Tuesday, February 07, 2012
Monday, February 06, 2012
China halts 'one-sided' draft
By Zhu Shanshan (Global Times)08:40, February 06, 2012
Experts called for unified international efforts to promote peaceful negotiations as a way to stop the violence and settle disputes in Syria, after Russia and China jointly vetoed an Arab-European draft UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution concerning Syria on Saturday.
Proposed by European and Arab nations, the draft aimed to give strong backing to an Arab League plan to ask Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down.
Russia and China used their second ever double-veto to block the plan in the UNSC as the two countries believed that it was not the best way to promote peace in the Middle Eastern country, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
After the vote, US ambassador to the UN Susan Rice criticized Russia and China for "selling out the Syrian people and shielding a craven tyrant."
British Permanent Representative to the UN Mark Lyall Grant said London was "appalled" at the veto, while French President Nicolas Sarkozy "strongly deplored" the decision by Russia and
China.
Hours before the vote on the draft, Russia issued an amended resolution, which sought "to fix two basic problems" - the first was the imposition of conditions on dialogue; the second
was that measures must be taken to influence not only the government but also anti-government armed groups.
"The draft resolution did not adequately reflect the real state of affairs in Syria and has sent an unbalanced signal to the Syrian parties," Russian UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said
after the vote.
"Russia and China were forced to vote against the unbalanced draft resolution," the Russian foreign ministry said.Li Baodong, Chinese permanent representative to the UN, expressed regret that the Russian proposal was ignored and said that China supports the revised proposal raised by Russia.
"To push through a vote when parties are still seriously divided over the issue will not help maintain the unity and authority of the Security Council, or help resolve the issue," he said.
Ruan Zongze, vice president of the China Institute of International Studies (CIIS), told the Global Times that as a veto-wielding council member, China played its role in presiding over justice this time. "Instead of being just a rubber stamp, the UNSC should be an institution to promote justice, which is what China wants to do under the council," Ruan said.
"China holds that restraint from violence by each party in Syria crisis is needed, while the Arab-European draft resolution only emphasized the Syrian government's activities and ignored the other parties," Ruan said, adding that Beijing also called for Syrian authorities to listen more to their
people and push forward reforms.
China agrees with the Russian proposal since it is more reasonable and in line with the UN Charter, but Beijing's intention for vetoing the original resolution is different from Russia's, Li Guofu, a Middle East expert at CIIS, told the Global Times.
"China's decision to block the resolution is aimed at protecting the UN Charter and principles of International Law so as to settle the Syria issue properly. If the power shifts right now, Syria could be dragged into another Iraq-like situation or even worse," Li noted, adding that Russia's veto
may be based more on its own considerations. According to Churkin, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has instructed Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and the director of Russia's service for external intelligence, Mikhail Fradkov, to travel to Syria tomorrow to meet with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
At least 260 civilians were killed and hundreds more were wounded over the weekend in Homs following assaults by Assad's troops, the opposition Syria National Council said.Protesters stormed Syrian embassies in Canberra, Athens, Berlin, Cairo, Kuwait and London as news spread of the Homs
shelling on Saturday, according to AFP.
The UN puts the total death toll in Syria's unrest at more than 5,400, while the Syrian government says more than 2,000 army and security personnel have been killed.
Syria says it is being targeted by the West and by hostile neighbors providing diplomatic cover for an armed insurgency steered from abroad.
Ruan urged the international community to give a unified voice to promote peaceful negotiations in solving the crisis and to demand both the Syrian government and opposition forces stop
the violence.
"After being blocked twice by Russia and China at the UNSC, the West may seek other ways to support the anti-government movement in Syria, or even take their own military action or
sanctions without UN authorization," Ruan noted.
Li echoed the idea by saying that the West will increase its military and financial support for Syrian opposition forces, and raise economic and diplomatic pressure on the current government as long as Assad is still in power.
