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New US policy limits role of nuclear arsenal Agence France-Presse First Posted 09:51:00 04/07/2010 Filed Under: Nuclear Policies, US politics, Foreign affairs & international relations WASHINGTON – The United States unveiled new limits on the nation's nuclear arsenal Tuesday, saying it will only use atomic weapons in "extreme circumstances" and would not attack non-nuclear states. In a policy shift, the United States said for the first time that countries without atomic weapons that complied with non-proliferation treaty obligations need not fear a US nuclear attack. But President Barack Obama warned exceptions could be made for "outliers" such as Iran and North Korea, both accused of flouting UN resolutions. "Indeed, the United States wishes to stress that it would only consider the use of nuclear weapons in extreme circumstances to defend the vital interests of the United States or its allies and partners," a new policy document said. The Nuclear Posture Review released Tuesday also described "nuclear terrorism" as an immediate and extreme threat, with efforts to prevent the spread of atomic weapons given top priority. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton described the threat of nuclear terrorism as "very real" and said networks around the world were trying to obtain access to radiological materials. Obama's new policy rules out building new nuclear weapons or carrying out tests, but calls for setting aside billions of dollars to "modernize" existing US weaponry. The overhaul comes two days before he is due to sign a treaty with Russia to slash stockpiles of long-range nuclear warheads by a third, and less than a week before he hosts world leaders at a nuclear summit. Obama has committed the United States to a series of nuclear arms cuts in a bid to bolster efforts to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. For next week's summit, Obama called on world leaders to commit to securing all "vulnerable nuclear materials" around the world within the next four years. The United States has never renounced the "first use" of nuclear weapons, and Obama's policy stops short of calls by arms control activists to explicitly limit their role to deterrence of other nuclear-armed states or terror groups. The issue over "first use" divided Obama's deputies, but Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the administration had decided to keep its options open. "There was agreement within the administration that we didn't think we were far enough along the road toward getting control of nuclear weapons around the world to limit ourselves so explicitly," he told reporters. Gates said the review sent a firm message to countries such as Iran or North Korea that refuse to abide by UN authority. "If you're not going to play by the rules, if you're going to be a proliferator, then all options are on the table in terms of how we deal with you," he said. While limiting the possible use of nuclear weapons, the policy review also warned of a "devastating conventional military response" in the event of a chemical or biological attack on the United States. The policy review met with criticism in Washington from both left and right, with hawks accusing Obama of undermining US military power and liberals urging bolder action and bigger arms cuts. German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle called the new policy a "courageous step" towards disarmament, saying it offered hope for further cuts to US tactical nuclear weapons in Europe. Obama promised in a speech in Prague a year ago to work toward a world without nuclear weapons. In an interview with The New York Times, Obama said that despite ruling out a US nuclear attack in some cases, he retained "all the tools that are necessary in order to make sure that the American people are safe and secure." He said he wanted to ensure the US approach to nuclear weapons was clear to the rest of the world, including Iran and North Korea. Jose Carrillo: G8 Foreign Ministers Back 'Strong Steps' on Iran "And I do think that when you’re looking at outliers like Iran or North Korea, they should see that over the course of the last year and a half, we have been executing a policy that will increasingly isolate them so long as they are orating outside of accepted international norms." US nuclear forces on land and at sea will stay on full-time alert under the new policy, but Gates said efforts would be made to improve the "command and control system" to give the president more time to make a decision in a nuclear crisis.

