Syria.....
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/new-turkish-aggression-against-syria-ankara-suspends-pumping-euphrates%E2%80%99-water?
Meanwhile, water supplies in auxiliary reservoirs in al-Khafsa are close to being depleted and the reservoirs are expected to run out of water completely by tonight or tomorrow morning at the latest. This threatens to leave seven million Syrians without access to water. Also, Tishrin Dam stopped receiving any water which blocked its electricity generating turbines, decreasing the power supply in Aleppo and its countryside, further intensifying the already severe imbalance in the power supply.
Top: "The decrease in water levels" Bottom: "Euphrates Dam" (Photo: Al-Akhbar)
Al Jazeera....
Moon of Alabama....
Anti War...
AQI has been fighting with Kurdish militias in the northeast of the country for months now, but in Aleppo, where the Kurds are a smaller minority, they have been regularly targeted by Islamist fighters.
Itar Tass...
Gen. Hifter presented the rallies as his “mandate to fight terrorism,” and vowed to continue on with his military operations nationwide until the country is cleansed of “fundamentalists.”
Libya Herald articles....
Irony of ironies.......Despite US sanction deployed against Russia , US Military satellite launches dependent on Russian engines !
ULA has a virtual monopoly on US government launches, but buys its RD-180 rocket engines from Russian military exporters, meaning the monopoly is really Russia’s. Russian officials recently banned the sale of RD-180 rockets to US importers if they are intended for military applications.
Info Wars...
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-05-31/obama-says-climate-change-growing-threat-to-health.html
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/new-turkish-aggression-against-syria-ankara-suspends-pumping-euphrates%E2%80%99-water?
A new Turkish aggression against Syria: Ankara suspends pumping Euphrates’ water
The Turkish government recently cut off the flow of the Euphrates River, threatening primarily Syria but also Iraq with a major water crisis. Al-Akhbar found out that the water level in Lake Assad has dropped by about six meters, leaving millions of Syrians without drinking water.
Two weeks ago, the Turkish government once again intervened in the Syrian crisis. This time was different from anything it had attempted before and the repercussions of which may bring unprecedented catastrophes onto both Iraq and Syria.
Violating international norms, the Turkish government recently cut off the water supply of the Euphrates River completely. In fact, Ankara began to gradually reduce pumping Euphrates water about a month and half ago, then cut if off completely two weeks ago, according to information received by Al-Akhbar.
A source who spoke on the condition of anonymity revealed that water levels in the Lake Assad (a man-made water reservoir on the Euphrates) recently dropped by six meters from its normal levels (which means losing millions of cubic meters of water). The source warned that “a further drop of one additional meter would put the dam out of service.”
“We should cut off or reduce the water output of the dam, until the original problem regarding the blockage of the water supply is fixed,” the source explained.
The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) controlling the region the dam is located in did not suspend the water output. Employees of the General Institution of the Euphrates Dam are running the lake under the supervision of al-Qaeda linked ISIS, but they don’t have the authority to take serious decisions, such as reducing the water output. In addition, such a step is a mere attempt to ease the situation, and it will lose its efficacy if the water supply isn’t restored to the dam by Turkey.
The tragic repercussions of the new Turkish assault began to reveal themselves when water levels dropped in al-Khafsa in Aleppo’s eastern countryside (where a water pumping station from Lake Assad is located to pump water through water channels to Aleppo and its countryside).
Meanwhile, water supplies in auxiliary reservoirs in al-Khafsa are close to being depleted and the reservoirs are expected to run out of water completely by tonight or tomorrow morning at the latest. This threatens to leave seven million Syrians without access to water. Also, Tishrin Dam stopped receiving any water which blocked its electricity generating turbines, decreasing the power supply in Aleppo and its countryside, further intensifying the already severe imbalance in the power supply.
In Raqqa, the northern side of Lake Assad is today completely out of service. Two million Syrians living in the region covering the villages of Little Swaydiya to the east until al-Jarniya to the west could lose their drinking water supply. “Losing water supplies in the dam means that the silt in the lake will dry off which would pressure its structure, subjecting it to fissures and eventually total collapse,” Al-Akhbar sources warned, adding “it is crucial to shut down the dam to stop its collapse.”
