Afghanistan/ Pakistan .....
The TTP had been planning to announce a ceasefire on Monday, but was trying to get an agreement for reciprocity from the Pakistani military. After the TTP-Mohmand killed 23 captive Frontier Corps soldiers over the weekend, the whole process collapsed.
The process seemed to be moving forward comparatively smoothly, but is now in tatters after the leader of the TTP-Mohmand, one of the Taliban’s auxiliaries, announced yesterday he had executed 23 captured members of Pakistan’s Frontier Corps.
Syrian officials insisted the US had been a problem from the start, going into the talks with the goal of creating a “negative climate” and fighting against any discussion of ending the fighting.
LONDON (Reuters) - Iran's largest private bank is suing the British government for almost $4 billion in damages after the Supreme Court quashed sanctions imposed against it over alleged links to Tehran's nuclear program.
Pakistan Demands Ceasefire Before Taliban Talks Resume
Pakistani Taliban 'Serious' About Talks
by Jason Ditz, February 18, 2014
Mediators from the Pakistani government’s team say that the only way the peace talks with the Tehreek-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) will resume is if the TTP agrees to a ceasefire.
The TTP had been planning to announce a ceasefire on Monday, but was trying to get an agreement for reciprocity from the Pakistani military. After the TTP-Mohmand killed 23 captive Frontier Corps soldiers over the weekend, the whole process collapsed.
TTP spokesman Shahidullah Shahid says his group remains “serious” about the talks and continues to negotiate the terms of a ceasefire, though there is no announcement of when that will happen.
The leader of the TTP negotiator team, Maulana Sami Haq, was much less upbeat, saying that he’s waiting for the government negotiators to confirm that they even want talks anymore.
Executions Kill Pakistan-Taliban Peace Talks
Ceasefire Apparently Dead as Govt Cancels Meeting
by Jason Ditz, February 17, 2014
The peace talks between the Tehreek-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Pakistani government appear to have collapsed today, and previous plans for a ceasefire announcement today are also dead, with no meetings planned going forward.
The process seemed to be moving forward comparatively smoothly, but is now in tatters after the leader of the TTP-Mohmand, one of the Taliban’s auxiliaries, announced yesterday he had executed 23 captured members of Pakistan’s Frontier Corps.
The 23 had been kidnapped quite some time ago and kept in TTP custody, and were executed nominally in revenge for the deaths of TTP fighters in military custody. The belief is that the TTP-Mohmand leader opposed the talks, and he is now openly accused of having “sabotaged” the process.
Pakistani PM Nawaz Sharif followed up the executions today with an announcementthat the talks are cancelled, saying the brutal killings proved they are heading in the wrong direction.
Today’s talks had been expected to yield a ceasefire, with the TTP just trying to nail down some assurances that the Pakistani military would abide by it as well. Needless to say, neither side is ceasing fire now.
CIA Fears Afghan Pullout Would Stall Their Drone War
Can't Fly Drones Out if Afghanistan Isn't Occupied
by Jason Ditz, February 16, 2014
The Obama Administration continues to push the idea that the “zero option,” of leaving Afghanistan outright at the end of the year, remains possible. Despite this, officials across several agencies, including the Pentagon, have insisted it is not under serious consideration.
The CIA sees such a pullout as a huge problem, after the Pakistani government chased them out of airfields they were using for drones and forced them to relocate into Afghanistan. A withdrawal would effectively stall the drone war, and it might never recover.
Officials say that the CIA would not be able to retain the massive drone program in an unoccupied Afghanistan, nor would they be able to continue the job of bribing people in Pakistan’s tribal areas into giving them targets to kill.
Though officials say there are “contingency plans” to relocate the drones themselves into an unnamed former Soviet country north of Afghanistan, the already slap-dash intelligence the agency manages to get about who it kills would be much worse still.
So while the actual military logic behind occupying Afghanistan becomes weaker and weaker, the spy agency is pushing to continue that occupation, potentially for decades to come, simply so they can more conveniently assassinate people in Pakistan.
Syria......
“There is a general sense that it’s time to take another look,” said one official, and it seems the renewed interest in pushing for intervention is mostly about the collapse of the Geneva II talks, which ended when the US demand for unconditional regime change went nowhere.
Saudi officials confirmed last week that they were planning to begin shipments of Chinese shoulder-mounted MANPADs to “tip the balance” of the ongoing civil war.
