Messages In This Digest (17 Messages)

7.: NATO Chief Backs Georgia Against Russia From: Rick Rozoff

8.: Russia Blasts Georgian Leader Over Nuclear Claims, U.S. Thanks Him From: Rick Rozoff

9.: Clinton Thanks Estonia For Role In Afghanistan, Georgia, Moldova From: Rick Rozoff

10.: Ex-Russian Air Force Chief: U.S. Has Initiated Weaponization Of Spac From: Rick Rozoff

11.: Ex-Space Programs Director: U.S. Initiates Reagan's Star/Space War From: Rick Rozoff

12.: Ex-General: U.S. Space War Could Turn Russia Into Yugoslavia, Iraq From: Rick Rozoff

13.: Afghan War: Irish Troops Serving Under NATO Violate Neutrality From: Rick Rozoff

14.: U.S. Loses Two More Soldiers In Afghan Fighting From: Rick Rozoff

15.: Afghan Troop Deployment Gains Bosnia NATO Membership Bid From: Rick Rozoff

16.: Polish Soldiers Injured In Afghan Mortar Attack; Force To Hit 3,000 From: Rick Rozoff

17.: Latest from Kurt Volker From: ANTIC.org-SNN

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Messages

1.: Russia Still Concerned Over U.S. Patriot Missiles Near Its Border

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Thu Apr 22, 2010 8:27 pm (PDT)

http://en.rian.ru/world/20100422/158704797.html

Russian Information Agency Novosti
April 22, 2010

Russia still concerned by plans for Patriot missiles in Poland

MOSCOW: Moscow is deeply concerned with the plans of the United States to deploy Patriot missiles in Poland near the Russian border, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Thursday.

Poland said in late January it would deploy a battery of U.S. Patriot missiles to the town of Morag, just 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the border with the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. The missiles were originally planned to be stationed near Warsaw.

"We are concerned by the misguided anti-missile activities of the United States on the territory of Poland. We do not understand the aims for deployment of Patriot air defense missiles near the Russian border," Andrei Nesterenko said.

"Such unilateral steps on behalf of the United States cannot but raise our concerns," the diplomat added.

In February, Polish President Lech Kaczynski ratified also the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with the United States, laying out the terms for the deployment of U.S. troops on Polish soil.

Poland demanded the Patriot theater air defense systems, designed to counter tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and advanced aircraft, when it agreed to host part of the planned U.S. missile shield in Eastern Europe, and insisted the deployment go ahead even after Washington modified its missile defense plans.
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2.: U.S. Military Muscle-Flexing In Poland Alarms Russia

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Thu Apr 22, 2010 8:28 pm (PDT)

http://english.ruvr.ru/2010/04/22/6780812.html

Voice of Russia
April 22, 2010

US military muscle-flexing in Poland irks Moscow

Moscow is concerned over Washington's unjustified efforts to go ahead with the deployment of its Patriot interceptors on Polish soil, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Andrei Nesterenko said in a statement on Thursday.

"Now that the two countries are in talks on the joint assessment of missile threats, the US' military muscle-flexing in Poland in inadmissible", Nesterenko warned.

He urged Washington to consult Russia as far as the missile defense system is concerned, separately expressing dismay about a planned US anti-missile drill due to be held near the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad in late May.
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3.: Why Does U.S. Want Missile Shield In Europe?

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Thu Apr 22, 2010 8:28 pm (PDT)

http://english.ruvr.ru/2010/04/22/6774116.html

Voice of Russia
April 22, 2010

Why does the US need a missile shield in Europe?

The NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen plans to present a concept for the development of a missile defence system jointly with Russia to the NATO foreign ministers. A two day meeting of the NATO countries at foreign-minister level opened in the Estonian capital Tallinn today. Moscow was not invited to take part in the discussion of a "Joint Project with Russia".