However, shutting down the dam (if ISIS agrees) will only lead to a human and ecological (zoological and agricultural) catastrophe in Syria and in Iraq.
According to information obtained by Al-Akhbar, Aleppo locals (who had already launched many initiatives to reach solutions for a number of local issues) began a race against time to recommend solutions for the problem, including putting the thermal plant at al-Safira back to work, which may convince ISIS to spare the Euphrates Dam turbines, and in turn preserve current water levels in the lake.
In case it succeeds, such a step would only rescue whatever water and structures are left, and would ward off further repercussions of the crisis that has already started. A halt to the water supply is now inevitable and can’t be resolved unless the Turkish government takes the decision to resume pumping Euphrates water.
In any case, it is worth mentioning that the water in the lake would take about a month, after resuming pumping, to return to its normal levels.
Top: "The decrease in water levels" Bottom: "Euphrates Dam" (Photo: Al-Akhbar)
A historical conflict
The Euphrates River has historically been at the center of a conflict between Turkey on the one hand and both Syria and Iraq on the other. Ankara insists on considering the Euphrates a “trans-boundary river” and not an “international river,” hence it is “not subject to international laws.” Also, Turkey is one of the only three countries in the world (along with China and Burundi) that opposed the Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1997.
In 1987, a temporary agreement between Syria and Turkey was signed to share the water supplies of the Euphrates during the period when the basin of the Ataturk Dam was being filled. In virtue of the agreement, Turkey pledged to provide an annual level of over 500 cubic meters of water a second on the Turkish-Syrian borders, until reaching a final agreement about sharing the water supplies of the river between the three countries. In 1994, Syria registered the agreement at the United Nations to guarantee the minimum amount of Iraq and Syria’s right to the water from the Euphrates River.
Al Jazeera....
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Islamic Front says underground blast killed up to 40 government soldiers, in second attack of its type this month.
Last updated: 31 May 2014 14:21
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The Islamic Front posted a video to YouTube showing the moment of the blast
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| Rebels in Syria claim to have killed up to 40 government soldiers in Aleppo by tunnelling under their positions and setting off an underground bomb. The Islamic Front, an alliance of rebel brigades, said on Saturday it had dug the tunnel and set off the explosives. The rebel group posted a video to Twitter of the explosion, saying it killed at least 40 pro-government soldiers. The video shows the moment of blast, followed by a huge cloud of debris in the air. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights group said the blast took place near the Zahrawi market, not far from the citadel in Old Aleppo. It said at least 20 people were killed. According to the UK-based group, fighting broke out after the explosion. Al Jazeera cannot independently verify the group's information. Last month, fighters from Liwa al-Tawhid, which is part of the Islamic Front, detonated explosivesunderneath the Carlton hotel in Aleppo that was being used as an army base. The same technique has also been used in Idlib province. Meanwhile, an American citizen has been identified as a suicide bomber who detonated a truck bomb outside a restaurant in Idlib on May 25. |
Moon of Alabama....
Syria: Obama To Work With Assad?
Leslie Gelb, former president of the Council on Foreign Relations, muses about Obama's speech in West Point. The piece includes this nugget on Syria:
This may well surprise experts, but senior administration officials tell me that Obama has been modifying his objective and is now prepared to work with Assad, to some degree, along with the moderate rebels, against what the White House finally has come to see as the real and major threat—the jihadists. These senior officials further say that they expect support in this new policy from previous opponents, i.e. from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states. Let us hope that this is true.
Amen.
As is know none of the "moderate rebels" in Syria are actually moderate. That leaves the Syrian government under President Assad as the only party to work with. The rumor Leslie Gelb spreads here rings true because in his speech Obama, despite earlier announcements, did not spell out any additional help for the Syrian opposition. Maybe he recognized that U.S. training is not really necessary to teach the jihadists "how to finish off soldiers still alive after an ambush."
Anti War...
Al-Qaeda Kidnaps Nearly 200 Kurds from North Syria
193 Kurds Taken in Latest Raid on Kurdish Village
by Jason Ditz, May 30, 2014
Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) has raided the Kurdish village of Qabasin in Aleppo Province,kidnapping at least 193 civilians and marching them off to AQI-held territory.
