EU-DIGEST

Prospects for Turkey’s accession to the exclusive European club may look dimmer than ever but the republic, which is Nato’s only Muslim member, is increasingly turning eastward for its ambitions. From the Balkans to the Caucasus to the Middle East, Turkey is focusing its energies on establishing an arc of influence in many countries which were once part of the Ottoman empire. But instead of rose-perfumed pashas in embroidered caftans invading Arab lands with cadres of janissaries, Turkish politicians are arriving with delegations of business leaders dangling lucrative trade deals to the economically stagnant region.

“Turkey is carrying western values to its eastern neighbours,” said Mustafa Kutley, an Ankara-based contributor to the Turkish Weekly journal. “It is trying a very European approach: while increasing the wealth of its country it is transforming the continent from one of violence to one of wealth. That is what Europe once did. The EU is less important on the Turkish agenda.”

Labels: EU, Middle East, Nato, Turkey

The official explained to Bibi Netanyahu that if there was a peace settlement, extra investment would push Israel's long-term growth rate from 5% a year to 7%. The Israeli prime minister responded that if the country had 5% growth, it did not need peace. Netanyahu was joking, according to the official who recounted the story – but the quip highlights a serious point. There is no prospect of a settlement between Israelis and Palestinians, and many Israelis are fairly relaxed about that. During a recent visit to Israel, I met very few people who were optimistic about the peace process. Netanyahu says he supports the creation of a Palestinian state. But the terms he is offering – with much of the hypothetical state's security under Israeli control – would not be acceptable to any Palestinian leader.

Many Israeli politicians and businessmen have a dark view of Europe. At a conference I attended in Jerusalem, one minister – a noted dove within the Israeli government – complained about the influence of Muslim minorities on the foreign policies of EU countries. I told him that Germany and the Netherlands, two states with large and vocal Muslim minorities, were among Israel's best friends in Europe. Israelis have long been worried about Iran. But their fear of Turkey – until very recently a close ally – is new. The Turkish government's criticism of Israeli actions in Gaza and its recent cancellation of joint military exercises makes Israelis fret that Turkey is nestling up to the Iran-led coalition. They worry about the growing power of Islamists in Turkey, the diminishing role of the secular army in Turkish public life, and Prime Minister Erdogan's burgeoning friendship with Iran's President Ahmedi-Nejad.

Many more neutral observers, however, believe that Erdogan is trying to balance Turkey's foreign policy between the EU, the US, Russia, Iran and the Arab world, and that may be in Turkey's best interests.

Labels: EU, Israel, Middle East, Turkey, US

African solar energy to power Europe

Twelve European companies on Monday launched a 400 billion euro ($A716.33 billion) initiative to set up huge solar farms in Africa and the Middle East to produce energy for Europe. The consortium which signed the protocol says the huge project could eventually provide up to 15 per cent of Europe's electricity needs. Engineering giants ABB and Siemens, energy groups E.ON and RWE and financial institutions Deutsche Bank and Munich Re are among companies who agreed to begin development of the solar project by the end of October.

Labels: EU, Middle East, Solar Energy

Hamas reacts to Obama's speech - by Alex Koppelman

In the U.S. media, the reaction to President Obama's speech in Cairo is dominated by the usual reactions. Liberals -- for the most part -- liked it. Conservatives -- again, for the most part -- hated it, and are complaining that it showed a lack of backbone, or even a dangerous naivete on Obama's part. That's all well and good, but ultimately it's not the reaction here in the U.S. that matters, and Americans weren't even the target audience. The important reactions come from people like Khaled Meshal, the leader of Hamas. Meshal spoke with Time's Joe Klein after the speech, and he was, unsurprisingly, not overwhelmed. But he did at least sound open-minded, Klein said, and that's a start.

And when Klein asked about one section of Obama's speech condemning terror attacks, and about the deliberate targeting of civilians, a response from an aide to Meshal showed, further, the difficulty the U.S. has in being seen as the neutral arbiter it fancies itself. "But civilians die in wars," the aide said. "You call it collateral damage."

Labels: Barack Obama, Middle East

Obama vs. bin Laden: A battle for Muslim hearts - by Carlyle Murphy

Audiotapes attributed to Al Qaeda's two top leaders have sought to discredit President Obama on the eve of his much-heralded speech to the Muslim world in Cairo, declaring that he is no different from his predecessor and follows the same anti-Muslim policies.Some analysts believe the tapes suggest Al Qaeda is on its back foot – both because of Obama's overtures to the Muslim world, and because of the rise of Islamist militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah. Thomas Hegghammer, the moderator of jihadica.com, a blog that monitors jihadi Internet activity, also says that the fact that bin Laden's tape didn't mention the Cairo speech and was delivered straight to Al Jazeera instead of released online may suggest greater restriction of movement and access.

