Pakhomov, referring to the TV channel "DawnNews".
According to the said TV channel, the Taliban are threatening to carry out actions against the columns of trucks with logistic support for NATO throughout Pakistan.
Comrade Medvedev visited the Kurils. As reported from Tokyo correspondent ITAR-TASS Vasily Golovnin, the Japanese government regrets the visit of the Russian Prime Minister to the South Kuril island of Kunashir.
This was announced today at a press conference by the Secretary General of the Cabinet Osamu Fujimura. He noted that the visit of the Russian Prime Minister to Kunashir contradicted the position of Japan on the ownership of these lands and said: “It is extremely regrettable that this trip took place in conditions when a positive atmosphere developed in the dialogue between the two countries. We need to solve the problem of the northern territories, so that more of this does not happen. "
Earlier, on Tuesday, the head of the Japanese Foreign Ministry, Koichiro Gamba, also stated his displeasure at Medvedev’s visit to the South Kuril Islands. He told reporters: "This trip is contrary to our position, which boils down to the fact that Kunashir belongs to the northern territories of Japan."
Medvedev tells about the trip "Free press":
“Dmitry Medvedev visited South Kuriles Island Kunashir on Tuesday as part of a working visit to the Sakhalin Region. During the visit, the head of government examined the Yuzhno-Kurilsk fish factory and spoke with its director. The premiere wondered if there was any fish, where they got money from at the plant and whether the number of employees increased. The director answered the first and last question in the affirmative. “As far as I understand, the most important thing happened - the outflow from the Kuriles stopped,” Medvedev said, adding that this is very good.
The Prime Minister also examined the Central District Hospital and the building of the maritime station under construction. It is planned that the port will house the customs and border guards, medical center. According to Medvedev, construction will end in August, and the station will be commissioned in November. “There will be a full-fledged port,” said the governor of the Sakhalin Oblast, Khoroshavin.
In general, not very similar to the "northern territory of Japan."
US condemns Iran. As reported today from Washington correspondent ITAR-TASS Dmitry KirsanovThe United States condemns Iran’s military exercises yesterday, which were accompanied by the testing of ballistic missiles. This was announced at a press briefing for journalists by the head of the US State Department press service, Victoria Nuland.
As she stressed, the 2010 resolution adopted by the UN Security Council in June 1929 "prohibits Iran from engaging in any activity related to the creation of ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons."
Also, the State Department does not like the fact that Iranian parliamentarians are calling for blocking the Strait of Hormuz for the passage of oil tankers bound for the countries of the Persian Gulf to Europe. “We intend to do everything necessary to ensure the openness of the strait,” said Nuland.
Kyle Raines, Representative 5th fleet The U.S. Navy, based in Bahrain, said that on June 23, Americans threw four more minesweepers into the Persian Gulf. Also in the region there is a converted large landing ship "Pons", turned into a naval base of the US Navy special forces.
Independence Day of America. Today, residents of the United States celebrate Independence Day on 236. How to report from New York correspondent ITAR-TASS Alexander Bekreneva, a grand pyrotechnic show on this occasion will take place in New York: 40 thousands of charges will be launched into the sky from barges on the Hudson River and they will color the sky in fifteen colors for about half an hour. The predominant colors will be blue, white and red.
No you not have thought. It is about the colors of the American flag.
Watching these national colors, Americans will arrange traditional barbecues, as well as gather in Brooklyn, where they will host annual international competitions on eating hot dogs.
We wish the Americans bon appetit!
While they are celebrating there, the IMF warns: the crisis is knocking on American doors. The United States needs to urgently solve its financial and economic problems. If it comes to a serious crisis in America, there will be no one to save America. About this, the United States received a warning not from some newly-minted prophet, but from the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde. Reports about it from Washington correspondent ITAR-TASS Andrey Shitov. Quote:
“The main findings of the IMF based on the review results are that“ the economic recovery in the United States is still barely warm and depends on the increased risk factors in the light of financial tensions in the euro area and the uncertainty about home fiscal plans. ” This is clearly reflected in the figures: this year the fund expects GDP growth in America at 2 percent, in 2013-m - at 2,3 percent. At the same time, the US federal budget deficit is expected at 7,5 percent levels. and 6,0 percent. respectively. The national debt should reach 106,7 percent this year, and increase to 110,7 percent in the future. ”
Lagarde subordinates believe that there is a danger for the United States to break from the “financial cliff” - if Congress and the administration do not agree to prevent budget sequestering in 2013. The IMF specialists calculated that if the budget expenditures in the USA are reduced by 4 next year percent, it can "slow down annual growth to a level much less than 1 percent, and early next year to negative growth rates, with significant negative consequences for the already fragile world economy."