New US policy limits role of nuc... 1 1

newsinfo.inquirer.net – il y a about 2 years

Gunmen attack Pakistani post near U.S. consulate By Faris Ali PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - Suspected Islamist militants attacked a Pakistani checkpost near the U.S. consulate in Peshawar on Monday, hours after a suicide bomber killed 38 people elsewhere in the northwest, officials said. The attacks underscore the danger posed by militants in the nuclear-armed U.S. ally after a year of military offensives which have dealt the Islamists significant setbacks. The attack on the consulate came hours after the bomb blast at a gathering of supporters of an ethnic Pashtun-based political party staunchly opposed to the militants. "I saw attackers in two vehicles. Some of them carried rocket-propelled grenades. They first opened fire at security personnel at the post near the consulate and then blasts went off," city resident Siraj Afridi told Reuters. Other residents said there was an initial blast in the neighbourhood of the U.S. consulate and they later heard two other blasts and rifle fire in the same area. The U.S. Embassy in Islamabad said it had no information. The blasts threw clouds of white smoke into the sky and residents said soldiers had cordoned off the scene and ordered people to remain in doors. Security force helicopters hovered overhead. A doctor at the main hospital in Peshawar, which is the gateway to Afghanistan and has seen a string of bomb attacks over the past year, said one person had been killed and one wounded. Security forces were hunting the attackers, an official said. "There were three blasts. The first happened at a security post while two others about 200 metres away, near the consulate," a security official in Peshawar, who declined to be identified, told Reuters by telephone. "We don't know exactly whether any attackers are left. The area has been cordoned off and forces are clearing it," he said. "TALIBAN DESPERATE" A suspected suicide bomber blew himself up at a meeting of the Awami National Party (ANP), in the Lower Dir district, about 80 km (50 miles) northeast of Peshawar, killing 38 people, a hospital doctor said. Police said the bomber tried to get into the ground where the ANP, which heads a coalition government in North West Frontier Province, was holding a meeting but he was stopped and blew himself up. The ANP, which is also a member of the ruling federal coalition government, is a largely secular party and opposes the militants battling the state. Pakistani Taliban militants have attacked ANP gatherings before. The meeting was called to celebrate the renaming of NWFP, which the party has long demanded. Under constitutional amendments expected to be approved in parliament this week, the province will be renamed Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, in a bid to represent its dominant Pashtun population. "The Taliban have lost the battle and now, out of desperation, they are carrying out such cowardly attacks," said Haji Mohammad Adeel, an ANP senator. The long-awaited constitutional amendments, which will also transfer President Asif Ali Zardari's sweeping powers to the prime minister, are due to be taken up in the National Assembly on Tuesday. The amendments should ease opposition to the unpopular Zardari and promote political stability in the nuclear-armed U.S. ally, analysts say. Zardari is due to address parliament later on Monday in the capital, Islamabad, where security has been stepped up for the session. (Additional reporting by Kamran Haider; Writing by Robert Birsel; Editing by Nick Macfie)

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Gunmen attack Pakistani post near U.S. co

thestar.com.my – il y a about 2 years

Romania defends role in US missile shield By Nick Thorpe BBC News, Romania It would be a nonsense to say that a defensive system is directed against a certain country, or a certain group of countries. In my view there is no danger of misinterpretation. Bogdan Aurescu, state secretary for strategic affairs at the Romanian foreign ministry We are again becoming witnesses to a hasty anti-missile arrangement for Europe when the fragile architecture of European security essentially becomes hostage to imaginary missile threats that are defined unilaterally. Andrei Nesterenko, spokesman for the Russian foreign ministry When George W Bush was US president, his missile defence plan proposed interceptor missiles in Poland, coupled with a new radar in the Czech Republic. US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates at a ground-based interceptor missile silo at Fort Greely, Alaska, 1 June 2009. DoD photo by Master Sgt Jerry Morrison, US Air Force The land-based missiles would be similar to the one above President Barack Obama won rare praise from Moscow for scrapping that plan, which the Russians suspected was aimed against them. But the thaw did not last long. Last September, Washington announced what it called the Phased Adaptive Approach (PAA) to missile defence. This new system would start by stationing missile defence assets in south-east Europe, and slowly spread its web to the centre and finally the north. The US defence department, in its Ballistic Missile Defense Review, reckons the ballistic missile threat "is increasing both quantitatively and qualitatively, and is likely to continue to do so over the next decade". It points particularly to missile programmes in North Korea and Iran. Russian fears As part of the PAA, Romania has announced that it will accept up to 24 land-based interceptor missiles. Talks with the US on the details will begin soon. And the Bulgarian government has offered to play host to the radar component which complements the missiles. Bogdan Aurescu [The plan will lead to] increased security for Romania, and more security for the Black Sea region as a whole Bogdan Aurescu Chief Romanian negotiator Russia has again expressed concern, and missile defence is one of the points of contention that held up Russian-US talks to replace the 1991 Start arms control treaty - before the two sides said they had agreed a new deal late last month. But Romania insists the deal will make the region more secure. Bogdan Aurescu, the chief Romanian negotiator in the coming talks with the US on the details of Romanian participation, says it will lead to "increased security for Romania, and more security for the Black Sea region as a whole, not only for Romania and its allies". Regarding Russian concerns, he says: "We also have to focus our efforts and energy to avoid suspicion between us, and to clarify our intentions. "That's why a process of transparent consultation and discussion is always needed." The introduction of the interceptors and radar clearly represents a shift in the balance of power in south-east Europe, following 2008's Russia-Georgia conflict, and Ukraine's new president's offer to extend Russia's lease on its naval base at Sevastopol in the Crimea. "The Black Sea region... will be a very interesting hub, in terms of the arms race and everything we can can see developing on the eastern border of Nato," says Radu Tudor, a defence analyst in Bucharest. Little opposition Romania says there are several differences between the new US plan and the earlier, Czech-Polish version. Image from Fars News Agency purportedly showing Safir-2 rocket US concerns focus on Iranian testing, which Iran has said is for research It will cover a wider area, it will be ready earlier - in 2015 for the south-east European segment - and the SM-3 missiles can incorporate new technology, as it is developed. No sites have yet been decided, but two almost certainly under consideration are the Mihail Kogalniceanu airbase near the Black Sea coast, and a military airfield near Cluj in Transylvania. The Romanian authorities expect little public opposition. All major parties in the Romanian parliament support it, and the plan has already sailed through its first committee hearing in the Senate. Some politicians hope it will also help extract a long-standing thorn in Romanian-US relations - the tough visa regime Romanian visitors to the US still face. "We don't see that it's correct or fair towards Romanian citizens," says Titus Corlatean, head of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Senate, "considering some European countries that do not contribute to the same extent as Romania to the American and international effort, already enjoy a visa waiver system".