"The most interesting thing about it was that it was not released on the Internet. It was handed directly to Al Jazeera," he says. "It may mean that bin Laden is not in a situation to record and post his statements on the Internet, which has been the case the last few years."

Labels: Barack Obama, Bin Laden, Middle East

France Opens First Military Base in the Gulf - by Matthew Saltmersh

President Nicolas Sarkozy opened France’s first military facilities in the Gulf on Tuesday, deepening the government’s alliance with the United Arab Emirates and highlighting its shifting foreign policy priorities. Mr. Sarkozy attended a ceremony to open French naval, air and army facilities in Abu Dhabi. The bases are the first permanent French military installations to be built outside of French territory since the process of decolonization began more than half a century ago. The Gulf is of geopolitical importance both because of its gas and oil resources and because of its proximity to Iran. Abu Dhabi sits just 225 kilometers, or 140 miles, directly across the Gulf from Iran.

Labels: EU, France, Middle East

Last Minute Schedule Change - Obama Adds Saudi Arabia As First Stop to Mideast Trip - by Michael D.Shear

President Obama will travel to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for a previously unannounced visit during which he will discuss Mideast peace with King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, press secretary Robert Gibbs said today. The visit will take place the day before Obama is to deliver a speech in Cairo, Egypt. In the speech, he is expected to speak broadly to the Muslim world and also discuss his hopes for peace in the region. Gibbs said that Obama will hold no public events in Riyadh but will have a private dinner with the King and will spend the night in the city before heading to Egypt.

Labels: Barack Obama, Middle East, Saudi Arabia

Israel warns EU against criticizing new govt

Israel has warned the European Union to limit its criticism of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's largely right-wing cabinet or risk losing involvement in the Middle East peace process, an official said on Thursday. The warning was issued in a series of phone conversations in recent days between the deputy director of the Israeli foreign ministry's European desk Rafi Barak and the ambassadors of Britain, France and Germany, the official told AFP on condition of anonymity. "Israel asks the European Union to keep a low profile and conduct a quiet dialogue... But if these declarations continue, Europe will not be able to have involvement in the peace process and both sides will lose," the senior official quoted Barak as telling the ambassadors.

Note EU-Digest: What will Israel's next step be if the EU continues their critique? Bomb the EU ?? Israel better watch out with these kind of comments not to lose more of the few true friends and commercial partners they have left in the world.

Labels: EU, Israel, Middle East

Railroads-European companies hope to prosper from railway mania in the Middle East

Railways have not made much news in the Middle East since Lawrence of Arabia blew up the Hijaz line in 1918. But bosses in the $165 billion global rail industry have been flocking to the Gulf lately, lured by the prospect of an investment boom. Every country in the region has drawn up plans for ambitious rail projects. Qatar and Kuwait are spending around $10 billion each, and the United Arab Emirates is shelling out twice that. On their shopping lists are monorails, bullet-trains and local metros, the first of which (pictured) will open in Dubai in September. Not to be outdone, Saudi Arabia plans to spend $15 billion to increase the size of its rail network nearly five-fold. Pilgrims could be riding the rails to Mecca and Medina at 360kph (225mph) as early as next year, rather than plodding along the kingdom’s notoriously crash-prone roads. And this is just the beginning. All these planned national lines will eventually be connected into a regional network, at a further cost of at least $14 billion.

Labels: EU, Kuwait, Middle East, Qatar, Railways

The Turkish joker - by Mustafa El-Labbad

President Barack Obama's recent visit to Turkey inaugurated a new chapter in the assignation of roles in the Middle East. It marked a clear recognition of Turkey's political and geographic importance in the region and gave a green light to Ankara's more active engagement in shaping international balances of power. The significance of this should not be lost on us. It marks the beginning of a new strategic partnership between the world's main superpower and a rising regional power, and its effects are certain to be felt for some time to come in that huge geographical arc extending from the southern borders of Russia through the Caucasus, Iran and Iraq, to Syria and the eastern Mediterranean. The US presence in the region had suddenly pulled the rug from under Ankara's feet as proxy, a role that it had performed so well, and to make matters worse the surge of Turkish national ambitions beneath the American umbrella in Iraq threatened to spill over into Turkey and ultimately threaten its territorial integrity. The resolve of the Obama administration to break with the Bush administration's policy has dramatically altered this situation. Washington is now set to withdraw from Iraq and it wants Ankara's logistical and political support. Only in this context can we understand the significance of the Obama visit.