Journalists at the briefing asked Lagard about how likely the United States would ask IMF for help. "We would not have the resources to lend to the United States," admitted Christine Lagarde.
Thus, we will add on our own the planned reduction of budget programs in the US - in addition to saving, there is a blow to consumption, and therefore it is a double-edged sword, especially in such an advanced consumer society as the United States.
Putin taxis America. Michael Weiss at "Foreign Policy" (translation source - "InoSMI") writes that Russian President Putin is doing whatever he wants with America. Mr. Weiss proves his thesis with the following arguments:
1. Syrian conflict. The Obama-Putin conversation at the G-20 summit was cold, and in general it was a bad meeting. Unsuccessful, alas, for America: after all, it must be admitted that the reset, which "killed the Syrian president Bashar al Assad," "only gave Obama an excuse to cover his flight in the face of the Russian offensive." The Kremlin and Assad, the author of the article believes, “friends do not spill water,” and the state company Rosoboronexport supplies weapons to Assad. (The author mentions a certain “MiG-25” instead of Mi-25).
2. In the opinion of Weiss, Russian dissidents are now paying the price for the credulity and revolt of President Obama, which is now deprived of US support — even symbolic. The evidence cites the words of Oleg Kozlovsky, whom the author calls an opposition veteran from the anti-Kremlin movement Solidarity: "I can’t name any real change in American politics in the past few years that would benefit democracy and human rights in Russia." In general, Obama's weak America is to blame for the fact that in Russia they are arresting protesters and conducting searches. Anti-corruption activist Natalya Pelevina would like to see a decisive reaction from the US, but, alas, she does not see.
3. Unhappy Ambassador McFaul, a reboot architect suffering from Moscow's anti-Americanism, is also paying the price for Obama's weakness.
4. The “deal” of Obama with Putin - without any particular clarification - is called “Faustian” in the article. Putin did not help America in organizing multilateral pressure on Iran. "In fact," writes Weiss, "Russia took advantage of the hand stretched to it by America in this matter, and is now playing a smart game, offering a minimum of concessions in exchange for maximum benefits." In the Iranian issue, Putin generally steers as he wants: “Putin helped build a nuclear power plant in Iran’s Bushehr and repeatedly offered to enrich Iran’s uranium in Russia.” Russia benefits from the Iranian nuclear problem: after all, Weiss writes, “because of the Iranian nuclear problems ... oil prices are high, which is a gift from heaven for Moscow.” (Already straight "heaven" and not the West?)
And Russia doesn’t care about sanctions against Tehran: “... very few well-known institutions, such as the First Czech-Russian Bank, are very active and lively in their transactions, charging more than six percent per transaction.”
Not to mention the fact that Moscow supplies arms to Iran: “Over the past decade, it has sold military equipment and armaments to Tehran for more than 5 billions of dollars.”
5. “Despite clear requirements for the withdrawal of Russian troops from Georgian territories, Moscow even strengthens its military presence in the self-proclaimed republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. And nevertheless, the United States pressured Tbilisi so that Georgia would not hinder Russia's entry into the World Trade Organization. ” The author hints at the fact that Comrade Putin has the idea to include Georgia in the imperial possessions of Russia.
6. Obama’s attempts to prevent the adoption of the law by Magnitsky demonstrated, according to the author, the true motives of the reset policy: “It is not aimed at improving bilateral relations - it is based on attempts to creep up on the Russian mafia state, get some compromises from it, and then fool us all, forcing to believe that this mafia state has changed its habits. ”
This is far from everything that the author of the long article said, but quite enough to understand: they are now doing world politics in Moscow, cleverly using America for this, and specifically its weakly characterized President Obama, who "fits" with the Kremlin. And if this goes on like this, the American reader should think here, then today, July 4, may be the last day when I’m enjoying hot dogs. And even the IMF of my America, weakened by the machinations of the FSB-KGB, will not help. What to do? Read Russian Chernyshevsky? Isn't it easier to vote in November?