AQI has been fighting with Kurdish militias in the northeast of the country for months now, but in Aleppo, where the Kurds are a smaller minority, they have been regularly targeted by Islamist fighters.
AQI also attacked another Kurdish town in Aleppo, Ras al-Ayn, killing at least 15 civilians there after chasing off the small Kurdish militia trying to guard it.
Aleppo Province remains contested among several factions, with AQI and the Islamic Front holding most of the region, but the Syrian military retaining a foothold in the city itself. The Kurdish villages, to the extent they are still left, seem too far outside of Kurdish territory to be defensible, and are likely to be slowly evacuated by residents in favor of the relative safety of the areas along the Iraqi Kurdistan border.
Itar Tass...
US weapon supplies to Syrian militants can backfire — Russian FM
May 30, 19:58 UTC+4
Moscow “invariably advocates peace settlement of the internal armed conflict in Syria calling for prompt renewal of negotiations in Geneva”
Moscow “invariably advocates peace settlement of the internal armed conflict in Syria calling for prompt renewal of negotiations in Geneva”
MOSCOW, May 30. /ITAR-TASS/. US weapon supplies to Syrian militants will escalate the conflict and can backfire, Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday.
“At the time of the presidential election campaign’s final stage, illegal armed groups have sharply intensified terrorist activities aimed at escalating tensions and intimidating civilians ahead of the election on June 3,” goes the statement.
Terrorists launched shell and rocket attacks on the local rallies in support of the candidates, the foreign ministry. The tragedy in the city of Daraa, where a mortar shell hit a crowd, killing 39 and injuring 205, was the most outrageous of them.
Random mortar shelling of residential areas in Syria continues, says the statement, the special target being areas densely populated by ethnic and confessional minorities. A car bomb explosion in the Alawite neighborhood of Homs, Zahra, killed 12 and injured 40. The Christian city of Mharda was hit by rocket artillery.
Tensions between the government forces and armed opposition persist, the ministry said. The Syrian regular army has advanced in the strategically important Damascus suburb, Mliha, near the international airport, and achieved some success in the fighting for control of Aleppo where they lifted the more than a year-long siege of the central prison. Meanwhile, illegal groups press on in the governorates of Idlib and Daraa.
“Fighting the terrorist groups, where jihadists from all over the world play the key role, the Syrian government offers a chance to the people who became militants by mistake and have not committed grave crimes to get back to normal life,” said the Russian Foreign Ministry. The list of places, where the government has called truce, has been recently replenished by several Damascus neighbourhoods. Truce is expected soon in the last stronghold of the opposition forces in Waar, Homs.
The ministry is “seriously concerned about the media reports the US Administration is intending to boost military supplies to 'right' militants of the Syrian armed opposition”. “Many publications confirm supplies of 'lethal military aid' to the opposition, though Washington has recently mentioned only non-lethal aid for Bashar Assad’s opponents,” goes the comment.
The Russian Foreign Ministry believes this will escalate “the sanguinary conflict in Syria”.
“Besides, modern weapon supplies to “verified militants” will in all likelihood fall into the hands of terrorists who will be able to use it in any corner of the world, in particular against the interests of their foreign sponsor,” goes the comment.
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In this connection, the ministry pointed to a report in The New York Times. The story goes that last August, a local group in Tripoli easily seized a well-guarded government base that served as a storage for the US-supplied military products. Similar seizures of warehouses with the US aid for the so-called “moderates” by Islamists of the Free Syrian Army took place in Syria last January, goes the ministry’s comment.
Moscow “invariably advocates peace settlement of the internal armed conflict in Syria calling for prompt renewal of negotiations in Geneva”.
Anti War...
Anti War...
Libya....
Haftar Leads a Coup: A General’s Odd War on the Muslim Brotherhood
by Ramzy Baroud, May 31, 2014
On 16 May, Libya’s rogue general Khalifa Haftar staged several bloody attacks against other Libyan militias in the name of eradicating terrorism by leading a paramilitary force evasively named the Libyan National Army. His well-equipped brigades were rapidly joined by officers from national army bases in the eastern parts of the country.
Units from the air force also joined in, along with tribal gunmen and other militias, particularly the strong and notorious Zintan militia. The well-coordinated attacks, named Operation Karama, or Dignity, resulted in heavy casualties.