In addition to having been elevated to a new special footing with the US as a strategic partner and as the new American president's sole regional forum for addressing the Islamic world in the hope of repairing the American image so drastically damaged by Bush, Ankara has won additional kudos in NATO. In short, with all its strategic advantages, Turkey is in a position to help Washington achieve a whole gamut of objectives in the far-reaching geopolitical game that is unfolding on that vast board that stretches across the Middle East, Central Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia. Indeed, Turkey could well become the "joker" that the Obama administration will depend on to trump the US adversaries' cards in the different parts of the board. Although this administration is still in the process of getting the feel of all players, so far it appears that the Turkish card will prove an invaluable and reliable asset.

Labels: EU, Iraq, Middle East, Turkey, US

Sarkozy - A Whirlwind Meets the Mideast - by Jim Hoagland

"Action is my policy," Nicolas Sarkozy once explained to a foreign acquaintance. And movement is the French president's only constant. So welcome to the Middle East, Monsieur le President. You may have found a crisis to measure up to your metabolism. His quicksilver qualities made Sarkozy the most interesting leader on the international scene over the past year, if not the most consequential or successful. By interjecting himself into the small but brutal Israeli-Palestinian war in the Gaza Strip, Sarkozy continues to plunge headfirst where others tiptoe away."He shakes things up, calculates what has been gained or lost, and then moves on," says a close associate. "He is a lawyer, at heart as well by profession, ready to handle things on a case-by-case basis rather than insisting on organizing principles."

President of the European Union for the second half of 2008, Sarkozy "was brutal in the way he ran E.U. meetings, giving the Poles 10 minutes to decide, cornering the Germans when they tried to duck and annoying everyone over something," says another Sarkozy colleague. "But it was the only way to get decisions in an organization of 27 sovereign nations."

Labels: EU, Middle East, Nicolas Sarkozy

Czech GDP growth to slow to 4.4 pct

In 2009, Czech economy should grow by 3.6 percent, the EC said.The EC forecast is in harmony with the Czech Finance Ministry´s estimates. The ministry expects GDP growth at 4.4 percent this year, and at 3.8 - 3.6 percent next year. The Czech National Bank (CNB) says the growth may be even lower. In the whole EU and euro zone, economic growth will almost stop owing to the financial crisis, the forecast says. The EU´s GDP should grow by just 0.2 percent next year, and in the euro zone the growth should reach just 0.1 percent.

Labels: Czech Republic, Economy, EU, Middle East

EU Condemns 'Unacceptable' Palestinian Deaths

The European Union's top foreign-policy official on Saturday condemned as "unacceptable" the death of Palestinian civilians in Israeli air-strikes and called for an end to violence. The death toll is now over 270. "The current Israeli strikes are inflicting an unacceptable toll on Palestinian civilians and will only worsen the humanitarian crisis as well as complicate the search for a peaceful solution," EU High Representative Javier Solana said in a statement. "I call for an immediate cessation of military actions on both sides. The EU has repeatedly condemned rocket attacks against Israel," the statement said.

Labels: EU, Gaza, Hamas, Israel, Middle East

Yearender: Marked changes in world's political, economic landscape - by Sun Ruijun and Bao Erwen

The world has undergone remarkable changes this year, but international security situation on the whole remained stable with "peace" and "development" prevailing as the themes of the times. In 2008, the world has continued moving toward multi-polarization, resulting in a distinctive shift of international forces. Globalization is developing in depth and regional cooperation is gathering momentum.The world has been confronted with one hotspot issue after another and non-traditional threats are increasing. The world economic growth took a turn for the worse due to the outbreak of the global financial crisis.

The United States has been acting as the world's only superpower in 2008, but the financial turmoil, which broke out in Wall Street in September, showed its vulnerability.Meanwhile, the European Union (EU) continued to enhance its independence and influence in international affairs. In March, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and French President Nicolas Sarkozy said their countries share a vision of a "global Europe."

Labels: EU, Gaza, Hamas, Israel, Middle East

Iran, Arab world react to Gaza bombardment - by Borzou Daragahi

Iran's highest political and religious authority made a provocative religious appeal today to Muslims worldwide, saying "true believers" were "duty-bound to defend" Palestinians suffering under two days of Israeli bombardment in the Gaza Strip. But Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's message fell short of a call to arms amid speculation about how Tehran and other allies of Hamas would respond to the ongoing attack on the militant group's facilities in the densely packed coastal enclave. It also did not meet the definition of a fatwa, a religiously binding legal ruling. "All true believers in the world of Islam and Palestinian fighters are duty-bound to defend the defenseless women and children in Gaza Strip and those giving their lives in carrying out such a divine duty are 'martyrs,' " Khamenei said in a statement, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency.

Labels: Gaza, Hamas, Israel, Middle East

Anti-Israeli protests across Europe

Protesters turned out across Europe Sunday to demonstrate against Israel's air assault on the Gaza Strip, while European leaders called on Israel and Hamas to end the bloodshed. British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said this was a "dangerous moment" and called for an immediate cease-fire by both Israel and Hamas, which controls Gaza. About 700 protesters descended on the Israeli embassy in London's Kensington neighborhood a day after the airstrikes on Gaza began. More than 280 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza health official Dr. Moaiya Hassanain.