It turns out a hidden election campaign, comrades. In favor of Republican candidate Mitt Romney.
In an interview with the Turkish Jumhuryat newspaper, Bashar al-Assad said that in Syria "until the very moment the plane crashed, they did not know that it belonged to the Turkish Air Force." The president added: “The plane flew in the air corridor that had been used three times by the Israeli aviation. Our radars could not identify him, and he himself did not give us information, so the military shot him down. ”
At the same time, Assad stressed that the plane was shot down precisely in Syria’s airspace when flying low. He was hit by a “small ZRK battery”, which does not hit targets at a distance over 2,5 km.
Infographics with Turkish and Syrian versions of the fighter route from RIA News"
Assad is time to emigrate to Russia. Or maybe to Belarus? Western countries are urging Russia to grant political asylum to the Syrian president. Pavel Tarasenko, Elena Chernenko, Gennady Sysoev (Kommersant).
According to Kommersant, an unnamed source in Russian diplomatic circles, Western countries, and especially the United States, are trying to persuade Moscow to take the Syrian leader back by giving him political asylum in Russia. However, the source "Kommersant" assured journalists: "We have no plans to pick up Assad and there is no."
The Syrian opposition has no clear leader yet. However, the arrival of a delegation of Syrian opposition leaders led by politician Michel Kilo next week to negotiate in Moscow can correct this “facelessness” of the opposition. Kilo, who participated in both internal (acting in Syria) and external (abroad) opposition, may turn out to be a compromise figure, journalists write, around which the opponents of Assad will unite.
The president of Syria himself, in a recent interview with the Turkish newspaper Cumhuriyet, announced for the first time that he was ready to resign if he was convinced that this step would lead to a settlement of the conflict.
Vladimir Sotnikov, senior researcher at the Center for International Security at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told Kommersant: “Moscow can give Assad political asylum if he realizes that the West is not ready to give security guarantees to the Syrian leader and his family.” The expert also admits that “Moscow will hold talks with Belarus and, in order not to annoy public opinion in the West, persuade Minsk to shelter Assad: Lukashenko is quite ready for this.”
Fight in Cairo. At the conference of the Syrian opposition, its representatives were torn apart, not agreeing on terminology. Talk about it "Vesti"referring to ITAR-TASS and local media.
The verbal skirmish due to the wording of the final document between the Syrian opposition at the conference turned into assault. Drachunov had to separate the guards of the hotel, where the meeting of the opposition.
The cause of the fight was the Kurdish question. The Secretary General of the Arab League Nabil al-Arabi announced that the participants of the forum approved all the items of the final documents, with the exception of the concept of "Kurdish people". Representatives of the Kurdish National Council did not tolerate this and said they were leaving the meeting. They tried to stop, followed by a fight. After the fight, the delegates of the Kurdish group still left the conference. “This is unfair,” said KNS representative Abdelaziz Othman. “We are leaving because this conference has abandoned the provision on the recognition of the Kurdish people.”
The conference showed that the opposition, as before, is very far from uniting and is simply not capable of acting as a united front. Not a single document was adopted at the forum, but only some agreements were reached. In addition, among the delegates remained insurmountable differences on the need for foreign military intervention in the affairs of Syria.
The draft outcome document provides for a course for a transitional period, which should begin with the overthrow of Assad and bring to justice all those responsible for the bloodshed. All internal issues will be decided, according to the draft document, by the Syrians themselves. However, assistance is expected from the Arab countries and the world community - “to protect the unity, sovereignty and stability of Syria.”
This apparently means the following: you help us with money, weapons, equipment and soldiers, and then we say thank you and build a new world. The noble West, of course, is just waiting for the moment when it will be possible to bow out and leave the geopolitical scene.
Despite the general approval of the draft opposition document, it is not known when it will be adopted.
10 thousand against Syria. How is 2 July Interfax With reference to the Iranian channel "Press TV", about 10 thousand well-armed fighters spread to Syria across the border with Lebanon to support the rebels and inciting civil war in the country.
It is reported that the militants have, among other weapons, anti-tank missiles. According to available information, they occupied the city of al-Quseir in the province of Homs.