Moscow has repeatedly made proposals for cooperation between Russia and NATO in the field of global security. On the whole, the North Atlantic Alliance demonstrated its interest in the dialogue with Moscow on that score. In late March Rasmussen said that it is necessary to develop such a missile defence system, which would be built by joint efforts of Russia and NATO's countries and which would become a "security roof" for everybody.

True, Rasmussen offered no sketch for such a "roof", stressing only that it should cover the whole territory from Vancouver to Vladivostok and turn into a political symbol to the effect that Russia is a full-value member of the Euro-Atlantic community.

Meanwhile, the final plan of interaction in the field of a single defence system of Russia and NATO should become part of NATO's new strategic concept, which is due to be unveiled at the summit in Lisbon in November this year. Which means that there's not very much time left to coordinate the details. But instead of starting concrete talks with the Russian side, the NATO officials have decided at first, to work out an interaction option acceptable for themselves and then to offer it to Russia. This has caused Moscow's disapproval, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stressed.

Cooperation between the North Atlantic Alliance and Russia in the field of missile defence is possible only in the format of all the participating states. But the main thing here is that if it comes to joint work, joint work should begin with the very first step – meaning the analysis of missile threats and working out a common approach on how to cope with all these threats. This is what interaction actually means. Should we be invited to get involved in the project, which was worked out without our participation, it would be very difficult to qualify this as joint work.

And one more circumstance. While the North Atlantic Alliance is thinking over the possibility to develop a missile defence system jointly with Russia, the USA is fulfilling its plan to build a missile defence system in Europe. As the Polish Ministry of National Defence reported, the placement of the U.S. Patriot missiles in Poland in Eastern Europe will start in one month's time. The first anti-aircraft battery will be transported to its dislocation area, 100 kilometres away from the Russian-Polish border, on May 24th.

That is, whatever NATO's plans are, the USA's plan to create a missile defence system in Europe is being put into practice. Americans claim that it must protect the interests of their country and its allies against the threat of a missile-nuclear threat, first of all, on Iran's part. Only this is a hypothetical threat. Earlier this week the Pentagon submitted a report on Iran's military potential to the White House.

The report admits that by the year 2015 Iran may produce and test an intercontinental ballistic missile. But only with help from outside, as military analysts stress. Iran does not have such plans though, as experts acknowledge. The Pentagon's report says that Iran's military doctrine contains no provisions for waging aggressive wars, and the probability of creating nuclear weapons serves as a basis for deterring Tehran. In this case, the following question arises: why does the USA need a missile defence system in Europe?
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4.: NATO Grants Bosnia Pre-Accession Membership Plan

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Thu Apr 22, 2010 8:29 pm (PDT)

http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-B87C4491-E76E5680/natolive/news_62811.htm?

North Atlantic Treaty Organization
April 22, 2010

Bosnia and Herzegovina and Membership Action Plan

Last December NATO Foreign Ministers decided that Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) will join the Membership Action Plan (MAP) once it achieves the necessary progress in its reform efforts.

Since then, BiH has made significant progress on reform. Today in Tallinn NATO Foreign Ministers welcome its decision on destruction of surplus ammunition and arms and its new ISAF contributions.

Foreign Ministers remain concerned, however, that the defence property issue is not yet resolved. Therefore while they invite BiH to join MAP today, they authorize the North Atlantic Council in Permanent Session to accept BiH.
----------------------------------------------------------
http://www.focus-fen.net/?id=n217505

Focus News Agency
April 23, 2010

NATO grants Bosnia membership plan: spokesman

Tallinn: NATO granted Bosnia a membership plan Thursday to join the military alliance, but demanded that it resolve a key military property issue during that process, a spokesman said, AFP reported.

"MAP (membership action plan) has been granted to Bosnia and Hercegovina today," spokesman James Appathurai told reporters after NATO foreign ministers reached the decision in Tallinn, Estonia.

However he said the ministers had "attached a clear condition on the implementation of the membership action plan", which is seen as the penultimate step to joining the world's biggest military alliance.