Agencies also contributed to this story
U.S.-funded NGOs forward to Cairo's criminal courts
U.S. says "deeply concerned" about NGO cases sent to Egypt courtReuters
January 17, 2012. REUTERS/Larry Downing
SHANNON, Ireland (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department said Sunday it was "deeply concerned" by reports that Egyptian judicial officials plan to forward cases involving U.S.-funded NGOs to Cairo's criminal courts and want clarification from the Egyptian government.
"We have seen media reports that judicial officials intend to forward a number of cases involving U.S.-funded NGOs to the Cairo criminal court," U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters in Shannon, Ireland.
"We are deeply concerned by these reports and are seeking clarification from Egypt," she said. Nuland is travelling with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
The cases of 40 people - including U.S. citizens, other foreigners and Egyptians embroiled in a dispute over the activities and funding of pro-democracy groups - have been referred to court, Egyptian judicial sources said Sunday.
(Reporting by Arshad Mohammed; Editing by Louise Ireland)
Thursday, February 02, 2012
UK economy to enter recession soon, says report
UK economy to enter recession soon, says report
The UK economy could rebound in 2013 if the eurozone crisis is resolved, Niesr said
The UK economy will enter recession in the first half of the year as households continue to cut back, an influential think tank has warned.
The National Institute of Economic and Social Research (Niesr) said the government should temporarily ease its spending cuts to promote growth.It expects the economy to shrink 0.1% in 2012, but to grow 2.3% in 2013 if the eurozone debt crisis is resolved.Niesr said, however, that deficit cuts had bolstered market confidence.
The UK is already close to another recession - defined as two consecutive quarters of economic contraction - after official figures in January showed that the economy shrank by 0.2% in the final three months of 2011.
In its UK and World Economy Forecast Niesr said: "We forecast a return to technical recession in the first half of this year, as households continue to retrench, credit conditions remain tight, and businesses are reluctant to invest given uncertainty about both domestic and foreign demand."
Niesr said economic conditions will not improve in the short term, as both the private the public sectors are still focused on paying off debts. "Over the near term we do not expect economic conditions to improve," the report said.
The think tank predicted that inflation would fall sharply, with the consumer price index down to 2.2% this year and 1.4% in 2013.But there were grim forecasts on unemployment, which Niesr expects will rise to about 9% this year, from 8.4% in the three months to November, and will remain above 7% in 2014."Unemployment at this elevated level for such a long period is likely to do permanent damage to the supply side of the economy, with large long-run economic costs," the report said.
Niesr suggests relaxing the government's austerity programme. "The UK economy currently suffers from deficient demand; the current stance of fiscal policy is contributing to this deficiency. A temporary easing of fiscal policy in the near term would boost the economy," the group said.
Little scope
More investment would not derail the chancellor's long term fiscal goals, Niesr said.
On Monday, the Institute of Fiscal Studies said the government could safely cut taxes temporarily, without worrying that the Bank of England would raise rates in response.But the IFS that there was little scope for big or long-term tax cuts, which risked undermining investor confidence.
"The chancellor faces his third budget with the economy and public finances in considerably weaker shape than he had hoped a year ago," said Paul Johnson, director of the IFS.
Last month, Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne said he would continue with the coalition government's efforts to reduce the deficit, despite criticism that it is choking off recovery.
A Treasury spokesman said: "As Niesr have said, the government's commitment to deficit reduction has helped maintain market confidence. "They expect the government to meet its fiscal mandate and for the UK economy to grow more strongly than the euro area this year and next."
Meanwhile, Niesr forecast global growth of 3.5% for 2012, led by China and India, and 4% in 2013. It forecast US economic growth of 2% this year.An independent Scotland could be more constrained on economic policy than at present, a study has suggested.
Scottish independence
The report also considered the monetary and fiscal policy choices facing Scotland if it leaves the union.Niesr concluded that retaining sterling would be "sensible" for Scotland, but warned that currency union could restrict fiscal policy. The Scottish government said the report "validates" its aim to retain sterling and insisted Scotland would be in a "healthier" financial position.
The report said that it is "doubtful" whether the Bank of England would extend lender-of-last-resort facilities to Scottish institutions, something First Minister Alex Salmond has argued for.