When Karama Is Not Dignity
Then, with unprecedented audacity, on Thursday he struck the parliament, sending Libyan lawmakers from the General National Council (GNC) fleeing for their lives. Among his demands: the dismissal of the parliament and the judiciary to take control of the country’s affairs until the next elections scheduled for 25 June. The man is supposedly a proponent for a democratically elected civilian government, a contradiction that is becoming quite common in post-‘Arab Spring’ Middle East.
During the attack on the parliament and the seizure of government buildings, Haftar’s forces were backed by warplanes and helicopters. The show of force was massive, even for post-rebellion and NATO-led war Libya where guns are available in abundance. Needless to say, Haftar is not a rogue general acting alone. He is supported by former Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan, and has strong, rich Libyan and Arab backers. His long history of relations with the CIA is neither "misleading" or "old news" as suggested by a recent article in the UK’s Guardian newspaper. But what is his story? And will he succeed in becoming the Libyan equivalent of Egypt’s General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi?
The February ‘Coup’
Haftar has been actively pursuing a similar media discourse to that of Egypt’s Sisi, who seized power after overthrowing the democratically elected government of Mohammed Morsi in July 2013. Sisi had masked his action in a lexicon that is predicated on a very simple logic: associating the Muslim Brotherhood with terrorism, and vowing to crush the "terrorists" who are supposedly threatening Egypt’s national security. In a series of interviews, including one with US network Fox News, Sisi warned of the danger of Islamic terrorism coming from eastern Libya, and called for US military support. The "national security" argument is helping Sisi shift the focus from urban centers where Egyptian youth has staged daily and nightly protests demanding the restoration of democracy to the periphery – as in Hamas in Gaza, militants in Sinai, terrorists in Libya, and even Sudan.
Haftar is also out to crush the Islamists, but the problem is that Libya’s Muslim Brotherhood is hardly the dominant political force in that country. Haftar knows well that Islamic-leaning parties in Libya are not all one and the same. Yet, he seemed keen on emphasizing the Brotherhood as a target behind his ongoing war. He told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper in an interview published in May that he intends to "purge" Libya of Muslim Brotherhood members. They are a "malignant disease that is seeking to spread throughout the bones of the Arab world". He even formed a Libyan counterpart of Egypt’s Supreme Council of the Armed Forces.
The Libyans are certainly not Haftar’s target audience. Their contention is with the security chaos that has afflicted their country due to warring militias following the NATO-backed victory over Muammar Gaddafi. In fact, Haftar is himself leading some of these militias, and his "army" has contributed to the political uncertainty and violence in Libya. The former Libyan general is clearly attempting to exploit Egypt’s woes to his advantage, but is also vying for attention from various western governments – especially Washington that until now seems rather reluctant to criticize Haftar’s attempted coup.
In fact, Washington’s indecision is similar to its silence when Haftar had attempted to stage the first coup last February, but failed. Afterwards, in a televised speech, Haftar denounced the government, and announced his own "initiative", a roadmap of sorts that saw the disbanding of parliament. Few took him serious and top government officials mocked his coup attempt. One described it as "ridiculous". But consequently, many discovered the name Haftar, and some became keenly interested to learn more.
Did the Americans Know?
Ashour Shamis is a former partner of Haftar. Both were members of the US-funded Libyan National Army in the 1980s. In a recent interview with the Guardian he remarked, "I don’t think something like this can happen in Libya and the Americans would not know about it." According to Shamis, the Americans "want to see how much momentum Haftar has and how far he goes." Indeed, Haftar is doing a great deal to get Washington’s attention, which has somewhat divested from Libya since the killing of its ambassador there and three others in September 2012.
To win favor with Washington, Haftar’s list of enemies also includes Ansar al-Sharia, which along with other militias in Benghazi was accused of plotting the attack against the US embassy. But it shouldn’t be too difficult for Haftar to gain Washington’s trust. In fact, he already has. It is no secret that Haftar has had strong backing from the US Central Intelligence Agency for nearly three decades.