"They remain concerned that the defence property issue is not yet resolved," Appathurai said, referring to the need for Bosnia's three ethnic communities to hand over military property to the federal government.
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5.: U.S. Moves Ahead With Prompt Global Strike Plans

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Thu Apr 22, 2010 8:34 pm (PDT)

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/23/world/europe/23strike.html

New York Times
April 22, 2010

U.S. Faces Choice on New Weapons for Fast Strikes
By DAVID E. SANGER and THOM SHANKER

WASHINGTON: In coming years, President Obama will decide whether to deploy a new class of weapons capable of reaching any corner of the earth from the United States in under an hour and with such accuracy and force that they would greatly diminish America's reliance on its nuclear arsenal.
....
Called Prompt Global Strike, the new weapon is designed to carry out tasks like picking off Osama bin Laden in a cave, if the right one could be found; taking out a North Korean missile while it is being rolled to the launch pad; or destroying an Iranian nuclear site — all without crossing the nuclear threshold. In theory, the weapon will hurl a conventional warhead of enormous weight at high speed and with pinpoint accuracy, generating the localized destructive power of a nuclear warhead.

The idea is not new: President George W. Bush and his staff promoted the technology, imagining that this new generation of conventional weapons would replace nuclear warheads on submarines.

In face-to-face meetings with President Bush, Russian leaders complained that the technology could increase the risk of a nuclear war, because Russia would not know if the missiles carried nuclear warheads or conventional ones....

Partly as a result, the idea "really hadn't gone anywhere in the Bush administration," Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, who has served both presidents, said recently on ABC's "This Week." But he added that it was "embraced by the new administration."

Mr. Obama himself alluded to the concept in a recent interview with The New York Times, saying it was part of an effort "to move towards less emphasis on nuclear weapons" while insuring "that our conventional weapons capability is an effective deterrent in all but the most extreme circumstances."

The Obama national security team scrapped the idea of putting the new conventional weapon on submarines. Instead, the White House has asked Congress for about $250 million next year to explore a new alternative, one that uses some of the most advanced technology in the military today as well as some not yet even invented.
....
It would be based, at least initially, on the West Coast, probably at Vandenberg Air Force Base.

Under the Obama plan, the Prompt Global Strike warhead would be mounted on a long-range missile to start its journey toward a target. It would travel through the atmosphere at several times the speed of sound, generating so much heat that it would have to be shielded with special materials to avoid melting....

But since the vehicle would remain within the atmosphere rather than going into space, it would be far more maneuverable than a ballistic missile, capable of avoiding the airspace of neutral countries, for example, or steering clear of hostile territory. Its designers note that it could fly straight up the middle of the Persian Gulf before making a sharp turn toward a target.

The Pentagon hopes to deploy an early version of the system by 2014 or 2015....

The planning for Prompt Global Strike is being headed by Gen. Kevin P. Chilton of the Air Force, the top officer of the military's Strategic Command and the man in charge of America's nuclear arsenal....

In an interview at his headquarters at Offutt Air Force Base, General Chilton described how the conventional capability offered by the proposed system would give the president more choices.

"Today, we can present some conventional options to the president to strike a target anywhere on the globe that range from 96 hours, to several hours maybe, 4, 5, 6 hours," General Chilton said.

That would simply not be fast enough, he noted....

....
"Who knows if we would ever deploy it?" Gary Samore, Mr. Obama's top adviser on unconventional weapons, said at a conference in Washington on Wednesday. But he noted that Russia was already so focused on the possibility that it insisted that any conventional weapon mounted on a missile that could reach it counted against the new limit on the American arsenal in the treaty.

In a follow-on treaty, he said, the Russians would certainly want to negotiate on Prompt Global Strike and ballistic missile defenses.
....
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6.: Clinton: U.S. Nuclear Arms To Remain In Europe

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Thu Apr 22, 2010 8:39 pm (PDT)

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-04-22/clinton-says-nato-should-keep-tactical-nuclear-arms-update1-.html

Bloomberg News
April 22, 2010

Clinton Says NATO Should Keep Tactical Nuclear Arms
By Nicole Gaouette

Tactical nuclear weapons should stay in Europe, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told foreign ministers at a meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization today.