Niesr adds: "With a pro rata transfer of existing UK public debt, Scotland would enter independence heavily indebted with no insurance from fiscal risk sharing or fiscal transfer mechanism with the rest of the UK.
"Even with a favourable settlement on future oil revenues, its fiscal balances are likely to be volatile with large deficits in some years as a result of its dependence on oil revenues," the report said.
Source: BBC
Sri Lanka is no pearl on China's string, Rajapaksa says
Sri Lanka is no pearl on China's string, Rajapaksa says
By C. Bryson Hull | Reuters – Tue 31 Jan, 2012
COLOMBO (Reuters) - President Mahinda Rajapaksa was emphatic: China's presence in Sri Lanka is strictly business, and not political.
Challenged on speculation that China financed and built the $1.4 billion Mahinda Rajapaksa port on Sri Lanka's south coast so it could sneak a naval base into India's backyard, Rajapaksa laughed and said his giant neighbour had not complained.
"No one has said anything to us, not India, not even the U.S. Even the U.S., the British and India are now inviting China to come and invest," he said on Tuesday at a meeting with foreignjournalists.
Located just off of India's southern tip, the island of 21million has become a visible front in the cold war between theAsian giants, where mutual suspicion crossbred with commercial ambition have produced a construction arms race of sorts.
"They try to match each other. A coal plant on one side of the country by the Chinese, another by the Indians on the other side. A port in the south by the Chinese, a port in the north by the Indians," said a European diplomat based in Colombo.
Sri Lanka's location astride an ancient and lucrative trade route in the Indian Ocean makes it of strategic commercial and military interest to Washington, New Delhi and Beijing.
That, some analysts theorize, makes it a prime part of China's so-called "String of Pearls" strategy to surround India and project its presence by setting up coaling stations under commercial auspices at port after port in the Indian Ocean.
So far, the weapons of influence have been financial: India and China have both funded huge chunks of Rajapaksa's $6 billion post-war overhaul of roads, railways, ports and power plants.
STICKY IRANIAN WICKET
Rajapaksa's foreign policy is firmly rooted in Sri Lanka's Non-Aligned Movement history, and during the last year of a three-decade war with the separatist Tamil Tigers, he played China,India and the West off each other as it suited him.
So now, with the West lobbying for a probe into war crimes allegations from the conflict's bloody end in 2009 and U.S.sanctions on Iranian crude threatening almost all of Sri Lanka's oil supply, Rajapaksa once again is taking stock of his friends.
"We are talking with the Indian government and the U.S.," he said, referring to ongoing talks with New Delhi and a visit later this week by Luke Bronin, a U.S. deputy assistant treasury secretary, who is expected to brief the government on its options regarding the Iran sanctions.
"We'll tell them to give us an alternative. There must be an alternative. We can't stop all the railways," Rajapaksa said.
"Finally, they are not punishing Iran, they are punishing us, the small countries." Asked if he would consider seeking a waiver from the U.S.sanctions, Rajapaksa said: "We might, because 93 percent of our crude we are depending on Iran for."
The United States, at the fore of calls for Sri Lanka to look into war crimes allegations itself or else face an external probe, would likely extract concessions from the government on post-war reconciliation and reduced ties with Iran in exchange for a waiver.
"We likely won't want to spend that political capital," a senior government official involved in the Iran negotiations told Reuters on condition of anonymity. Iran is Sri Lanka's fourth-largest trading partner and biggest tea buyer.
NOT INDIA'S CUBA
That's where both India and China come in: both support Sri Lanka against calls for an external war crimes probe, and in finding a way around the Iranian oil sanctions.
China for the third year running was Sri Lanka's largest bilateral donor, committing $784 million through the first nine months of 2011, or 44 percent of the total. India's bilateral loans pale by comparison in the same period at barely $9 million, but that primarily has to do with the fact that private Indian companies invest directly whereas China loans the money for projects in which its companies invariably do the work and provide the equipment.