The man has been branded and rebranded throughout his colorful and sometimes mysterious history. He fought as an officer in the Chadian-Libyan conflict, and was captured alongside his entire unit of 600 men. During his time in prison, Chad experienced a regime change (both regimes were backed by French and US intelligence) and Haftar and his men were released per US request as he was moved to another African country. While some chose to return home, others knew well what would await them in Libya, for reasons explained by the New York Times on 17 May, 1991.
"For two years, United States officials have been shopping around for a home for about 350 Libyan soldiers who cannot return to their country because American intelligence officials had mobilized them into a commando force to overthrow Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, the Libyan leader," NYT reported. "Now, the Administration has given up trying to find another country that will accept the Libyans and has decided to bring them to the United States."
Haftar was then relocated to a Virginia suburb in the early 1990s, where he settled very close to the CIA headquarters in Langley. The news is murky about his exact activities living near Washington DC, except for his ties to Libyan opposition forces, which of course operated according to US diktats.
In his thorough report, published in the Business Insider, Russ Baker traced much of Haftar’s activities since his split from Gaddafi and adoption by the CIA. "A Congressional Research Service report of December 1996 named Haftar as the head of the (National Front For The Salvation of Libya) NFSL’s military wing, the Libyan National Army. After he joined the exile group, the CRS report added, Haftar began "preparing an army to march on Libya". The NFSL, the CSR said, is in exile "with many of its members in the United States".
It took nearly 15 years for Haftar to march on Libya. It also took a massive war that was purported to support a popular uprising. Although he clearly attempts to brand himself as a potential Sisi, Haftar, per Baker’s description, is the Libyan equivalent of Iraq’s Ahmed Chalabi, a discredited figure with strong allies in Washington DC, Chalabi was sent to post-Saddam Iraq to lead the "democratization" process. Instead, he helped set the stage for the calamity under way there.
It is no wonder why Haftar’s return was a major source of controversy. Since the news of his CIA affiliation was no big secret, his return to Libya to join the rebels in March 2011 caused much confusion. Almost immediately, he was announced by a military spokesman as the rebels’ new commander, only for the announcement to be dismissed by the National Transitional Council as false. The NTC was largely a composition of equally enigmatic characters that had little presence within Libya’s national consciousness. Haftar found himself as the third man on the military ladder, which he grudgingly accepted.
The Right Man for Libya?
Haftar’s legacy has been linked to military coups as early as 1969, when he, along with a few soldiers, helped Gaddafi overthrow King Idris. Between then and the last two coups, he was, and perhaps still is, affiliated with the CIA. But Libya is gripped by extreme violence and is hostage to the whims of militias, some tribal, others affiliated with small towns and large cities – Misrata, Zintan and so on – and others are loosely affiliated with government ministries. In times of such befuddling strife, some people might be ready to accept feeble alternatives. Despite his dubious legacy, Haftar might oddly enough appear to some as Libya’s strong man.
As expected, many are not convinced. Powerful militias are also lining up against Haftar. Misrata’s 235 militia brigades are ready to fight. They have already deployed near Tripoli. If this showdown is allowed to carry on, a bloody civil war will be awaiting Libya, one that might prove even bloodier and lengthier than the NATO-led war against Gaddafi. This time around, however, neither NATO nor the US seem willing to get involved again, at least not until one warring camp proves worthy of their support. In all cases, Libya’s suffering is likely to linger.
Libya General Says Pro-Coup Rallies Give Him ‘Mandate’
Vows to Rid Libya of 'Fundamentalists'
by Jason Ditz, May 30, 2014
Rallies endorsing Libyan coup leader Gen. Khalifa Hifter were held today in Tripoli and Benghazi, and were met by counter-demonstrations backing parliament, as the divided post-Gadhafi nation grows ever more polarized.
Gen. Hifter presented the rallies as his “mandate to fight terrorism,” and vowed to continue on with his military operations nationwide until the country is cleansed of “fundamentalists.”
The leader of the self-proclaimed Libyan National Army, Gen. Hifter attacked parliament two weeks ago, seizing the governing body and declaring it dissolved, claiming that it was run by Islamists.
Hifter’s forces are facing a growing array of rival militias, which oppose the takeover and are loyal to parliament. The nation seems to be slipping ever-closer to a civil war.
Libya Herald articles....
Russia confirms support for Thinni government
By Libya Herald staff.