As the 28-nation alliance formally discussed nuclear weapons for the first time, Clinton urged members to include NATO's stance on tactical nuclear arms in a strategic review due by November.....

"First, we should recognize that as long as nuclear weapons exist, NATO will remain a nuclear alliance," Clinton said during a working dinner in Tallinn, Estonia.

Political leaders in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg and Norway, including German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, have urged the U.S. to pull its nuclear weapons from the continent. They say such U.S. deployments conflict with the spirit, if not the letter, of President Barack Obama's campaign against nuclear proliferation.

The five countries wrote a letter asking that the tactical weapons be included in NATO discussions for the first time. The German government referred to ending the presence of U.S. nuclear weapons in Europe.
....
Europe hosts about 200 U.S. tactical nuclear weapons under NATO control, according to a 2009 report by the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists.

The U.S. bombs in Europe are designed to be dropped from warplanes, in contrast with strategic nuclear weapons that can be fired over intercontinental distances from long-range missiles or bombers or submarines.

The U.S. shouldn't try to link the withdrawal of its tactical nuclear weapons from Europe with reciprocal Russian actions, because officials in Moscow have long cited the U.S. arsenal in refusing to negotiate about its own tactical bombs, said Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Washington-based Arms Control Association.

'Obstacle' to Talks
....
"In any future reductions, our aim should be to seek Russian agreement to increase transparency on non-strategic nuclear weapons in Europe," Clinton said.

The pursuit of Russian transparency was one of five principles Clinton laid out to guide debate on NATO's approach to nuclear weapons. Others included NATO members sharing the "nuclear risks and responsibilities" and the need for NATO to broaden deterrence against 21st century threats.

Clinton also called on NATO to continue to reduce the role and number of nuclear weapons and declared that NATO would remain a nuclear alliance for the foreseeable future.

--With assistance from Viola Gienger in Washington. Editors: Ann Hughey, Bob Drummond.
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7.: NATO Chief Backs Georgia Against Russia

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Fri Apr 23, 2010 5:16 am (PDT)

http://rustavi2.com/news/news_text.php?id_news=36620&pg=1&im=main&ct=0&wth=

Rustavi 2
April 23, 2010

Secretary General reiterates NATO support to Georgia

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has reiterated support to Georgia`s territorial integrity and sovereignty and called upon Russia to fulfil its obligations. Secretary General made this statement at the briefing held a few minutes ago in Tallinn, where the NATO Foreign Ministers` meeting is underway.

Rasmussen said that Alliance discussed issues of practical cooperation with Russia; however, there were issues in which they did not agree. `Of course the disagreement concerns Georgia,` Rasmussen said and called upon Russia to respect Georgia`s territorial integrity.

The NATO Secretary General said the NATO open-door policy was in force and that the attitude of the alliance towards Georgia has not changed.

The NATO foreign ministers meeting in Estonia for a second day are expected today to grapple with differences over efforts in Afghanistan in talks conducted together with non-NATO nations' contributing forces to the alliance`s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). The ministers will also discuss relations with Russia - albeit with no Russian officials in attendance.
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8.: Russia Blasts Georgian Leader Over Nuclear Claims, U.S. Thanks Him

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Fri Apr 23, 2010 5:23 am (PDT)

http://rustavi2.com/news/news_text.php?id_news=36615&pg=1&im=main&ct=0&wth=

Rustavi 2
April 23, 2010

Russia slams Saakashvili for allegations, U.S. thanks him for help

Russia has criticizes the Georgian president for his statement regarding the detention of smuggled uranium. The official of the Russian Foreign Ministry Igor Liyakin-Frolov has downplayed the statement by the Georgian president, who accused Russia of providing support to uranium smuggling.