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news.bbc.co.uk – il y a about 2 years

Iraqis in military uniforms kill 24 in Sunni area Get Adobe Flash player * Photos Related Content * Kidnapped Army linguist returning to San Diego * Security Council backs Iraq election results * Iraq's Kurds want a voice in exchange for support * Iraq: Key figures since the war began * Abducted Army linguist glad to be back in US * US sues contractor KBR over Iraq bills By ELIZABETH A. KENNEDY Associated Press Writer BAGHDAD -- Gunmen trying to pass themselves off as U.S. and Iraqi soldiers raided a Sunni village outside Baghdad and killed at least 24 people in an execution-style attack, apparently targeting a Sunni group that revolted against al-Qaida in Iraq, authorities and witnesses said Saturday. The bloodshed late Friday comes amid increasing concerns that insurgents will take advantage of Iraq's political turmoil to further destabilize the country, nearly a month after parliamentary elections failed to give any candidate a decisive win. Many fear a drawn-out political debate could spill over into violence and complicate American efforts to speed up troop withdrawals in the coming months. Details remained sketchy, but police said gunmen traveling in at least four cars raided three homes in Hawr Rijab, killing 19 men and five women after binding them in handcuffs. Some of the victims, police said, were marched onto the roofs of their homes and slain there. Some had broken arms and legs, indicating they had been tortured before they were shot, police said. One witness said many were so badly brutalized that they were "beyond recognition." At least seven people were found alive, bound with handcuffs, authorities said. The killings were reminiscent of those that plagued Iraq at the height of the sectarian bloodshed of 2006 and 2007, when men, sometimes dressed in police or army uniforms, snatched people from their houses at night before killing them and dumping the bodies. Similar violence still plagues the country, but it has ebbed sharply. In November, gunmen in Iraqi army uniforms abducted and killed 13 people in the village of al-Saadan near the town of Abu Ghraib on Baghdad's western outskirts. One survivor of Friday's attack said the gunmen gained entry to her home by speaking English and convincing her mother they were U.S. soldiers on a patrol. "My mother thought they were Americans who came to search the house, that's why she opened the door," said the woman, who ran to another room after seeing the attackers. Her mother and two brothers were killed. "I heard four gunshots," the woman said. "It was all over in a second." The woman did not give her name, but she agreed to allow an AP Television News crew to tour her home, where blood was spattered on the white kitchen cabinets and pooling on the floors. A senior Iraqi army official who arrived at the scene Friday evening said witnesses told him the gunmen were wearing uniforms that resembled those of the American military, and that they tricked the residents by saying they were coming to ask them how they were faring in their village. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release details publicly. The U.S. embassy in Baghdad condemned the attack and urged Iraqi authorities to conduct a thorough investigation. The American presence on Iraqi streets has been drastically reduced since the U.S. withdrew from cities last summer, the first step toward a full withdrawal by the end of next year. U.S. raids of people's homes were common in the years that followed the 2003 invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein, but the Americans have turned over authority to the Iraqis and no longer have free rein in the country. Iraqi military spokesman Maj. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi said some witnesses reported Friday's attackers were wearing Iraqi military uniforms, a claim echoed by other police officials and villagers. Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/04/03/1561344/men-in-iraqi-army-uniforms-kill.html#ixzz0k4UkmgTg