Over the past two months, the lawn in front of the defence ministry on Colombo's Galle Face seafront in Colombo has been a show of Chinese commercial force: more than once it has been turned into an outdoor bazaar of freshly delivered Chinese buses, bulldozers, road graders and auto-rickshaws.
A Western diplomat in Colombo said commercial interests were a much better explanation for China's push into Sri Lanka than the "string of pearls" theory, which he dismissed as "existing mainly in the minds of Indian think tanks".
Sri Lanka would fall in line with "Mother India" very quickly if anything happened between India and China, the diplomat said. "This isn't going to become India's Cuba."
(Editing by John Chalmers and Sanjeev Miglani)
Monday, January 30, 2012
புதிய ஈழத்தில் போலிச் சுதந்திரம் பொசுங்கியே தீரும்!
புதிய ஈழம்
................. ஜனநாயகமும் சுதந்திரமும் சுபீட்சமும் மிக்க இலங்கை நாட்டைக் கட்டியெழுப்ப, மேற்கண்ட புதிய ஜனநாயக அரசியல்,தேசிய ஜனநாயகப் பொருளாதாரப் பாதையே ஒரே வழியாகும். வேறெந்த வழியும் கிடையாது.மாறாக அந்நிய உலகமயமாக்கல் பொருளாதாரக் கொள்கையிலும், அந்நிய நிதி மூலதனத்திலும் தங்கியிருக்கும் வரை, நாடு தனது அரைக்காலனிய சுதந்திரத்தையும் இழந்து முழு அடிமை நாடாகிவிடும். இன ஒடுக்குமுறை மேலும் கூர்மையடையும்.இத்தகைய ஒரு போக்கில் ஒடுக்கப்படும் தமிழ்த் தேசிய இனம் ஒடுக்கும் சிங்களத்துடன் `அதிகாரத்தைப் பகிரும்` சீர்திருத்த வழியில் தனது சுதந்திரத்தை உறுதி செய்யமுடியாது.
ஒரு மக்கள் ஜனநாயக குடியரசால் இத்தகைய திட்டத்தை அதன் முதல் ஐந்தாண்டிலேயே நிறைவேற்றிவிட முடியும்.ஆனால் 64 ஆண்டுகளாக இலங்கையின் ஆளும் கும்பல்கள் நாட்டை விதேசிய திட்டத்தில் வழி நடத்தி வந்துள்ளனர். அதனால்த்தான் நாடு அடிமைப்பட்டுக் கிடக்கின்றது. இனப் பூசல் தொடர்கின்றது.இதற்குக் காரணம் தமிழர்கள் அல்ல.சிங்கள ஆளும் கும்பல்களே ஆகும். ஆட்சி அதிகாரம் இவர்கள் கையில் உள்ளவரை அதுவே இனியும் தொடரப்போகின்றது.
படியுங்கள்! பரப்புங்கள்!!
UN Says Ban Will Accept Alleged War Criminal As His Senior Advisor
Matthew Russell Lee Special to Salem-News.com
An alleged war criminal appointed without any push back by Ban Ki-moon to Ban's Senior Advisory Group on Peacekeeping Operations: this is Ban's UN.
(UNITED NATIONS) - Sri Lankan alleged war criminal Shavendra Silva will be accepted onto UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's Senior Advisory Group on Peacekeeping Operation, as Ban
disclaims any responsibility and will do nothing to stop it, Ban spokesperson informed Inner City Press on January 28.Acts of Shavendra Silva's battalion in 2009 are described in the UN's own Panel of Experts report on Sri Lanka, and lawsuits have been filed against Silva for war crimes.
On January 27, Inner City Press asked and wrote that in other circumstances, such as Syria's bid to be its regional group's representative on the UN Human Rights Council, efforts have been made at the UN including by the Secretariat to avoid or reverse nominations like this one which would be an
embarrassment and make a mockery of the UN's stated principles.After Inner City Press asked at the UN noon briefing on January 27 if Ban would say or do anything, spokesman Martin Nesirky
said "Matthew, don't press your luck" and that he "might have something a little later."