At the Washington Nuclear Security Summit the Georgian president announced the detention of the enriched uranium in Georgia a month before. Igor Liyakin-Frolov accused Saakashvili of lies.
....
Meanwhile, State Department spokesman Philip Crowley has made an official statement regarding the detention of uranium and thanked Georgia for its efforts.

`We are very grateful for the efforts that Georgia has made not just recently but over an extended period of time interdicting the flow of dangerous materials out of the region. That's the reason that Georgia was invited to the Nuclear Security Summit because they have demonstrated both a responsibility and, obviously, a capability of interdicting – helping to interdict the flow of dangerous materials to people who do not have the right to have them.

"We are working with Georgia. And to the extent that not only the United States but also the international community can help increase Georgia's capability, we have done a lot of work to help increase their capability at their borders. And I think – but we will look at to see what more needs Georgia has,` Philip Crowley said.
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9.: Clinton Thanks Estonia For Role In Afghanistan, Georgia, Moldova

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Fri Apr 23, 2010 5:28 am (PDT)

http://rustavi2.com/news/news_text.php?id_news=36604&pg=1&im=main&ct=0&wth=

Rustavi 2
April 22, 2010

Clinton praises Estonia`s commitment to assist Georgia

United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet ahead of a NATO foreign ministers meeting in the Estonian capital Tallinn on Thursday.

At a news conference Clinton praised NATO member Estonia`s commitment to working through humanitarian assistance [?] in Afghanistan and other countries including Georgia and Moldova.

`We especially appreciate Estonia`s role in Afghanistan and we also commend Estonia for working through humanitarian assistance, not only in Afghanistan but in other countries such as Georgia and Moldova`, she said.

Clinton, Paet and their NATO colleagues will, among other things, debate the future of battlefield nuclear weapons and relations with Russia after Washington and Moscow agreed a major arms reduction treaty this month.
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10.: Ex-Russian Air Force Chief: U.S. Has Initiated Weaponization Of Spac

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Fri Apr 23, 2010 5:30 am (PDT)

http://english.ruvr.ru/2010/04/23/6817228.html

Voice of Russia
April 23, 2010

US tests orbital plane

An unmanned X-37B orbital airplane has been launched today from a US airbase in Florida. It can stay in orbit for 270 days.

The purpose of the plane is not revealed.

Interviewed by the Interfax news agency, Russian Air Force ex-chief General Anatoliy Kornukov said this is evidence of US plans to deploy weapons in space.

The US, the General believes, is ignoring Russia's and the world's calls to refrain from militarizing space.

He reminded that the US is uniting its air forces, space armed forces and air and missile defenses. "Now the US will be able to deliver a strike in a short time without due resistance," General Kornukov said.
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11.: Ex-Space Programs Director: U.S. Initiates Reagan's Star/Space War

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Fri Apr 23, 2010 5:44 am (PDT)

http://english.ruvr.ru/rtvideo/2010/04/23/video_6802664.html

Voice of Russia
April 23, 2010

"America's new spacecraft may be designed for Star Wars"

The US military has launched a new type of spacecraft into orbit from Cape Canaveral. The unmanned X-37B has caused speculation about it having been developed for military purposes.

According to the US Air Force, the winged spacecraft is set to be a platform for unspecified experiments and is able to stay on orbit for to 270 days, AP reported.

US Air Force said that the launch was a success. However, no further details have been released. Meanwhile, there is growing speculation the spaceship could be used for military gains.

"When the Air Force spends this much money on a program, they see some potential, military usefulness in it," said former director of US Advanced Space Programs Development Robert M. Bowman.

"One possible mission would be the destruction of opposing military satellites, gaining absolute military control of space. The second would be to destroy targets on the surface of the Earth from space without warning. These two missions were the missions assigned to the Department of Defense in 1982 by Ronald Reagan in his secret defense guidance document," says Bowman.
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12.: Ex-General: U.S. Space War Could Turn Russia Into Yugoslavia, Iraq

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Fri Apr 23, 2010 5:49 am (PDT)

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/320252,ex-russian-air-force-commander-slams-us-space-plane.html

Deutsche Presse-Agentur
April 23, 2010

Ex-Russian air force commander slams US 'space plane'

Moscow: Former Russian air force commander Anatoly Kornukov has sharply criticized the US launch of an unmanned space craft, saying that Russia now needs to develop a new defence system against space and air attacks, Russian media reported Friday.