New tunnels were excavated and new bunkers were built. Iran has helped Hezbollah improve the tunnel system in southern Lebanon. This is done in anticipation of a possible Israeli attack. Reports about this resource MIGnews with reference to the Lebanese newspaper Al-Joumhouria, which refers to "European diplomatic sources and European secret services." In addition, the newspaper said that, under the supervision of Iranian military engineers, a system of tunnels was also created in the Bekaa Valley.
Hezbollah dug new tunnels and built bunkers south of the r. Litani. The tunnels are equipped with ventilation, lighting and communication systems. In the tunnels are arranged warehouses of weapons and ammunition, medical equipment. There are field kitchens, toilets and heating systems. It is noted that the tunnels under the Bekaa go deep into the Syrian territory.
Libyan prisoners released. This tells Igor Kryuchkov (Moscow News).
Four representatives of the International Criminal Court (ICC), including the former Russian ambassador to the Netherlands, Alexander Khodakov, arrived in Holland yesterday. All of them were held in Libya for just under a month.
Democratic Libyan authorities said their release was a gesture of goodwill. The investigation of the four representatives of the ICC is not completed. They will again answer the questions of the investigation, but already in The Hague. They are accused of violating official instructions. The ICC pledged to keep Tripoli informed of the investigation.
The arrest of lawyers was due to the fact that representatives of the ICC Melinda Taylor and Helena Assaf during a meeting with their son Gaddafi Seif Al-Islam allegedly tried to convey a message to him from one of his former political advisers. In order not to leave colleagues, Alexander Khodakov and Esteban Losiya refused to leave Libya without them.
In Libya, they see the activities of conspirators planning to take out Gaddafi’s son from the country.
Death by polonium? Al Jazeera journalists reported yesterday that Yasir Arafat’s clothes and personal belongings of Yonir Arafat, deceased in 2004, were found to contain traces of polonium-210. About this tells Vadim Zlobin (Utro.ru).
Traces of polonium were found on those Arafat things that journalists received from his widow. These items were transferred to the Institute of Radiophysics in Lausanne for research. The head of the institute, Francois Bosch, confirmed the presence of polonium-210 in samples.
Experts specify that it will be possible to find out where the “polonium trace” leads to, only after researching the remains of Arafat and soil samples from his grave. Suha, the widow of Arafat, has already filed an application requesting the exhumation of her husband's body.
Conference of the International School of NATO. It opened on July 2 in Baku. Its theme is “Anti-crisis measures: approaches of the international community, opportunities and resources”. Reports about it Institute of Caspian Cooperation with reference to ABC.az.
The opening ceremony was a speech by the Ambassador of Romania to Azerbaijan, Daniel Christian Ciobanu. He shared his views on the possibilities of joint actions by NATO countries in countering the threat of the global economic crisis, combating terrorism, supporting democracy in the world and protecting human rights. Ciobanu praised the cooperation of Azerbaijan with NATO.
It is reported that the summer session will last until July 7. The following topics will be discussed: “Theoretical view on the crisis”, “Review of military crises”, “Financial crisis”, “Regional conflicts”, “Nuclear energy” and others.
According to RosbaltThe special representative of the NATO Secretary General in the Caucasus and Central Asia, James Appathurai, should take part in the conference. His official visit to Azerbaijan is scheduled for July 5-6.
The great sin of Comrade Shevardnadze. "Vesti" With reference to the Tbilisi newspaper Asaval Dasavali and ITAR-TASS report that the former Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze regrets the transfer of power to Mikhail Saakashvili. Comrade Shevardnadze admitted this himself, giving an interview to the popular newspaper Asaval Dasavali.
As the former Georgian president said, his “greatest sin against the people and the country is that he handed over power to Mikhail Saakashvili.” He stressed: “Then I had no choice but to retire early, but I am ready to repent a thousand times and apologize to the people of Georgia for transferring power to Mikhail Saakashvili. I admit my mistake and apologize to the people. "
According to Shevardnadze, Saakashvili "is not able to solve the main problems of Georgia" (ITAR-TASS information).
Georgian project. As passed yesterday from the UN correspondent ITAR-TASS Oleg ZeleninThe UN General Assembly adopted a draft resolution on Abkhazia and South Ossetia put forward to vote by Georgia on the problem of refugees and displaced persons. 60 countries voted in favor, 15 voted against, and eighty-two states abstained.