Iraqis in military uniforms kill... 1 1

Iraqis in military uniforms kill 24 in Sunni area Get Adobe Flash player * Photos Related Content * Kidnapped Army linguist returning to San Diego * Security Council backs Ir... (Voir plus) Iraqis in military uniforms kill 24 in Sunni area Get Adobe Flash player * Photos Related Content * Kidnapped Army linguist returning to San Diego * Security Council backs Iraq election results * Iraq's Kurds want a voice in exchange for support * Iraq: Key figures since the war began * Abducted Army linguist glad to be back in US * US sues contractor KBR over Iraq bills By ELIZABETH A. KENNEDY Associated Press Writer BAGHDAD -- Gunmen trying to pass themselves off as U.S. and Iraqi soldiers raided a Sunni village outside Baghdad and killed at least 24 people in an execution-style attack, apparently targeting a Sunni group that revolted against al-Qaida in Iraq, authorities and witnesses said Saturday. The bloodshed late Friday comes amid increasing concerns that insurgents will take advantage of Iraq's political turmoil to further destabilize the country, nearly a month after parliamentary elections failed to give any candidate a decisive win. Many fear a drawn-out political debate could spill over into violence and complicate American efforts to speed up troop withdrawals in the coming months. Details remained sketchy, but police said gunmen traveling in at least four cars raided three homes in Hawr Rijab, killing 19 men and five women after binding them in handcuffs. Some of the victims, police said, were marched onto the roofs of their homes and slain there. Some had broken arms and legs, indicating they had been tortured before they were shot, police said. One witness said many were so badly brutalized that they were "beyond recognition." At least seven people were found alive, bound with handcuffs, authorities said. The killings were reminiscent of those that plagued Iraq at the height of the sectarian bloodshed of 2006 and 2007, when men, sometimes dressed in police or army uniforms, snatched people from their houses at night before killing them and dumping the bodies. Similar violence still plagues the country, but it has ebbed sharply. In November, gunmen in Iraqi army uniforms abducted and killed 13 people in the village of al-Saadan near the town of Abu Ghraib on Baghdad's western outskirts. One survivor of Friday's attack said the gunmen gained entry to her home by speaking English and convincing her mother they were U.S. soldiers on a patrol. "My mother thought they were Americans who came to search the house, that's why she opened the door," said the woman, who ran to another room after seeing the attackers. Her mother and two brothers were killed. "I heard four gunshots," the woman said. "It was all over in a second." The woman did not give her name, but she agreed to allow an AP Television News crew to tour her home, where blood was spattered on the white kitchen cabinets and pooling on the floors. A senior Iraqi army official who arrived at the scene Friday evening said witnesses told him the gunmen were wearing uniforms that resembled those of the American military, and that they tricked the residents by saying they were coming to ask them how they were faring in their village. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release details publicly. The U.S. embassy in Baghdad condemned the attack and urged Iraqi authorities to conduct a thorough investigation. The American presence on Iraqi streets has been drastically reduced since the U.S. withdrew from cities last summer, the first step toward a full withdrawal by the end of next year. U.S. raids of people's homes were common in the years that followed the 2003 invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein, but the Americans have turned over authority to the Iraqis and no longer have free rein in the country. Iraqi military spokesman Maj. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi said some witnesses reported Friday's attackers were wearing Iraqi military uniforms, a claim echoed by other police officials and villagers.