Labels: EU, Gaza, Hamas, Israel, Middle East

European Union criticizes Israel for using disproportionate force against Hamas

The European Union criticized Israel for using disproportionate force against Hamas and called for an immediate end to hostilities. The EU also called upon Israel to reopen borders into the Gaza Strip to fuel and food shipments, which have been disrupted since an economic and military blockade began in 2007. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko called on Israel to end its 'combat activities which have already led to great loss and suffering among the peaceful Palestinian population.'

Labels: EU, Hamas, Israel, Middle East

IAEA 'puts Israeli nukes on agenda'

The UN nuclear watchdog has unanimously agreed to put the issue of Israel's nuclear capabilities on the agenda of its annual meeting. After requests by the Non-Aligned Movement and the Arab League, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) agreed to put the issue of Israel's nuclear capabilities on the agenda of the 52nd annual meeting of the UN body.

The move was initially met with protests by the US and Canada but the two countries had to back down from their position after they realized that other member states of the IAEA meeting's presidential board would not support their stance, an informed source told Fars News Agency on Monday. Israel is believed to possess the only nuclear arsenal of the Middle East but it has so far refused to allow IAEA inspectors to visit its nuclear sites.

Labels: IAEA, Iran, Israel, Middle East, Nuclear weapons

Fear of new Mid East 'Cold War' as Syria strengthens military alliance with Russia - by Kevin O’Flynn and James Hider

Syria raised the prospect yesterday of having Russian missiles on its soil, sparking fears of a new Cold War in the Middle East. President Assad said as he arrived in Moscow to clinch a series of military agreements: “We are ready to co-operate with Russia in any project that can strengthen its security.” The Syrian leader told Russian newspapers: “I think Russia really has to think of the response it will make when it finds itself closed in a circle.”

Labels: Middle East, Russia, Syria

"Dialog is mightier than the sword" - Hamas leader Dr. Mahmoud Al Zahar at BBC Doha Debates News Show - by Rick Morren

This Sunday morning, while flipping around channels on my TV looking for a news channel, I ran into the Doha Debates, a news special from the BBC World News. It was featuring Dr. Mahmoud Al Zahar, a senior leader of Hamas. The presentation had just started and could certainly be classified as an open public debate, which is most unusual for the Middle East.

The Doha debates are modeled after Oxford Union debates where the the host Tim Sebastian usually presents a motion to the audience, two speakers argue for it, two argue against it, then Sebastian and the audience get the speakers to elaborate on their arguments by asking them questions. In the end, the audience votes to pass or defeat the motion. Over the last four academic years, the Doha Debates have brought academics, government officials, policy experts and religious and cultural figures to Doha the capital of Qatar to debate issues of relevance to the Arab and Islamic worlds.

The Doha debates are not only refreshing to watch, but also a prime example of how free speech works within the context of democracy. Compliments to Dr. Mahmoud Al Zahar for coming to the debate and staying cool while facing a pretty hostile crowd...and an aggressive moderator. Who knows, maybe one day the Doha Debates can also bring Ben Laden to the table for a debate. Dr. Benjamin Franklin once said, "the pen is mightier than the sword." In this case we can say, "dialog is mightier than the sword".

Labels: Dr. Mahmoud Al Zahar, Israel, Middle East, Palestine, The Doha Debates

For the complete report from TIME click on this link

Tony Blair's Leap of Faith - by Michael Elliot

On May 30 in New York, Blair, 55, formally unveiled The Tony Blair Faith Foundation, which, among other things, is dedicated to proving that collaboration among those of different religious faiths can help address some of the world's most pressing social problems."Faith is part of our future," Blair says, "and faith and the values it brings with it are an essential part of making globalization work." For Blair, the goal is to rescue faith from the twin challenges of irrelevance—the idea that religion is no more than an interesting aspect of history—and extremism. Blair and those working with him think religion is key to the global agenda.

"You can't hope to understand what's happening in the world if you don't know that religion is a very important force in people's lives," says Ruth Turner, 37, formerly a top aide to Blair in 10 Downing Street, who will head the foundation. "You can't make the world work properly unless you understand that, while not everyone will believe in God or have a spiritual life, a lot of people will." Blair, she says, has been thinking about these issues "for decades and decades and decades." Over time, says Blair of the foundation's work, "this is how I want to spend the rest of my life."