When nothing came by close of business that day, Inner City Press put the question directly to UN Peacekeeping, including chief Herve Ladsous of France and Susana Malcorra, reportedly
slated to be promote by Ban to his Deputy Secretary General,So far neither UN Peacekeeping official has responded with any comment on how appointing an alleged war criminal to the Senior
Advisor Group would impact the credibility of DPKO or DFS.
Back on October 24, Malcorra told the General Assembly's committee on peacekeeping that Ban
"had taken steps to fulfil his mandate to create a Senior Advisory Group comprising five eminent persons of relevant experience; five representatives from major troop countries; five representatives from major financial contributors; and one member from each regional group... If the Group was to be
appointed, it would be important for Member States to complete their responses to the Secretary-General’s request for nominations."
Malcorra asked member states to send Ban "nominations," which to some implies that Ban did not have to accept any and all names submitted, for example that of an alleged war criminal. Would Ban similar put on his Senior Advisory Group the chief of Sudan's military, who has been indicted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court? In fact, Ban's and Ladsous' envoy to Darfur Ibrahim Gambari recently greeted ICC indictee Omar al Bashir at a wedding reception in Sudan. When Inner City Press asked Nesirky if this complied with Ban's UN policy, the belated response was that Gambari greeted the ICC indictee based on "African traditions."
This is Ban's UN.
On January 28, a Saturday, 24 hours after Inner City Press posed the question, the following was received:
“ Subject: Your question From: UN Spokesperson - Do Not Reply [at] un.org Date: Sat, Jan 28, 2012 at 12:43 PM To: Matthew Russell Lee [at] innercitypress.com
The General Assembly instructed the Secretary-General to establish the senior advisory group, stipulating that its membership should comprise five representatives nominated by the troop-contributing countries, five representatives nominated by the financial contributors, and one representative named by each of the five regional groups. The General Assembly specified that five eminent persons of relevant experience should be independently appointed by the Secretary-General
himself. The Secretary-General's responsibility under GA resolution 65/289 related only to the nomination of the five eminent persons that he was asked to selected himself; the 15 other members of the SAG were selected by the TCCs, FCCs and Regional Groups, as prescribed by the General Assembly.”
The response seeks to absolve all responsibility, including for the UN's credibility, from Ban Ki-moon, who already stood smiling as Tamil children at gunpoint sung his name in the internment camps in Northern Sri Lanka in May 2009, and since then yelled at his own staff in front of President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
In other cases, Ban has tried to exercise leadership with member states, including to impact his UN's credibility. But not here, it seems; while his two top peacekeeping officials remain silent.
An alleged war criminal appointed without any push back by Ban Ki-moon to Ban's Senior Advisory Group on Peacekeeping Operations: this is Ban's UN.
Source: Salem-News.com
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Ambassador Silva, selected to the UN Advisory Group
Ambassador Major General Shavendra Silva, selected to the Special Advisory Group on UN Peace Keeping Operations
Sat, 2012-01-28 13:34 — editor News New York, 28 January, (Asiantribune.com):
Ambassador Major General Shavendra Silva, the Deputy Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations has been selected to the Special Advisory Group on Peace Keeping Operations established by the UN Secretary General to advice on rates of reimbursement to troop-contributing countries and related issues.
This is the first time that a Sri Lankan has been appointed to such a prestigious post relating to peace keeping operations, throughout Sri Lanka’s 50 year long partnership with the Department of Peace keeping. Ambassador Major General Shavendra Silva will represent the Asia-Pacific States in this Body. He joins a group of high ranking diplomats and other eminent personalities who are
members of this key body addressing some of the critical issues related to UN peacekeeping.
Among its members are the former Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations and former Deputy Minister of National Defence for Canada, Ms. Louise Frechette ; Former Under Secretary General for Peacekeeping Operations, Mr. Jean-Marie Guehenno; and former Assistant Secretary of State of the United States of America, Mr. James Dobbins. The group is scheduled to commence their first meeting this month to finalize the scope of its work and working modalities.
- Asian Tribune -
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