miamiherald.com – il y a about 2 years

Putin deepens ties with Chavez on Venezuela visit ASSOCIATED PRESS | FABIOLA SANCHEZ | 13 minutes ago * Print version * Email this story * Share on the web * Share * CARACAS, Venezuela — Russia has offered to help Venezuela set up its own space industry, including a satellite launch site, as Prime Minister Vladimir Putin made his first visit to the South American country on Friday. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez announced the offer by Russia hours before Putin arrived, saying officials would discuss the possibility of setting up a "satellite launcher and a factory." "Russia offers help so that Venezuela can have its own industry for the use of its outer space," Chavez said Thursday night. He didn't give details or say how much that might cost. The two countries are also discussing new weapons deals, Chavez said in televised remarks, without giving details. Chavez's government has already bought more than $4 billion in Russian weapons since 2005, including helicopters, fighter jets and 100,000 Kalashnikov rifles. Chavez said last year that Russia agreed to loan Venezuela up to $2.2 billion for additional arms deals. Russian and Venezuelan officials said they planned to sign new agreements for energy projects in Venezuela, as well as industrial, commercial and agriculture projects. Chavez also reiterated that Russia will help Venezuela develop nuclear energy -- a plan he has mentioned previously that has yet to take shape. "We aren't going to make an atomic bomb, but we are going to develop atomic energy with peaceful aims," he said. Chavez, whose country is a major oil exporter and OPEC member, says "we have to prepare ourselves for the post-oil era." Venezuela also intends to buy two Beriev Be-200 amphibious planes, which are used for dousing blazes, Chavez said. Fires in El Avila national park in the mountains above Caracas have at times blanketed the city with a smoky haze in recent days. Chavez has grown increasingly close to Russia, Iran and China while fiercely criticizing U.S. policies, and his calls for countering U.S. influence to create a "multi-polar world" have found resonance in Moscow. The U.S. State Department poked fun at Chavez's suggestion that Venezuela may set up a space industry with Russian help. "We would note that the government of Venezuela was largely closed this week due to energy shortages," spokesman P.J. Crowley told reporters. "To the extent that Venezuela is going to expend resources on behalf of its people, perhaps the focus should be more terrestrial than extraterrestrial." Worsening electricity shortages prompted Chavez's government to decree public holidays throughout this week to save energy. A severe drought has pushed water levels to precarious lows in the dam that supplies most of Venezuela's electricity. Political analysts in Moscow say Russia is drawn to Venezuela because of the its anti-U.S. rhetoric, though business deals have helped cement the growing relationship. "The only thing that really unites Russia and Venezuela is that they don't want to see a unipolar world," dominated by the U.S., said Sergei Mikheyev, an analyst at the Center for Political Technologies, adding that President Barack Obama's administration hasn't done enough to lure Moscow away from Caracas. Obama says he is committed to a "reset" of the U.S. relationship with Russia, but Mikheyev said "the Americans haven't compromised with Russia on any significant issue ... so it makes no sense for them (the Russians) to change priorities." Mikheyev noted that the United States has so far failed to react to Russia's plea to cut drug traffic from Afghanistan to Russia's Central Asian borders. Russia has also spent years trying to convince the U.S. to scrap Cold War measures that have restricted U.S.-Russia trade. Venezuela is also a very lucrative arms and technology market, and Mikheyev said "without the business involved, the anti-American rhetoric wouldn't be enough to unite Russia and Venezuela". Venezuela and Russia announced a joint venture earlier this week to drill for and process heavy crude oil in eastern Venezuela, saying they expect to start producing 50,000 barrels a day this year and to build an upgrader facility to eventually process about 450,000 barrels a day -- giving a significant boost to Venezuela's oil output. As part of Putin's visit, he and Chavez toured the Russian tall ship Kruzenshtern, which is docked in Venezuela on a visit. Chavez chatted with Russian sailors through an interpreter and presented a copy of a sword used by South American independence hero Simon Bolivar, telling Putin he would show him the real sword used by Bolivar -- the namesake of Chavez's socialist-inspired "Bolivarian Revolution." Putin also visited Bolivar's tomb in Caracas before holding talks in private at the presidential palace. Read more: http://dailyme.com/story/2010040200002434/putin-deepens-ties-chavez-venezuela-visit.html#ixzz0jyOvzrba

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dailyme.com – il y a about 2 years