Labels: Britain, EU, Middle East, Religion, Tony Blair

Out of Africa: a growing threat to Europe from al-Qaeda's new allies - by David Sharrock

Intelligence sources and Western diplomats have told The Times that a new force – an Algerian group calling itself al-Qaeda in the Land of Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) – aims to create an arc of influence throughout North Africa by spreading Osama bin Laden’s “brand” through a fusion of disparate fundamentalist groupings. Ernst Uhrlau, the head of the German foreign intelligence agency, said recently: “We are watching the activities of al-Qaeda in North Africa with great concern. A handful of groups have become ensconced there, largely unobserved, and are strengthening bin Laden’s terrorist network. What is evolving there brings a completely new quality to the jihad on our doorstep.” In Tunisia this week the French President echoed this nervousness. “Who could believe that if tomorrow, or after tomorrow, a Taleban-type regime were established in one of your countries in North Africa, Europe and France could feel secure?” President Sarkozy asked.

Note EU-Digest: It is amazing that most of these alarming reports about terrorism all seem to originate from conservative circles in the US, Britain,France and probably soon also Italy, after Berlusconi took power again. Fear mongering in these circles seems to be their hidden agenda to curb civil liberties and use force to establish a foothold in those countries which have large reserves of natural gas and oil. All we have to do is look at Iraq to see what arguments were used to attack that country and the results following the invasion. We were all fooled then, lets us not fall for the same nonsense again.

Labels: Africa, Conservatives, EU, Middle East, Terrorism

Why Russia always failed in the Middle East - by Dr. Muhammad Shamsaddin Megalommatis

For a country like Russia, with leading academia and famous historians, linguistics, the political failure in the Middle East becomes even stranger a phenomenon to interpret. Before and after the rise of Soviet Union, and down to our days, the Russian universities have been acknowledged for their leading scholars in all Middle East – related Humanities, all branches of Orientalism, African Studies, History of Religions and Islamology, Sociology and Social Anthropology, Ethnography, and Linguistics.The Russians never developed the diplomatic and cultural tools the French and the English employed in the case of numerous colonies, India, Egypt, Morocco, Lebanon, Abyssinia, etc. For the Russians, expansion meant always land annexation, and totalitarian rule; they were able to apply this policy in the case of Central Asia and parts of the Transcaucasia they detached from either the Ottoman Empire or Iran. However, this approach jeopardized the Russian approach to the Middle East.

Labels: EU, Middle East, Russia

Remember him? Bush begins Middle East tour - Leonard Doyle and Andrew Buncombe

Voters in the United States may have switched their attention to the contest to find his successor, but George Bush will embark on an ambitious nine-day tour of the Middle East tomorrow in a last desperate effort to salvage a legacy from two terms in office overshadowed by a catastrophic foreign policy that has earned him the distinction of being one of the worst presidents in the country's history. The Bush legacy will not be peace in the Middle East nor an end to conflict in Iraq, but it could be a political earthquake among voters so dismayed by the mess he has made of America's foreign policy and fearful of economic recession that they are deserting his party in droves. As he prepares to board a plane for Israel and wrap himself in the tattered flag of victory in Iraq, Mr Bush's real legacy to the American people is evident in the disillusionment on display in New Hampshire. Enraged Republicans are switching sides to support the Democrat Barack Obama. Others are backing Mike Huckabee, the maverick Christian conservative hopeful.

Labels: Bush, Diplomacy, Middle East, US

The European Middle East Regional Space: Abbas highlights China's just, constructive role in Middle East

Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday highly praised China's just and constructive role in the Middle East during a meeting here with visiting China's special envoy on the Middle East issue Sun Bigan. Abbas appraised the positive development of ties between the Palestinian territories and China, expressing gratitude for China's help to the Palestinian people. Abbas said that Palestinians will dedicate to solving final status issues through political negotiations with Israel and achieving the goal of setting up an independent Palestinian state, adding that his people welcome China and the international community's active role in promoting the Palestinian goal.

Labels: EU, Middle East, Palestine

IRAN - Bush's real lie about Iran -(Should the EU disassociate itself from US Middle East Policy?) - Flynt Leverett and Hillary Mann Leverett

"The latest National Intelligence Estimate on Iran's nuclear program raises questions once again about the Bush administration's veracity in describing a nuclear threat. But President Bush's worst misrepresentations about the Iranian nuclear issue do not focus on whether Tehran is currently pursuing a nuclear weapons program or when Bush knew the U.S. intelligence community was revising its previous assessments. Rather, the real lie is the president's claim that his administration has made a serious offer to negotiate with the Islamic Republic, and that Iranian intransigence is the only thing preventing a diplomatic resolution. Negotiations over Iran's nuclear activities started in the fall of 2003, initiated not by the United States, but by the "EU-3" -- Britain, France and Germany. Iran, for its part, agreed to suspend its nuclear activities as talks proceeded. But, contrary to Bush's statement at his press conference this week, the United States did not "facilitate" these negotiations. Indeed, the Europeans had launched the talks to fill a diplomatic vacuum, after the Bush administration cut off its post-9/11 dialogue with Iran over Afghanistan and rebuffed an Iranian offer to negotiate a comprehensive resolution of U.S.-Iranian differences earlier that year.