Now, checkpoints leading into the town are littered with corpses, and locals fear for their lives on a daily basis as the militants, also known as al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) impose a particularly harsh brand of Salafist Islam on the locals.
Unilateral seizures of Syrian assets ....
http://www.voltairenet.org/article182220.html
http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/841989.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18897218
US Loses It’s Syrian ‘Point Man’ With Dismissal of FSA Chief
Rebel General's Replacement Less Cozy With US
by Jason Ditz, February 18, 2014
Even though Gen. Salim Idriss’ actual influence on the civil war in Syria was virtually gone after December, when the Islamic Front seized all his warehouses full of US goods and his office, the formal dismissal of Idriss from the Free Syrian Army (FSA) leadership position has the US scrambling to find a new “face of the revolution.”
The defector general was the nice, moderate, Western-friendly face of a military dominated rebellion that realistically no longer exists, as the FSA’s relevance is near nil and the civil war is increasingly dominated by al-Qaeda factions.
dly face of a military dominated rebellion that realistically no longer exists, as the FSA’s relevance is near nil and the civil war is increasingly dominated by al-Qaeda factions.
To make matters even more difficult for the Obama Administration, Idriss’ replacement, Brig. Gen. Abdul-Ilah al-Bashir has few international ties and seems much less inclined to be “America’s man in Syria.”
As a practical matter, the fighting on the ground is all done by Islamist factions now anyhow, but the US ability to spin their support for the rebels in general as shoring up a moderate faction led by Idriss is seriously compromised now, and the Obama Administration will struggle to sell its ongoing military aid to rebels as anything but de facto backing for radical Islamist factions.
Obama Still Looking for ‘Military Options’ in Syria
High-Level Discussions Ongoing for New Intervention
by Jason Ditz, February 18, 2014
His last push to war in Syria was an embarrassing failure, but President Obama isn’t giving up on the idea, and is said to be pushing for new “military options” for escalating intervention in Syria.
“There is a general sense that it’s time to take another look,” said one official, and it seems the renewed interest in pushing for intervention is mostly about the collapse of the Geneva II talks, which ended when the US demand for unconditional regime change went nowhere.
At the same time, it’s unlikely the administration is going to make another immediate push for a ground invasion, after the American public roundly rejected that last time.
Rather, the high-level talks that are ongoing are said to involve imposing “no-fly zones” or dramatically escalating arms and advisers for the rebels, a back-door way for the US to insinuate itself more in anticipation of eventually finding an excuse for a bigger intervention with ground troops.
US Opposed to Saudi Shipments of Anti-Aircraft Missiles to Syria Rebels
Saudis Had Previously Held Back Shipments
by Jason Ditz, February 18, 2014
An unnamed US official has come out today and confirmed that the Obama Administration remains opposed to Saudi shipments of anti-aircraft missiles to Syrian rebels, though indications are that much shipments are set to begin.
Saudi officials confirmed last week that they were planning to begin shipments of Chinese shoulder-mounted MANPADs to “tip the balance” of the ongoing civil war.
The big concern is that even the “moderate” rebel factions have said they intend to attack civilian aircraft when they get such weapons, believing any plane in Syrian airspace is a “legitimate target.”
It isn’t clear how deep the US “opposition” goes anymore, however, as while the Saudis had previously held back the shipments at the behest of the US, the official statements from the US don’t seem to be slowing them this time around.
Too Brutal for al-Qaeda: Faction’s Executions Scar North Syria
AQI's Style of Rule Unsettling to Other Jihadists
by Jason Ditz, February 17, 2014
The town of Adana, Syria was a relatively calm border town not so long ago. Then one day, the militants showed up, declaring the town part of the “Islamic State of Iraq and Syrian” (ISIS).
Now, checkpoints leading into the town are littered with corpses, and locals fear for their lives on a daily basis as the militants, also known as al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) impose a particularly harsh brand of Salafist Islam on the locals.
It’s a sad story, but an all too common one, as ISIS territory now covers a large portion of northern Syria, including the major city of Raqqa and most of the surrounding province, and their style of rule is so brutal that even the other Islamist rebels are standing up and taking notice.
Even al-Qaeda thought AQI was far too brutal for their tastes, and disavowed the group. Despite this loss of faith from al-Qaeda’s parent group, AQI has continued to gain territory in both Syria and Iraq.
Unilateral seizures of Syrian assets ....
http://www.voltairenet.org/article182220.html
European Commission seizes frozen Syrian assets
The European Commission announced having "freed up" Syria’s frozen assets, in order to fund the destruction of Syrian chemical weapons.