Criticized the document Russia. Alexander Pankin, the first deputy ambassador of the Russian Federation to the UN, said that the resolution proposed by Georgia "only complicates the already shaky negotiation process being conducted in Geneva." According to the diplomat, Tbilisi “is the time to put up with objective reality,” according to which there are two new states in the region. “It’s impossible to change this conjuncture reality by adopting resolutions,” said Pankin.
The document proposed by Tbilisi calls, among other things, "... the creation of security-friendly conditions conducive to the voluntary, safe, dignified and unimpeded return of all internally displaced persons to their places of origin."
Russian is the cause of the hunger strike. Ukrainian oppositionists are holding a protest in Kiev against the adoption of a law on the fundamentals of the state language policy. This tells RIA "Novosti" correspondent Alyona Meita.
The number of protesters is not exactly known. According to the opposition, several thousand people came to the protest rally, and according to the Ukrainian media, there are only a few hundred.
Representatives of the opposition forces staged a rally last night outside the Ukrainian House, where Viktor Yanukovych’s press conference should be held today. According to the Batkivshchyna Party, during the rally, its participants clashed with the Berkut fighters: the latter used tear gas. However, according to the UNIAN news agency, in the Kiev police deny the use of gas. In the metropolitan headquarters of the police they reported: “The police did not use any special means, including tear gas, but, on the contrary, several masked people used liquid from an aerosol can against the“ Berkut ”. Also, the police noted that not one of the participants in the clashes was detained.
On Tuesday, the Verkhovna Rada approved the draft law on languages, despite the fact that oppositional deputies actively tried to prevent voting. Now, if the law approved by the parliament is signed by the president, the Russian language will receive regional status - where it is native for at least 10% of the population (and this is 13 from the 27 administrative-territorial units of Ukraine).
Oppositionists, outraged by the adoption of the law, said they would not participate in the work of parliament until the end of the current session. Seven deputies even went on a hunger strike.
Rotting Europe. Hollande's campaign promises come true! In France, writes "Lenta.ru", referring to France-Press, same-sex couples from 2013, will be able to marry, and even adopt children.
Prime Minister Jean-Marc Erault yesterday spoke to members of parliament and said: “In the first half of 2013, the right to marriage and adoption will be available to all couples, without any discrimination.”
The legalization of same-sex marriage and the permission of such couples to adopt children, reminds “Lenta”, was one of the pre-election promises of Francois Hollande.
In advanced democratic France, civil unions between same-sex couples have already been allowed (since 1999), but in comparison with official spouses they limit the rights of partners. Early last year, homosexual fans tried to challenge the ban on same-sex marriage in the French Constitutional Court, but the court decided that the articles of the civil code, in which marriage is defined only as a union between a man and a woman, are in full compliance with the Constitution.
The majority of deputies, following the results of yesterday’s parliamentary hearing, were supported by the cabinet of ministers formed after Hollande took office as president.
And the majority of deputies, we will add from ourselves, is the quintessence of the people's opinion. At least the majority of the people. Draw your own conclusions.
Cases Sarkozy. Andrey Baranov ("Vesti") talks about how badly Monsieur Sarkozy, the former president of France, now lives.
First, French investigators searched both the house and Nicolas Sarkozy's office (he himself was in Canada prudently): the ex-president is suspected of being illegally sponsored by Lilian Betancourt in 2007 . There is a testimony from the former accountant of the owner of the twenty billionth state, according to which this richest woman personally handed 150.000 euros in cash to the chief treasurer of election headquarters Sarkozy. Yes, and other witnesses claim that in the same year 2007 more than once saw Monsieur Sarkozy visiting Betancourt, where he received brown envelopes with bills from a generous elderly business woman. The prosecution believes that the amount of illegal donations Betancourt on the Sarkozy campaign could reach 800.000 euros.
To prove his innocence, Sarkozy sent the judge a couple of weeks ago ... a copy of his weekly. And there it is clearly stated that the owner of the notebook visited Betancourt only once: he is a busy person.
Here, it turns out, what weighty arguments can bring to the court of politics: you send a weekly to the court, in which it is said in black and white - I wasn’t there more than once! The strange thing is that the French court ignored this indisputable evidence.