A rocket carrying the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle, commonly referred to as the "space plane," took off from Cape Canaveral in Florida late Thursday.

The space craft will significantly increase US fighting power and shows that the country has ambitions to "reach space and threaten us," Kornukov argued.

"The US has completely spit on calls from Russia and the world to abandon plans for the deployment of weapons in space," he said.

Moscow has to react with "actions instead of words," he added.

"The aggressors from space could turn Russia into something like Iraq or Yugoslavia," Kornukov said, referring to the destruction caused by past US air raids in both countries.

The US Air Force has flatly rejected suggestions that the X-37 project could mark the beginning of the weaponization of space.
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13.: Afghan War: Irish Troops Serving Under NATO Violate Neutrality

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Fri Apr 23, 2010 5:53 am (PDT)

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/0423/1224268953813.html

Irish Times
April 23, 2010

Concerns over Irish troops in Kabul
MARY FITZGERALD

The involvement of seven Irish soldiers in the Nato-led International Security and Assistance Force (Isaf) mission in Afghanistan was questioned at an Oireachtas committee meeting yesterday.

Some members of the Oireachtas Committee on European Affairs voiced concerns that Ireland's neutrality could be compromised by its participation in the mission.

Labour TD Joe Costello raised the issue during a committee discussion with Minister for Defence Tony Killeen and Minister for European Affairs Dick Roche. "I still don't understand why [Irish troops] are in Afghanistan," Mr Costello said. "What are they doing? I fail to see why we have personnel there."

The UN-mandated Isaf mission comprises over 40 nations, of which more than 10 are non-Nato members like Ireland. The State has contributed seven Defence Forces personnel on a rotating basis to Isaf since July 2002.

Troops serve a six-month tour and more than 100 Irish soldiers have served in Afghanistan. All are based at Isaf headquarters in Kabul. Mr Killeen told the committee that all seven work in planning and administration.

Senator Feargal Quinn queried how Irish troops can operate with Nato in Afghanistan. "Is our neutrality compromised by this?"

Mr Killeen stressed the mission had a full UN mandate and therefore "fits all requirements".

Turning to the Government's decision to withdraw more than 400 troops from Chad, Mr Killeen said: "We very regrettably had to take the decision we took . . . in the circumstances we didn't have any choice."
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14.: U.S. Loses Two More Soldiers In Afghan Fighting

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Fri Apr 23, 2010 5:55 am (PDT)

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/world/two-us-service-members-killed-in-firefight-with-insurgents-in-eastern-afghanistan_100352719.html

BNO News
April 23, 2010

Two U.S. service members killed in firefight with insurgents in eastern Afghanistan

KABUL: Two U.S. service members were killed in a firefight with insurgents in eastern Afghanistan on Thursday evening, the NATO-led ISAF alliance said on Friday.

The incident happened after a joint Afghan-International security force went to a compound in Qal'eh ye Seyyedan, in the Pul-e Alam district of Logar province. ISAF said the force went there after intelligence indicated insurgent activity at the compound.

"As the combined force approached the compound they began receiving hostile fire from different points including heavy machine gun fire," a statement from the alliance said. "The security force returned fire and maneuvered through the compound buildings." ISAF said the buildings were barricaded and began exchanging gunfire with the personnel inside.

Two U.S. service members later died of injuries sustained in the firefight, according to ISAF....

The American casualties raises the number of coalition service members killed in Afghanistan so far to 158, according to a BNO News count based on official data. Most - 96 - of them were U.S. service members.