This unilateral decision runs counter to the OPCW resolution, adopted 15 November 2013, which highlights Syria’s financial inability to pay for their destruction and creates a special international fund as a substitute.
Reacting to this measure, the Syrian government has condemned the theft of assets belonging to the Syrian people. It furthermore recalled that member governments of the European Union have and continue to fund terrorism in Syria, in violation of relevant UN resolutions. In addition, EU Member States are illegally buying Syrian oil siphoned off by the Contras at the expense of the Syrian people.
http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/841989.shtml
Syria slams EU for intention to use frozen assets for chemical destruction
| Xinhua | 2014-2-12 10:05:43 By Agencies |  E-mail  Print |
The Syrian foreign ministry on Tuesday warned the EU against using frozen Damascus assets to finance the destruction of Syria's chemical arsenal, a mission led by world bodies.
The remarks came after EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton revealed intention to use the money to support the ongoing process overseen by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
"We decided to make sure that assets frozen in the EU could be invested into the OPCW fund to help with the removal and destruction of the Syrian chemical weapons," Ashton said.
The Syrian ministry said the move reflected the "hypocrisy and evasion" of some EU countries, which refused to unfreeze the assets for Syria to buy medicine and food.
In addition, the ministry demanded the EU lift the "unmoral" sanctions against Syria, threatening "necessary measures" in case of "infringement" upon Syria's frozen assets.
Shortly after mass protests broke out in Syria in early 2011, the EU slapped Damascus with harsh economic sanctions, including an oil embargo, and withdrew its experts from the country.
Last year, the Syrian government agreed with the OPCW on eradicating its chemical arsenal after an alleged deadly chemical attack took place outside Damascus. An OPCW-UN joint mission said Monday that a third batch of chemical weapons had been shipped out of Syria for destruction.
The remarks came after EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton revealed intention to use the money to support the ongoing process overseen by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
"We decided to make sure that assets frozen in the EU could be invested into the OPCW fund to help with the removal and destruction of the Syrian chemical weapons," Ashton said.
The Syrian ministry said the move reflected the "hypocrisy and evasion" of some EU countries, which refused to unfreeze the assets for Syria to buy medicine and food.
In addition, the ministry demanded the EU lift the "unmoral" sanctions against Syria, threatening "necessary measures" in case of "infringement" upon Syria's frozen assets.
Shortly after mass protests broke out in Syria in early 2011, the EU slapped Damascus with harsh economic sanctions, including an oil embargo, and withdrew its experts from the country.
Last year, the Syrian government agreed with the OPCW on eradicating its chemical arsenal after an alleged deadly chemical attack took place outside Damascus. An OPCW-UN joint mission said Monday that a third batch of chemical weapons had been shipped out of Syria for destruction.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18897218
Syria crisis: £100m Assad assets in UK are frozen
Assets worth £100m belonging to Syrian leaders have been located and frozen in Britain, the BBC has learned.
The European Union imposed sanctions on President Bashar al-Assad's regime after it violently suppressed anti-government protests.
Most of the UK assets is cash held in bank accounts by people and organisations named in the EU's action.
****
US, Syria Trade Blame for Failed Peace Talks
Syria: US Created 'Negative Climate' for Talks
by Jason Ditz, February 16, 2014
Last week’s round of Geneva II peace talks on Syria have come and gone, and it doesn’t seem possible they could’ve gone worse, with US and Syrian officials eachinsisting the other side is to blame for the failure and what may be the outright collapse of the talks.
Syrian officials insisted the US had been a problem from the start, going into the talks with the goal of creating a “negative climate” and fighting against any discussion of ending the fighting.
Indeed, Secretary of State John Kerry went into the talks insisting the only goal of the conference was regime change, and repeatedly complained Syria was trying to “distract” from that when bringing up things like the al-Qaeda takeover of the north of the country.
Today, Kerry insisted that the Assad government was to blame for “obstruction” of his goal of the talks, and demanded supporters of the Syrian government immediately and unquestioningly endorse regime change.
Iraq.......
Local officials claimed earlier today that the military has “retaken” the town and the surrounding area, but clashes continue, AQI snipers remain in the town, and by most estimates they’ve taken a bit more than half of the town, with a lot of fighting left to do.