Secondly, Sarkozy is suspected of receiving multimillion-dollar bribes-kickbacks for delivering submarines to Pakistan (the “Karachi case”).
Thirdly, the ex-president is accused of receiving funding for the 2007 election campaign from the Libyan budget on behalf of Gaddafi.
What can I say - except that it is not easy to be president! True, it becomes much harder when you stop being it.
Dear Breivik. As transmitted from Stockholm correspondent ITAR-TASS Irina Dergachevareferring to the newspaper Verdens Ganges, the staff of the psychiatric ward in the Il prison, which is organized specifically for the maintenance of Anders Breivik, will be approximately 20 people. Security alone will cost taxpayers 30 thousand Norwegian Kroner (5 thousand dollars) daily. Moreover, the restructuring of the building under the psychiatric ward will require costs in the amount of about 2 million crowns (almost 330 thousand dollars).
These are the financial news from Norway. It is also reported that terrorist Breivik will be in Il prison, regardless of whether he is sentenced to compulsory treatment or imprisonment.
How did humanoids come from Europe! Twenty people will live only to make it convenient Breivik!
You can only shudder, imagining how many people will stretch after Breivik, hoping to find peace and stability in the 21 year. The humanoids hardly think about this: their job is to arrange in such a way that the letter of the law is respected.
By the way, Breivik is guaranteed an audience for preaching ideas of anti-multiculturalism. For 21 a year, he can convert the entire staff of the new prison department to his faith. Unless, of course, he is recognized as mentally ill, and doctors and orderlies will not gradually do their job.
Afghan national security forces will independently control the southern part of Afghanistan. It is reported "Afghanistan.ru" with reference to the National Television of Afghanistan.
Last Sunday, the Afghan national security forces took control of the southern part of the country from the international armed forces. The solemn ceremony in Kandahar was attended by the governors of Kandahar, Uruzgan and Zabul, representatives of ISAF, the Afghan military, as well as representatives of civil organizations.
At a press conference, General Abdul Hamid said that from now on night raids will be carried out by units of the Afghan army.
Soon, Kandahar and the districts of Dand, Daman and Arghandab will also come under the control of the Afghan armed forces.
NATO shipments will travel through Pakistan again. The government of Pakistan has resumed deliveries of goods to NATO forces in Afghanistan through its territory, as announced on July 3 by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Reports about it "Lenta.ru" with reference to the Associated Press.
The decision to resume cargo transit, according to Clinton, was made after the United States officially apologized for the death of 24 by the Pakistani military, destroyed as a result of NATO air strikes 26 on November 2011. Apologies, according to Clinton, were made during her telephone conversation with Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar.
Thus, it is possible to summarize: America learns to apologize in difficult times. It only took seven months for her to understand that, with the current balance of forces in geopolitics, the world position of the United States is no longer such that, due to the old habit of avoiding politeness, to pry and to avoid apologies.
Pakistani press notesthat this is the first time that a high-ranking official from Washington has apologized for the victims of the American UAV raids.
In addition to the apology, Pakistan received money. As reported from Washington correspondent RIA "Novosti" Denis Voroshilov, The United States unblocked a package of aid to Pakistan worth about 1,1 billion dollars. The reason for this decision was the consent of the authorities of the country to open a corridor for the transit of NATO goods to Afghanistan.
“The allocation of this amount has already been approved, the process has already begun,” an anonymous representative of the US administration told reporters.
The money, according to a White House official, compensates Pakistan for counter-terrorism operations.
According to Hillary Clinton, NATO and the United States will be able to ship goods and troops to Afghanistan along the old routes and at the same rates.
The Taliban are threatening. Meanwhile, the Pakistani Taliban announced yesterday that they were organizing mass attacks on caravans with cargoes for NATO troops. The goal of the Taliban is to thwart the agreement reached between Islamabad and Washington on the resumption of transit of goods through Pakistani territory. Reports about it correspondent RIA "Novosti" Evgeny Pakhomov, referring to the TV channel "DawnNews".
According to the said TV channel, the Taliban are threatening to carry out actions against the columns of trucks with logistic support for NATO throughout Pakistan.
Comrade Medvedev visited the Kurils. As reported from Tokyo correspondent ITAR-TASS Vasily Golovnin, the Japanese government regrets the visit of the Russian Prime Minister to the South Kuril island of Kunashir.