On Monday, Sergeant Robert Barrett, 20, of Fall River, Mass. was killed when a suicide bomber attacked his unit at an Afghan National Army facility in Kabul province. He was the 94th U.S. service member to die in Afghanistan this year.
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15.: Afghan Troop Deployment Gains Bosnia NATO Membership Bid

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Fri Apr 23, 2010 5:58 am (PDT)

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/320151,first-step-toward-nato-membership-for-bosnia.html

Deutsche Presse-Agentur
April 23, 2010

First step toward NATO membership for Bosnia

Tallinn: Bosnia took its first step toward joining NATO late Thursday as the 28-country alliance offered the Balkan country a conditional path for membership.

NATO granted Bosnia a so-called membership action plan (MAP). The offer sets conditions that will require Estonia to institute specific reforms.

In December, NATO ministers had agreed to offer the MAP after Bosnia's feuding political leaders showed that they could bridge their differences. A week ago, those leaders finally took a number of key decisions on military issues.

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen called last week's development's "important steps for us." In Tallinn, the NATO ministers debated at length whether Bosnia's progress was sufficient to offer the MAP, which was eventually issued.

In agreeing to offer the membership action plan, the NATO ministers welcomed Bosnian recent moves on destruction of surplus ammunition and arms, and the country's contributions to the NATO-led security force in Afghanistan (ISAF).

Remaining military issues as yet unresolved between Bosnian factions are still a "concern," NATO said. Bosnia will have to transfer defense-related parcels from regional to national possession under the Bosnian Defence Ministry.
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16.: Polish Soldiers Injured In Afghan Mortar Attack; Force To Hit 3,000

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Fri Apr 23, 2010 6:18 am (PDT)

http://www.thenews.pl/international/artykul130187_two-soldiers-wounded-in-afghanistan.html

Polish Radio
April 23, 2010

Two soldiers wounded in Afghanistan

Two Polish soldiers have been wounded in Afghanistan after mortar fire near the Warrior base in Ghazni province.

The incident happened by an observation post yesterday afternoon, says media liaison officer Piotr Miron. One soldier, named only as Krzysztof B. has wounds to the neck and Marek B. sounds to his leg.

They were rushed to hospital by helicopter in Ghazni, in southeast Afghanistan.

Last week acting president Bronislaw Komorowski announced that Poland was increasing troop numbers in the NATO-led mission to 2,600 with a reverse force of 400 back in Poland.
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17.: Latest from Kurt Volker

Posted by: "ANTIC.org-SNN" mantic@rogers.com minimaks

Fri Apr 23, 2010 6:22 am (PDT)

CIA

Kurt Volker

Diplomatc. 1962 Principal Depy. Asst. Secy. State, Europe

:

_____

Date: Thursday, April 22, 2010, 4:36 PM

http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Opinion/2010/0422/Tipping-point-in-Bosnia-Serbia-and-Kosovo-EU-and-NATO-must-finish-the-job

The Christian Science Monitor

Opinion

Tipping point in Bosnia, Serbia, and Kosovo: EU and NATO must finish the job

Despite progress, trouble looms in Bosnia, Serbia, and Kosovo. Better engagement now by NATO and the EU can prevent backsliding.

By <http://www.csmonitor.com/layout/set/print/About/Contact-Us-Feedback> Kurt Volker
posted April 22, 2010 at 12:11 pm EDT

Washington —

Remember Bosnia? Kosovo? In the 1990s, we learned a new phrase – ethnic cleansing – and we embarked on the first of what have now been many interventions in regional crises. Yet 15 years after the Serbian massacre of more than 7,000 Muslims at Srebrenica, we have still not finished the job of making the Balkans peaceful and safe for all.

This was the subject of a recent hearing held by Sens. Jeanne Shaheen, Jim DeMint, and George Voinovich in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. It's also a subject likely to be discussed by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at this week's NATO meeting in Estonia.

To be sure, the region has seen some success. Slovenia and <http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Opinion/2010/0402/Croatia-should-apologize-for-World-War-II-genocide-before-joining-the-EU> Croatia are vibrant democracies, increasingly prosperous, and members of NATO. Slovenia is also a member of the European Union, and Croatia is well on its way. Albania is a member of NATO. And Montenegro is making rapid progress.