142 Killed, 163 Wounded in Iraq Attacks, Clashes
by Margaret Griffis, February 18, 2014
Bombers again struck Baghdad, but they also hit south of the capital in the Hilla area. Meanwhile fighting continued in Anbar and Salah ad Din provinces. In political news, Moqtada al-Sadr came out of retirement, and a U.S. soldier convicted of heinous acts in Iraq was found dead in prison. Overall, at least 142 people were killed and 163 more were wounded.
In the United States, a U.S. soldier, convicted of rape and murder in Iraq, wasfound dead in a maximum-security jail cell. Steven Dale Green’s death is being investigated as a suicide. He was serving a life sentence for the rape and murder of a 14-year old Iraqi girl. He also murdered her parents and six-year-old sister.
In a televised speech from Najaf, Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has reemerged into Iraqi politics just days after he announced he would retire. He said he would not give up his influence at this crucial moment before elections. He also criticized the government and even some members of his own coalition.
A series of bomb blasts around Hilla left 35 dead and 90 more wounded. Those blasts took place in Mussayab, Iskandariya, and Haswa. The one in Iskandariya targetedchildren.
In Baghdad, at least 17 people were killed and 35 more were wounded in a series of bombings. Two dumped bodies were found. A civilian was shot dead in Zaafaraniya. Baghdad Operations Command reported killing 45 militants but did not give details besides that some of the men were foreign nationals.
The Ministry of Defense said that 17 militants were killed in Ramadi. An officer was shot dead.
Troops are still fighting militants in the northern city of Suleiman Bek, where four policemen were killed during a mortar attack. At least two more were wounded.
A car bomb in Haditha wounded the police chief and nine others, including two civilians.
Shelling in Falluja left two dead and 12 wounded. Clashes continued.
In Mosul, gunmen killed a police officer. Two more policemen were gunned down.Two soldiers were shot dead. Gunmen wounded three policemen. A grenade wounded three women.
Three militants were killed while trying to take over a village near Saidiya. Gunmen also killed one civilian and wounded another.
A sticky bomb killed a person in Latifiya.
A roadside bomb in Baquba injured a police officer and a policeman.
A roadside bomb wounded two people in Kirkuk.
Two gunmen were killed in Tal Afar.
Three gunmen were killed and six were wounded in an overnight operation near Hilla in Jurf al-Sakhar.
Security forces in Samarra killed two gunmen.
Dozens Killed as Iraqi Forces Aim to Retake Northern Town
Local officials claim much of the city retaken
by Jason Ditz, February 17, 2014
Tanks and attack helicopters are pouring into the northern Iraqi town of Sulaiman Bek, as the Iraqi military aims to retake it from al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI), which seized the town last week.
Local officials claimed earlier today that the military has “retaken” the town and the surrounding area, but clashes continue, AQI snipers remain in the town, and by most estimates they’ve taken a bit more than half of the town, with a lot of fighting left to do.
Retaking territory from AQI hasn’t been so easy, and the military has repeatedly reclaimed parts of the Anbar Province from them only to lose it back within a day or two.
And so long as the fighting over Anbar remains unresolved, Sulaiman Bek will remain very much a secondary priority for the Iraqi military, as it is much further from the capital city and in the frontier between Kurdistan and the rest of the nation.
Sadr Quits Politics As Attacks Leave 58 Dead, 42 Wounded
by Margaret Griffis, February 16, 2014
At least 58 people were killed in fresh violence, and 42 more were wounded. Clashes continued in Ramadi and Falluja. The third city under militant control, Suleiman Bek, also saw clashes. Also, Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr said he would retire from politics just two months before national elections.
A suicide bomber in Ramadi killed three policemen and wounded four more. Four militiamen were killed in a security operation. At least eight more were killed on other operations.
In Falluja, one person was killed and six more were wounded in bombings.
In Suleiman Bek, a militant emir and three colleagues were killed. Police called for further help.
Gunmen killed five policemen at a checkpoint in Kirkuk.
Three soldiers were killed and four more were wounded in an attack in Riyadh. A policeman was kidnapped.
In Baghdad, a bomb killed four people and wounded 15 more. Gunmen killed a civilian. Security forces killed four gunmen. A sticky bomb killed one person and wounded another. 42 38
In Mosul, gunmen killed two policemen. Two policemen were wounded in a separate attack. Two guards were two guards were killed at a local government building. Asuicide bomber wounded four soldiers. The body of a manager in the Commerce Ministry was found.
Three civilians were wounded in a mortar attack in Hilla. One death was also reported.
Gunmen killed two farmers in Salah ad Din province.