White House says Hamid Karzai's election fraud outburst 'troubling' Barack Obama's administration has described Hamid Karzai's outburst about election fraud "genuinely troubling". Published: 7:02PM BST 02 Apr 2010 White House says Hamid Karzai's election fraud outburst 'troubling' President Barack Obama meets with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, left, at the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan last month Photo: AP The Afghan president accused foreign powers of orchestrating election fraud last year, just days after Mr Obama made a secret weekend trip to Afghanistan to warn him to do more to tackle government corruption. "Obviously some of the comments by President Karzai are troubling. They are cause for real and genuine concern," said White House spokesman Robert Gibbs, adding that they were "seeking clarification" about some of his remarks. Related Articles * Karzai is making some pretty unpleasant friends * Hamid Karzai blames UN and EU for Afghan election fraud * Barack Obama abandons Afghan President Hamid Karzai * Up to 500,000 flee as Pakistan prepares to take on the Taliban * Militants refuse to down arms despite Sharia deal * US general says Pakistan could be just two weeks from collapse "The president was quite clear with President Karzai over the weekend about the necessary steps that have to be taken to improve governance and corruption," he added. Mr Karzai earlier this week blamed UN and EU officials for widespread fraud in the country's recent elections He pointed the finger at foreign election observers, singling out former UN deputy head of mission Peter Galbraith, the then deputy head of the UN mission, and Philippe Morillon, the head of the EU election observation mission to Afghanistan. "The United Nations, the United Nations office of the deputy (UN representative) had become the focal point for fraud," Mr Karzai said. "The fraud was being made from there" and "organised from there", he charged, then "fed" to international media to "publish and accuse us of fraud". The president accused "some embassies" - which he did not identify - of trying to bribe electoral commission members by trying to give them armoured vehicles. Mr Galbraith said Mr Karzai's comments were "absurd and preposterous".

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telegraph.co.uk – il y a about 2 years

Hamid Karzai is making some pretty unpleasant friends President Karzai's links to Iran and the Taliban are causing increasing concern, writes Con Coughlin. By Con Coughlin Published: 6:30AM BST 02 Apr 2010 Comments 33 | Comment on this article AFP/Getty Our man in Afghanistan is making some pretty unpleasant friends Double game? Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad with Hamid Karzai in Kabul on March 10 Photo: AFP/Getty When you are fighting someone else's war, it is generally a good idea to make sure they are on your side, even if they harbour doubts about the wisdom of the strategy being pursued. During the Second World War, General Charles de Gaulle had pronounced views about how his country should be liberated, but nevertheless got behind the Allied offensive once the D-Day landings had commenced. With more than 100,000 Nato troops now committed to the war against the Taliban, we might expect – at the very least – the Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, to do the same, and get behind our troops. Of course, one can understand his frustration at the unacceptably high level of civilian casualties, an issue that has now been addressed, to some degree, after General Stanley McChrystal, the US commander of the Nato operation, added new restrictions to his troops' rules of engagement. But the bottom line remains that we are fighting Mr Karzai's war, and deserve some modicum of respect for our efforts. Mr Karzai, after all, stands to be the main beneficiary of our attempts to defeat the Taliban, and rebuild the country after three decades of incessant civil war. Related Articles * White House says Hamid Karzai's election fraud outburst 'troubling' * We must help Afghanistan find a government that works * Barack Obama's charm offensive needs to be followed up with military action * Barack Obama must beware of playing party politics with security * David Miliband's mission to Afghanistan * If there isn't a war on terror, then what exactly are our boys dying for? This is not, however, how Mr Karzai sees it. Yesterday's outburst, in which he accused Peter Galbraith, the former deputy head of the UN mission in Kabul, of trying to rig last year's presidential election, is just the latest example of his increasingly hostile attitude towards his Western backers. Yes, there was indeed widespread fraud in the election, which saw Mr Karzai re-elected to serve a second five-year term. But rather than the UN, which was doing its level best to ensure a free and fair election, the main culprits were Mr Karzai and his supporters, who merrily stuffed the ballot boxes with fake votes. Mr Karzai's unprovoked rant against Mr Galbraith is yet further evidence of his increasingly fractious relationship with the West – a phenomenon that is causing intense concern in both Washington and London. The unstated purpose of Barack Obama's surprise visit to Afghanistan this week – his first since entering the White House – was to confront Mr Karzai directly about his apparent unwillingness to back Nato's efforts to mend his benighted country. As one US official confided to me after the meeting: "He read Karzai the Riot Act." The corruption that affects almost every aspect of Mr Karzai's government is well-documented, as is his administration's lack of interest in trying to establish its authority beyond the walls of the presidential palace. But recently Western officials have noticed an altogether more alarming development, one that seriously jeopardises the entire Nato mission. On both of my recent visits to Kabul, senior Nato officers have privately expressed their deepening concern about Mr Karzai's personal dealings with the Taliban – which, I'm told, now take place on an almost daily basis. For the head of a government that is committed to a process of political reconciliation, establishing a dialogue with the Taliban makes perfectly good sense. But Mr Karzai's refusal to discuss the precise nature of his contacts with the insurgents has led some Western officials to conclude that the Afghan president has an altogether different agenda: that of encouraging the Taliban to continue their attacks on Nato. That was certainly the view of one American general I met, who was convinced that Mr Karzai was backing the Taliban. Nor have Western concerns about Mr Karzai's true loyalties been allayed by the Afghan president's recent diplomatic forays to China and Iran. Neither of these countries can be said to be well-disposed towards the success of Nato's mission in Afghanistan: in fact, Iran is actively engaged in trying to wreck it. Robert Gates, the US Defence Secretary, accused Iran of playing a "double game" when he visited Afghanistan last month – on the one hand supporting Mr Karzai, on the other providing the Taliban with the technology to make their roadside bombs even more deadly. But if, as some American officials believe, Mr Karzai is himself in league with the Taliban, then the Iranian policy seems to make more sense. Washington certainly takes a dim view of Mr Karzai's two meetings last month with his Iranian opposite number, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, which came just as the Obama administration is seeking to rally international support for a new round of sanctions. For them to succeed, the US needs Iran to be completely isolated from the outside world – and even the Russians are indicating that they have finally lost patience with Tehran over its refusal to back down on its nuclear programme. The new sanctions, though, would be compromised if Mr Karzai insisted on maintaining cordial relations with Tehran. Mr Karzai has every right, as his country's president, to choose whatever friends he likes. But not at the expense of those who are doing their best to keep him in power, and his country from tumbling back into chaos.