On the day the EU-3 and Iran announced the opening of their negotiations, one of Salon staff was in Paris, meeting with a senior advisor to then-French President Jacques Chirac. This official said forthrightly that the point of the European effort was to "drag" the Bush administration into talks with Iran that it had refused to enter on its own. For more than two years, the Europeans tried to "drag" the administration in, but to no avail."

Note EU-Digest: "There are some interesting developments going on in the Middle East. Europe and Iran throughout the years have always been natural allies and the ties could again be renewed based on mutual respect and cooperation. In the past Iran's leaders, Mohammed Mosaddeq and the Ayatollah Khomeini both had close ties with Europe (France). In contrast, Iran's present relationship with Russia is more one out of necessity than friendship. Russia was the last nation to occupy Iran, and the Persians have a long memory and an outstanding score to settle. The American's also have had a very turbulent relationship with Iran. On August 19, 1953 a coup d'état supported and funded by the British and U.S. governments, and orchestrated by the CIA overthrew the democratically elected government of Mosaddeq. Later during the Ayatollah Khomeini's rule there was a failed rescue attempt of US prisoners on Iran territory by US President Jimmy Carter . The US also supported Saddam's Iraq during their 1980 - 1988 war with Iran. At that time Ted Koppel reported on ABC's Nightline, "It is becoming increasingly clear that George Bush Sr., operating largely behind the scenes throughout the 1980s, initiated and supported much of the financing, intelligence, and military help that built Saddam's Iraq into an aggressive power and the "Reagan/Bush administrations permitted — and frequently encouraged — the flow of money, agricultural credits, dual-use technology, chemicals, and weapons to Iraq.” The above also emphazises that it does not matter if the Republicans or Democrats are in power in America. The US Middle East Policy basically will always remain the same and is not of long term benefit to the Middle East.

In the meantime all eyes should also be on Israel. The new US view, that Iran is acquiring the nuclear technology that could produce weapons but has given up its specific weapons program, and in any event probably could not produce a weapon until 2015, is the opposite of the Israeli assessment. Jerusalem believes Iran will have enough nuclear fuel for a weapon by 2010 at the latest. Senior Israeli officials warned today they were still considering the option of a military strike against Iran. Matan Vilnai, Israel's deputy defense minister, told Israel's Army Radio : "No option needs to be off the table."

Putting all these facts together, which the Iranians are obviously doing, they must also realize that in fact they can really only count on the EU as a true ally, which if persued will eventually allow them to become part of a European strategic regional alliance to benefit the whole region."

Labels: EU, Iran, Israel, Middle East, US

The Middle East needs an EU-led strategy to promote democratic governance

The broader Middle East and south Asia are regions of crucial importance to the EU. Both form a large residual basin akin to a ‘Grand Area’– an outer perimeter of defense on which the security of the European Neighbourhood and ultimately, the EU, depends. The security of the Union depends on the security of the Neighbourhood and the security of the Neighbourhood in turn is determined by the situation in the Grand Area. The EU must become more strategically involved in what is emerging as the geopolitical shatter-belt of the 21st century. In this Grand Area, the EU should throw its weight behind an assertive grand strategy to promote constitutional government and order throughout the region. Britain and the rest of the EU should promote democracy in Pakistan and across south Asia and the broader Middle East, not just as a good in itself but as a vital national and European interest. Finally, a grand strategy underpinned by democratic geopolitics would seek to prevent reckless or self-interested meddling on the part of foreign powers in the Grand Area. Chinese support for Sudan and Russian interference over Iranian nuclear ambitions have been decidedly unhelpful, encouraging disruptive behaviour by both regimes.

Labels: EU, Middle East

Euro thaw towards US not what it seems - Merkel and Sarkozy's political vision show a pragmatic pro- European strategy

Both Merkel and Sarkozy have been contrasted with their predecessors, Jacques Chirac and Gerhard Schroeder, who were leading critics of the Iraq War. They have been feted as "pro-American" European leaders who not only admire America's free-market orientation but are also willing to accept U.S. leadership of a revitalized trans-Atlantic alliance.It would be quite misleading to depict Merkel and Sarkozy as American-style free marketers. Sarkozy's reformist approach fits very much with his stance as an economic nationalist who has also pledged to protect "strategic" French companies from international competition. Similarly, in calling for restrictions on immigration from Muslim countries and for blocking the entry of Turkey into the European Union, the French and German leaders are reflecting what in the context of American politics would be described as nationalist positions. At the same time, their respective agendas on global warming are not very different from that of Al Gore and his allies in the environmentalist movement.