In Shirqat, a colonel and his son were killed during a home invasion. Two bodyguards were wounded during an assassination attempt on a former lawmaker.
Two Sahwa members were shot dead in Muqdadiya. A village mokhtar was also killed.
In Hilla, gunmen killed a man and his son.
Gunmen killed a man and wounded his companion in Albu Shaheen.
A beheading victim was found in Taji.
A civilian was shot dead in Abu Ghraib.
Iran......
EU officials say the first day of talks included “detained discussions” and were very productive, and that substantive issues surrounding a final settlement were raised.
US officials termed the talks extremely difficult and potentially impossible, coupling a warning that the talks won’t be settled quickly with a bizarre admonishment to Iran to get the deal done quickly.
Iran Talks Upbeat Despite Official Pessimism
US, Iran Meet on Sidelines of Vienna Talks
by Jason Ditz, February 18, 2014
The nuclear talks between the P5+1 and Iran on a final nuclear settlement began today in Vienna, and despite officials on both sides letting out a flurry of pessimisticstatements yesterday everyone says the atmosphere today was quite positive.
EU officials say the first day of talks included “detained discussions” and were very productive, and that substantive issues surrounding a final settlement were raised.
Even more promising, the US and Iran met on the sidelines at the talks for an 80-minute discussion. The talks are expected to continue tomorrow and may run into Thursday.
The complexities of the issue mean that a final deal is likely to take months to get into place even under the best of conditions, but the news out of Vienna today suggests they are heading in the right direction.
On Eve of Nuclear Talks, US and Iran Pessimistic
Khamenei: Talks Will Lead Nowhere
by Jason Ditz, February 17, 2014
The talks between Iran and the P5+1 aiming at a final nuclear settlement are scheduled to begin Tuesday, and it wouldn’t be talks with Iran if the US wasn’t loudly pessimistic about the process.
US officials termed the talks extremely difficult and potentially impossible, coupling a warning that the talks won’t be settled quickly with a bizarre admonishment to Iran to get the deal done quickly.
Iranian officials are similarly gloomy about the chances, with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei saying that the talks “will lead nowhere, but I am not against them.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to chime in too, reiterating his opposition to the talks in general and to any deal that ends international hostility toward Iran.
Iran's Largest Private Bank Sues UK
Government For $4 Billion Over
Sanctions
REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi (IRAN)
Ali Divandari, chairman and managing director of Iran's Bank Mellat, talks to a Reuters correspondent at his office in Tehran February 17, 2009.
Bank Mellat wants compensation for the "significant pecuniary loss" it sustained as a result of the sanctions, according to a claim filed in London's High Court and seen by Reuters on Monday.
Britain's Supreme Court ruled last June that the government was wrong to have imposed sanctions in 2009, arguing that the government had been "irrational" to single out Bank Mellat.
Good morning Fred,
ReplyDeleteYes Doug Noland's negative mood reminds me of 2007/2008, you picked up on exactly what I was hinting at. I didn't realize about the water politics and dumping of excess Northern CA water into the ocean. I'm all for preventing as many species from going extinct as we can but that kind of water shortage is going to put a big dent in the food supply. I would bet that there was a way that would have saved the fish and the water but the wackos wouldn't have it, just speculation on my part.
As for the other updates this morning, things just get crazier. It's good but hard to believe that despite O's pushing of the TPP that it's dying. Our diplomats getting ejected, sounds like Ukraine isn't the only country we are messing with. Crazy stuff.
I'm off today but it's going to be busy, including shoveling out for the mail man, haven't done that yet. Took the kids over to my parents to shovel their driveway yesterday, their street just got plowed Sat evening. Love the snow hate shoveling, wish this stuff would melt already.
Morning Kev - similar to you , I have followed Doug Noland for years ! He was spot on then and I believe he will be spot on once again !
DeleteHard to really conclude global warming has anything to do with CA water problems - although the politicians are blowing a lot of hot air while not dealing with the issues at hand. Wasting millions of galloons of water in a drought is just nuts !
Emerging markets in Latin America seem to be the closest to blowing up ( Argentina and Venezuela being the focal points , but keep an eye on Brazil too ) Ukraine seems to be cooling off for a second , but that will heat up again Turkey is still a mess - i expect that will heat up soon !
Since we didn't have snow yesterday , naturally we are due for more snow tonight ! Off to get ome work done - we are closed but I like working when things are quiet in the office !
Have a great day !