Hamid Karzai is making some pret... 1 1

telegraph.co.uk – il y a about 2 years

White House Troubled by Karzai Comments Against West VOA News 02 April 2010 Afghan President Hamid Karzai (L) is greeted by Election Commission officials during his visit to the Election Commission office in Kabul, 01 Apr 2010 Photo: AP Afghan President Hamid Karzai (L) is greeted by Election Commission officials during his visit to the Election Commission office in Kabul, 01 Apr 2010 Share This * Digg * Facebook * StumbleUpon * Yahoo! Buzz * del.icio.us Related Articles * Karzai Blames Foreigners for Afghan Vote Fraud The Obama administration says Afghan President Hamid Karzai's accusation that the international community was responsible for the fraud in last year's presidential election is "troubling." A White House spokesman, Robert Gibbs, told reporters Friday that Washington is seeking clarification from Mr. Karzai about his remarks. On Thursday, the Afghan leader told a gathering of election commission workers in Kabul that foreigners are to blame for widespread fraud during the August 20 presidential vote. The Afghan leader singled out the head of the European Union's election observation mission, Philippe Mirollon, as well as former U.N. Deputy Chief Peter Galbraith, who was fired after a dispute with his boss on how to deal with fraud allegations. Galbraith dismissed Mr. Karzai's charges as "preposterous." In an interview with VOA, he said the comments suggest the Afghan leader is "increasingly divorced from reality." Mr. Karzai's main rival in last year's election, Abdullah Abdullah, accused Mr. Karzai of undermining the war against the Taliban with his remarks. Abdullah told reporters in Kabul Friday that Mr. Karzai's comments were intended to be "populist" and "anti-foreigner." He said he is worried about the president's behavior, describing it as erratic. In New York, U.N. spokesman Farhan Haq said the world body has a record of what was said and done in response to allegations of fraud in the Afghan elections, and that the U.N. stands by its record. President Karzai was forced into a runoff election when a U.N.-backed commission threw out nearly a third of his ballots due to irregularities. A second vote never took place because Mr. Karzai's rival dropped out of the race. On Wednesday, Afghan lawmakers rejected President Karzai's bid to appoint three of the five members of the country's Electoral Complaints Commission. The commission played a key role in rejecting fraudulent ballots that benefited Mr. Karzai.

White House Troubled by Karzai C... 1 1

www1.voanews.com – il y a about 2 years