This was announced today at a press conference by the Secretary General of the Cabinet Osamu Fujimura. He noted that the visit of the Russian Prime Minister to Kunashir contradicted the position of Japan on the ownership of these lands and said: “It is extremely regrettable that this trip took place in conditions when a positive atmosphere developed in the dialogue between the two countries. We need to solve the problem of the northern territories, so that more of this does not happen. "
Earlier, on Tuesday, the head of the Japanese Foreign Ministry, Koichiro Gamba, also stated his displeasure at Medvedev’s visit to the South Kuril Islands. He told reporters: "This trip is contrary to our position, which boils down to the fact that Kunashir belongs to the northern territories of Japan."
Medvedev tells about the trip "Free press":
“Dmitry Medvedev visited South Kuriles Island Kunashir on Tuesday as part of a working visit to the Sakhalin Region. During the visit, the head of government examined the Yuzhno-Kurilsk fish factory and spoke with its director. The premiere wondered if there was any fish, where they got money from at the plant and whether the number of employees increased. The director answered the first and last question in the affirmative. “As far as I understand, the most important thing happened - the outflow from the Kuriles stopped,” Medvedev said, adding that this is very good.
The Prime Minister also examined the Central District Hospital and the building of the maritime station under construction. It is planned that the port will house the customs and border guards, medical center. According to Medvedev, construction will end in August, and the station will be commissioned in November. “There will be a full-fledged port,” said the governor of the Sakhalin Oblast, Khoroshavin.
In general, not very similar to the "northern territory of Japan."
US condemns Iran. As reported today from Washington correspondent ITAR-TASS Dmitry KirsanovThe United States condemns Iran’s military exercises yesterday, which were accompanied by the testing of ballistic missiles. This was announced at a press briefing for journalists by the head of the US State Department press service, Victoria Nuland.
As she stressed, the 2010 resolution adopted by the UN Security Council in June 1929 "prohibits Iran from engaging in any activity related to the creation of ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons."
Also, the State Department does not like the fact that Iranian parliamentarians are calling for blocking the Strait of Hormuz for the passage of oil tankers bound for the countries of the Persian Gulf to Europe. “We intend to do everything necessary to ensure the openness of the strait,” said Nuland.
Kyle Raines, Representative 5th fleet The U.S. Navy, based in Bahrain, said that on June 23, Americans threw four more minesweepers into the Persian Gulf. Also in the region there is a converted large landing ship "Pons", turned into a naval base of the US Navy special forces.
Independence Day of America. Today, residents of the United States celebrate Independence Day on 236. How to report from New York correspondent ITAR-TASS Alexander Bekreneva, a grand pyrotechnic show on this occasion will take place in New York: 40 thousands of charges will be launched into the sky from barges on the Hudson River and they will color the sky in fifteen colors for about half an hour. The predominant colors will be blue, white and red.
No you not have thought. It is about the colors of the American flag.
Watching these national colors, Americans will arrange traditional barbecues, as well as gather in Brooklyn, where they will host annual international competitions on eating hot dogs.
We wish the Americans bon appetit!
While they are celebrating there, the IMF warns: the crisis is knocking on American doors. The United States needs to urgently solve its financial and economic problems. If it comes to a serious crisis in America, there will be no one to save America. About this, the United States received a warning not from some newly-minted prophet, but from the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde. Reports about it from Washington correspondent ITAR-TASS Andrey Shitov. Quote:
“The main findings of the IMF based on the review results are that“ the economic recovery in the United States is still barely warm and depends on the increased risk factors in the light of financial tensions in the euro area and the uncertainty about home fiscal plans. ” This is clearly reflected in the figures: this year the fund expects GDP growth in America at 2 percent, in 2013-m - at 2,3 percent. At the same time, the US federal budget deficit is expected at 7,5 percent levels. and 6,0 percent. respectively. The national debt should reach 106,7 percent this year, and increase to 110,7 percent in the future. ”
Lagarde subordinates believe that there is a danger for the United States to break from the “financial cliff” - if Congress and the administration do not agree to prevent budget sequestering in 2013. The IMF specialists calculated that if the budget expenditures in the USA are reduced by 4 next year percent, it can "slow down annual growth to a level much less than 1 percent, and early next year to negative growth rates, with significant negative consequences for the already fragile world economy."