Prime Minister Abdullah Al-Thinni with Russian Chargé d’Affaires Leonid Frolov (Photo: Prime Minister’s office)
Tripoli, 30 May 2104:
Russia supports the government of Prime Minister Abdullah Al-Thinni. This was relayed to him by the Russian Chargé d’Affaires, Leonid Frolov, at a meeting at the Prime Ministry yesterday morning.
On its website, the Prime Minister’s office added that Frolov had confirmed Moscow’s support for the government’s efforts to build a state based on law and order and its willingness to help achieve that end.
For his part, Thinni explained out that his government was working to establish stability in the country.
The meeting came after the General National Congress had approved the cabinet list presented by Ahmed Maetig, which in its eyes formalises his appointment as prime minister.
However, with the legality of that appointment rejected by the Ministry of Justice, Thinni told Frolov that he was obliged to remain in office until any further judicial decision was made.
With elections to the new House of Representatives less than four weeks away, it is increasingly thought unlikely that Maetig will became de facto prime minister, unless the new House appoints him.
Date for new parliamentary elections 25 June
By Moutaz Ali.
Tripoli, 30 May 2014:
The date of the elections for Libya’s new parliament has been set for 25 June after the General National Congress (GNC) approved the date proposed by the Higher National Electoral Commission (HNEC).
Libyans living abroad will be able to vote on 21 or 22 June, at polling stations in 13 countries.
The number of newly-registered voters reached 1.5 million at midnight last night. This figure does not include the 1.1 million people who had registered to vote for the Constitutional Drafting Assembly elections in March.
HNEC has that said as of 1 June, the process of it would start approving applications from international organisations interested in observing the electoral processes.
Jordan tells citizens to leave Libya “as soon as possible”
By Libya Herald staff.
Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Amman (Photo: Petra News Agency)
Tripoli, 30 May 2014:
Jordan’s Foreign Ministry has become the latest country to tell its citizens to leave the Libya as soon as possible and not to travel to it because of the deteriorating security situation.
A week ago, Jordan has warned its citizens to avoid going to areas of conflict in Libya.
On Tuesday, the US State Department advised Americans told to leave Libya immediately, saying that Libyan security was “unpredictable and unstable”.
Filipinos have also been advised this week by their government to leave Libya. There is no sign as yet, however, that significant numbers of the 14,000 Filipinos are leaving.
US Military’s Satellite Launches Still Depend on Russia’s Rockets
Officials Unhappy, But Struggle to Create a New Space Industry
by Jason Ditz, May 30, 2014
One of the many secret shames of the US military is that their military spy satellites and spacecraft, though nominally provided by a domestic partnership of Lockheed and Boeing called the United Launch Alliance (ULA), is dependent entirely on Russian-made rockets.
ULA has a virtual monopoly on US government launches, but buys its RD-180 rocket engines from Russian military exporters, meaning the monopoly is really Russia’s. Russian officials recently banned the sale of RD-180 rockets to US importers if they are intended for military applications.
Pentagon officials say they’re not clear if that ban is serious or not, but despite talking up their “two-year stockpile,” the Pentagon’s planned launches require 38 engines, and they’re down to only 16.
Military officials aren’t happy, and Congressional hawks are furious, saying its unacceptable to be buying foreign-made rockets to begin with, but the many billions of dollars and many years it will cost to create a domestic “space industry” just to support the military’s operations is not the sort of thing that disappears simply because it makes officials upset.
If anything, the military’s desire to throw money at well-connected domestic companies like ULA created the “problem” for them, as ULA never imagined it would have to make rocket engines itself when it could just buy Russian and jack up the prices.
Info Wars...
What do the global elites want ? Check out secret Bilderberg agenda.....
Bilderberg actually talks nukes, euro nationalism and… Barack Obama – leak
The officially released agenda of the prestigious Bilderberg club meeting is not true, claims RT show host Daniel Estulin, a longtime watcher of the ‘secret world govt’ group. He says he obtained the real agenda for this year’s gathering in Copenhagen.
An insider leaked the list of talking points for the ongoing Bilderberg conference to the investigative journalist last week, he said. The list has nine items, seven of which he shared:
1) Nuclear diplomacy and the deal with Iran currently in the making.