But trouble looms. With nationalists pulling at the fabric of Bosnia, with Serbia and a handful of EU members refusing to recognize an independent Kosovo, with Serbia still not having found its place in the European family, with <http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Opinion/2010/0310/NATO-renewal-requires-European-courage-on-Afghanistan> NATO and the EU fatigued on further enlargement, with crime and corruption rampant, the region risks sliding back into instability and worse.

This can be prevented – at far lower cost than it took to stop ethnic cleansing in the 1990s, or what it would cost to intervene again. Compared with Afghanistan, we have advantages in the Balkans: no active fighting; a literate population and skilled workforce; an advanced economy; and a surrounding region made up of EU and NATO members.

What's more, we know what is needed for success: using the attractive power of NATO and the EU to drive through tough but needed reforms.

The challenge in the Balkans is the same challenge Europe has faced for centuries – overcoming history. It is no easy task. It takes strong incentives and disincentives for nations to let go of irredentism, the memories of territories lost, and the grievances of past warfare, and instead to invest in the future.

But as we saw in the 1990s, the real, near-term prospect of NATO and EU membership provides just that kind of incentive structure. It strengthens the hand of reformers in convincing publics that short-term pain and rejecting nationalist agendas will deliver greater benefits, and that the contrast – wallowing in these agendas – will separate a nation from a growing, integrated European family.

Clearly, countries must meet the conditions of membership. They must do the hard work of reform. But the EU and NATO can be passive or active. A passive stance gives little incentive and empowers those with revanchist agendas. But an activist stance, where we stress our willingness to admit new members and work with candidate countries on specific reforms, empowers those who are prepared to implement the fastest and farthest reaching change.

Now is a time to give new energy to finishing the job in the Balkans – to bringing that region fully into the European mainstream before it slides backward. Several steps can be taken:

First, the EU and NATO must reiterate, emphatically and credibly, that they are prepared to admit as members every country in the Balkans that meets the conditions of membership.

Second, to generate this renewed political commitment, Washington will need to engage actively not only with the EU and NATO as institutions, but also with key member states.

Third, the EU and NATO should aggressively use the tools already at their disposal to incentivize necessary reforms – for example, visa-free travel, EU association agreements, and NATO's Membership Action Plan.

Fourth, in Bosnia, we should maintain a robust international presence and commitment, including a strong, international "high representative" and an EU force, until Bosnia sustainably implements far-reaching reform.

Fifth, we should maintain a robust commitment in Kosovo – both through the nearly 10,000 soldiers that make up the NATO-led Kosovo Force and through the European Union Rule of Law Mission – while pushing for recognition by all EU states and improved governance within (and throughout all) of Kosovo.

Sixth, we need to give a renewed impetus to resolving the Macedonia name issue. Because Greece's own identity is linked to ancient Macedonia, it strongly objects to its northern neighbor going by the name "Republic of Macedonia." The Macedonians could begin with modest confidence-building measures – Does the airport really have to be named after Alexander the Great? – followed by compromises by both sides.

Seventh, NATO and the EU should reward Montenegro's reform successes by accelerating its path toward membership in both institutions – not least because this can spur greater momentum in the region.

Eighth, the US and EU should carry out a robust bilateral engagement with Serbia, building its sense of belonging within the transatlantic community.

And ninth, we should work aggressively with Albania to strengthen democratic institutions, transparency, and anticorruption, in part by leveraging the prospect of EU membership.

Resolving these lingering issues is difficult, but doable. And far better to invest the energy and effort now, when the region is calm, than to risk greater instability in the future. Remember: The worst human-rights atrocities in Europe since the Holocaust happened in the Balkans just 15 years ago.

Kurt Volker, a former US ambassador to NATO, is senior fellow and managing director of the Center for Transatlantic Relations at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies. He's also a senior adviser at the Atlantic Council of the United States.

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