Journalists at the briefing asked Lagard about how likely the United States would ask IMF for help. "We would not have the resources to lend to the United States," admitted Christine Lagarde.
Thus, we will add on our own the planned reduction of budget programs in the US - in addition to saving, there is a blow to consumption, and therefore it is a double-edged sword, especially in such an advanced consumer society as the United States.
Putin taxis America. Michael Weiss at "Foreign Policy" (translation source - "InoSMI") writes that Russian President Putin is doing whatever he wants with America. Mr. Weiss proves his thesis with the following arguments:
1. Syrian conflict. The Obama-Putin conversation at the G-20 summit was cold, and in general it was a bad meeting. Unsuccessful, alas, for America: after all, it must be admitted that the reset, which "killed the Syrian president Bashar al Assad," "only gave Obama an excuse to cover his flight in the face of the Russian offensive." The Kremlin and Assad, the author of the article believes, “friends do not spill water,” and the state company Rosoboronexport supplies weapons to Assad. (The author mentions a certain “MiG-25” instead of Mi-25).
2. In the opinion of Weiss, Russian dissidents are now paying the price for the credulity and revolt of President Obama, which is now deprived of US support — even symbolic. The evidence cites the words of Oleg Kozlovsky, whom the author calls an opposition veteran from the anti-Kremlin movement Solidarity: "I can’t name any real change in American politics in the past few years that would benefit democracy and human rights in Russia." In general, Obama's weak America is to blame for the fact that in Russia they are arresting protesters and conducting searches. Anti-corruption activist Natalya Pelevina would like to see a decisive reaction from the US, but, alas, she does not see.
3. Unhappy Ambassador McFaul, a reboot architect suffering from Moscow's anti-Americanism, is also paying the price for Obama's weakness.
4. The “deal” of Obama with Putin - without any particular clarification - is called “Faustian” in the article. Putin did not help America in organizing multilateral pressure on Iran. "In fact," writes Weiss, "Russia took advantage of the hand stretched to it by America in this matter, and is now playing a smart game, offering a minimum of concessions in exchange for maximum benefits." In the Iranian issue, Putin generally steers as he wants: “Putin helped build a nuclear power plant in Iran’s Bushehr and repeatedly offered to enrich Iran’s uranium in Russia.” Russia benefits from the Iranian nuclear problem: after all, Weiss writes, “because of the Iranian nuclear problems ... oil prices are high, which is a gift from heaven for Moscow.” (Already straight "heaven" and not the West?)
And Russia doesn’t care about sanctions against Tehran: “... very few well-known institutions, such as the First Czech-Russian Bank, are very active and lively in their transactions, charging more than six percent per transaction.”
Not to mention the fact that Moscow supplies arms to Iran: “Over the past decade, it has sold military equipment and armaments to Tehran for more than 5 billions of dollars.”
5. “Despite clear requirements for the withdrawal of Russian troops from Georgian territories, Moscow even strengthens its military presence in the self-proclaimed republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. And nevertheless, the United States pressured Tbilisi so that Georgia would not hinder Russia's entry into the World Trade Organization. ” The author hints at the fact that Comrade Putin has the idea to include Georgia in the imperial possessions of Russia.
6. Obama’s attempts to prevent the adoption of the law by Magnitsky demonstrated, according to the author, the true motives of the reset policy: “It is not aimed at improving bilateral relations - it is based on attempts to creep up on the Russian mafia state, get some compromises from it, and then fool us all, forcing to believe that this mafia state has changed its habits. ”
This is far from everything that the author of the long article said, but quite enough to understand: they are now doing world politics in Moscow, cleverly using America for this, and specifically its weakly characterized President Obama, who "fits" with the Kremlin. And if this goes on like this, the American reader should think here, then today, July 4, may be the last day when I’m enjoying hot dogs. And even the IMF of my America, weakened by the machinations of the FSB-KGB, will not help. What to do? Read Russian Chernyshevsky? Isn't it easier to vote in November?
It turns out a hidden election campaign, comrades. In favor of Republican candidate Mitt Romney.
Observed Oleg Chuvakin
- especially for topwar.ru
- especially for topwar.ru
Information