For Sarkozy and Merkel, the current American military intervention in the Middle East is compatible with their short- and mid-term strategic and economic interests. Let the Americans pay the costs of stabilizing the government in Baghdad and juggle the many contradictory commitments to Iraq's ethnic and religious communities there while at the same time trying to contain the rise of Iran. Let them handle the Middle East mess their policies helped to produce. If and when the Americans fail in their mission, stronger and more assertive Europeans would be ready to pick up the pieces. From that perspective, Sarkozy and Merkel are not promoting a "pro-American" policy -- but one that is easily compatible with French and German interests.

Labels: Angela Merkel, EU, Middle East, Sarkozy, Strategy, US

US and UK - Dangerous financial transactions:are democratic principles and national security pushed aside by greed ?

This week two financial news items silently slipped by in front of us. There were barely any reactions from political circles on both sides of the Atlantic. The first one was that Qatar bought 20 percent of the London Stock Exchange Group Plc in a deal worth about 85 million euro's (US $1.2 billion). On the same day neighboring Dubai agreed to acquire a stake in the U. K. bourse from Nasdaq Stock Market Inc.

Qatar's sovereign wealth fund, the Qatar Investment Authority said, they bought the LSE stake as part of a plan to ``build long-term investments in high quality businesses'' The other report we noted was that "in a complex set of transactions, Dubai is moving to acquire 19.9 percent of the Nasdaq in New York, placing the Arab government in an ownership position of the key U.S. stock exchange". But that is not all. "As a result of the transaction, Dubai also will acquire 28 percent of the London Stock Exchange, one of the oldest and largest in the world." The transaction is being made through Borse Dubai, a holding company 100-percent owned by the government of the Emirate of Dubai and controlled by Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the head of the Dubai ruling family.

Have the British and American Governments gone out of their mind to allow this? Have democratic principles and national security been pushed aside by greed? On the one hand the US and Britain call themselves the "Defenders of Democratic principals, ready to fight terrorism on every corner of the globe", while on the other hand they allow feudal oligarchies from the Middle East to take control of some of their most important and sensitive financial nerve centers in the world.

This has nothing to do with liberalization of world trade. We can only hope the US Congress, the British Parliament and the EU Commission will have "the stomac" to take vigorous action to stop this.

Labels: Britain, EU, Middle East, Terrorism, US, World Economy

Outcry as British Council quits Europe to woo Muslim world - by Helena Smith

It was the first visible sign of a cultural earthquake. Last week 8,000 books - the entire literary heritage of the British Council in Greece - were carted off to the English department of Athens University. Many of them are works by British hellenists, including poets such as Byron, or celebrate those who forged the bond between Britain and Greece.

It is not just in Athens that the British Council is winding down. Across Europe, half a century of promoting British culture and values is slowly being wound down in favour of a huge increase in funding for activities in the Middle East and Muslim world.

Labels: Britain, EU, Middle East

On an Ancient Sea, Europe Dreams and Schemes - by Ian Fisher

It is the original sea of epics, crossed by Ulysses on his journey home and Aeneas on his way to founding what became Rome. So it is natural for European leaders to cast their actions in the Mediterranean in grand terms.If something similar happened on a wider scale, and with more formal structures, it might match the embryonic vision of Mediterranean integration that Prime Minister Romano Prodi of Italy has been talking about for years. “It’s something that is beneficial for them, but also for us,” said Stefano Sannino, Mr. Prodi’s top diplomatic adviser. “More stability, less danger of terrorism, less illegal immigration. Generally speaking, if your neighbor is wealthier, you are wealthier. If your neighbor is more stable, you are more stable.”

Geoff D. Porter, a Middle East and Africa analyst for the Eurasia Group, which advises corporations on political risks, said, “The stick is tough immigration laws, the carrot is development in the countries where the immigrants come from.”

That idea, of a Mediterranean Union, has been circulating around Europe for more than a decade, offered up by various European leaders. Mr. Sarkozy put it front and center again in May, in his victory speech after winning the French presidency. “The time has come,” he said, “to build together a Mediterranean Union that will be the bridge between Europe and Africa.”

Labels: EU, Middle East

US Dysfunction in the Middle East - John Nichols

The tragedy of Washington's narrow to the point of dysfunctional "debate" about the Middle East is that few American political players are willing to comment in a serious manner about the fact that George Bush's mishandling of the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians has done more than money or guns could have to advance the cause of the Islamic fundamentalists who now control of the Gaza Strip. Disengaged when engagement was called for, meddling when a hands-off approach would have been wiser, and always staggeringly ignorant -- remember Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's shock when Hamas won the Palestinian elections early in 2006 -- the Bush administration's approach has been so disastrous that the International Crisis Group's Robert Malley is actually being generous when he says: "Almost every decision the United States has made to interfere with Palestinian politics has boomeranged."