The club has long been cautious of a possible alliance between Russia, China and Iran. The deal that would lift Western pressure from the Islamic Republic over its nuclear program would affect this possibility.
2) Gas deal between Russia and China.
It came amid a serious political crisis in Ukraine, which threatens Russia’s supply of natural gas to European nations. Moscow has diversified its gas trade by sealing a long-term contract with Beijing. Potentially, China may replace the EU as the prime energy trade partner for Russia, a situation which strengthens Moscow’s position in Ukraine by undermining Washington’s effort to isolate Russia and Kiev’s leverage through its control of transit gas pipelines.
3) Rise of nationalist moods in Europe.
The agenda was formed before the latest European Parliament elections, which cast a spotlight on the trend. Populist eurosceptic parties are winning the hearts of Europeans from the UK to Greece to Hungary, dealing a blow to the union’s unity. A nationally driven and divided Europe would be reluctant to take globalization for granted.
4) EU internet privacy regulations.
Edward Snowden’s exposure of the scale of electronic surveillance on the part of the US National Security Agency and its allies worldwide sparked a major protest from privacy-seeking people. European politicians can’t ignore the calls to protect people’s communication from snooping, which potentially makes data collection more difficult. At least not immediately, as indicated by the apparent scaling down of Germany’s investigation into the NSA’s alleged surveillance.
5) Cyberwarfare and its potential effect on internet freedoms.
The destructive potential of cyber attacks is growing rapidly as reliance on the internet in all aspects of life rises. But the threat of state-sponsored hacker attacks is what some governments may use as a pretext for clamping down on the internet, undermining its role as a medium for the sake of security.
6) From Ukraine to Syria, Barack Obama’s foreign policy.
Critics of the US president blame him for betraying America’s leadership overseas, citing failures to defend American interests in Syria and lately in Ukraine. Obama’s newly announced doctrine calls on scaling down reliance on military force and using diplomacy and collective action instead. Bilderberg members will discuss whether this policy is doomed.
7) Climate change.
This is a regular topic for many high-ranking discussions, not only the Bilderberg conference in Denmark. People suspicious of the elites call climate change a euphemism for the artificial deindustrialization of some nations, with the goal of keeping the global economy under the control of transnational corporations and the expense of potential hubs of economic growth.
The Bilderberg Group is a six-decades-old club for some of the world’s most influential individuals, politicians, officials, businessmen, academics and European royalty, regularly gathering to discuss global policy issues. Critics accuse them of acting as a shadow unelected government, would-be rulers of the world, which take decisions affecting billions of people behind closed doors, with little regard for the needs or wishes of the general population.
In an apparent bid to dissipate these accusations, this time Bilderberg made its official agendapublic. Among the 12 topics for this year’s conference were “the new architecture of the Middle East,” “Ukraine” and “The future of democracy and the middle class trap.”
Obama following point 7 agenda item ?
President Barack Obama said the curbs on carbon emissions to combat climate change that his administration plans to unveil next week will also help address a growing threat to the nation’s health.
“We don’t have to choose between the health of our economy and the health of our children,” he said in his weekly address, which was recorded yesterday at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington. “As president, and as a parent, I refuse to condemn our children to a planet that’s beyond fixing.”
The Environmental Protection Agency is scheduled to announce a plan to limit carbon emissions from U.S. power plants on June 2. The two-tired regulation will seek reductions in greenhouse gases of as much as 25 percent over 15 years, according to people familiar with the proposal.
Obama’s address is part of an attempt by the White House to frame the coming debate over the new rules in personal terms, casting climate change as an issue that directly impacts Americans’ daily lives.
The costs of climate change, Obama said, “can be measured in lost lives and livelihoods, lost homes and businesses; and higher prices for food, insurance, and rebuilding.”
Obama recorded the address after meeting with children who are being treated at the hospital for asthma, which is aggravated by air pollution. As part of the campaign to build support for the rules, which are to be unveiled by the EPA, he plans to talk about the initiative during a conference call with the American Lung Association and other public health groups.
Scientists and physicians increasingly link a rise in allergies, asthma and other respiratory diseases to the elevated levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere caused by climate change.
A study published in the September 2011 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that asthma-related emergency hospital visits by children are likely to increase by the 2020s as climate change leads to higher ground-level ozone concentrations.
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