Labels: Middle East, Palestine, US

Middle Eastern Agenda for President Bush in Europe - by Emanuele Ottolenghi

President Bush is in Europe this week, where his meetings -- several of which are directly linked to aspects of U.S. Middle East policy -- represent important opportunities to build diplomatic bridges. Today, he visits Prague to address a democracy promotion conference organized by former Czech president Vaclav Havel, former Israeli deputy prime minister Natan Sharansky, and former Spanish prime minister Jose Maria Aznar.

Labels: Europe, George Bush, Middle East

Europe and the Arab world: divided souls - by Pierre Schor

At a meeting of the Arab Reform Initiative (ARI) in Amman on 18-19 April 2007, Prince Turki al-Faisal outlined the new, proactive Saudi foreign policy: "Reform is imperative, not optional for the Arabs." The prince backed the ARI programme but rejected "external offerings... which present us with preconceived diagnoses and prescription...and perspectives that are very far from the regional reality."

For many participants in the Amman meeting, as for millions of people in the region, the European position demonstrates a desire for regime change in Palestine - an approach unaffected by the transition to a Palestinian unity government on 17 March 2007, or the internal tensions that have followed.

The Arafat precedent suggests that ending the boycott and beginning a debate of principles with the Palestinian national-unity government is a much better recipe for the European Union than passively to observe the growing anguish and desperation, the poverty and the rage in the occupied territories.

The Finnish presidency of the European Union, with foreign minister Erkki Tuomioja in the vanguard, tried unsuccessfully to change the EU's common position. The debate should continue

Labels: EU, Middle East, Palestine

Europe: Let Uncle Do It - by James Lewis

Europe gets forty percent of its oil through the Persian Gulf. But by an accident of history (and civilized policy -- ours, that is) it is the United States that guards the Gulf from madmen like Ahmadinejad. Well, so be it. We gain from world peace and free trade, and it is better to keep the maniacs far away from our shores.

But it is now way past time for Europe to step up to the plate again. They have the economic might, the population, the brains -- but not the guts -- to behave as a decent actor on the world stage.

Labels: EU, Middle East, Oil Exploration, USA

What Pelosi's road to Damascus means to Bush- by Mark Tran

Nancy Pelosi's trip to Damascus is not so much freelance diplomacy - something no president likes to see and which is forbidden by the 1799 Logan Act - as another telling sign of ebbing presidential power. Through her peregrinations - Ms Pelosi was in Iraq in January - the House speaker is saying to Mr Bush that the balance of power is shifting away inexorably away from the White House and the Republicans to Congress and the Democrats.

When Mr Bush stands in the White House rose garden and rails about mixed messages, the subtext is that he has been confronted by yet another intimation of political mortality and - understandably - he does not like it one bit.

Labels: Bush, Middle East, Pelosi, Politics

Israel stalls US arms sales to Saudis

A worried Israel has stalled a US plan to sell advanced weaponry, including satellite-guided arms, to Saudi Arabia, the New York Times reported Thursday. The Times said on its website that Israeli officials, including former defense minister Shaul Mofaz, have strongly lobbied Washington in recent months to block parts of a planned arms package for the Saudis and unspecified others in the Middle East that could be worth five billion to 10 billion dollars. Israel is particularly concerned that the United States will supply the Saudis with precision-guided air-based weapons that could erode Israel's military superiority in the region, the newspaper said, citing unnamed US government sources.

Labels: Iran, Iraq, Israel, Middle East, Saudi Arabia, USA

Pelosi Describes Talks with President al-Assad as Productive

Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday described her talks with President Bashar al-Assad as productive, saying "we came in friendship, hope, and determined that the road to Damascus is a road to peace. Our visit to Syria was very necessary based on Baker- Hamilton Committee recommendations on Iraq and on the determination of Head of the House Foreign Affairs to visit Syria; Mrs. Pelosi told a news conference with Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem."She added "the US delegation talks in Damascus concentrated on the necessity of achieving peace in the Middle East, combating terrorism and on regional issues", stressing that peace in the Middle East is of priority for the American people, the region and the world.

Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem, for his part, underlined Syria's readiness to engage in dialogue, based on mutual respect, renewing Syria's commitment to achieve the just and comprehensive peace based on Israeli withdrawal from the occupied Arab lands including the Syrian Golan. "Differences in viewpoints between Syria and the US was because of the absence of dialogue and because Syria lives in this region which witnesses disorder," Minister Moallem said, describing the visit as a contribution to narrowing the gap of those differences."This visit paves the way for a constructive dialogue in future to hold best relations between the Syrian and American peoples," Foreign Minister added. Note EU-Digest: The visit of Mrs. Pelosi to Syria shows once again that dialog is always preferable to hostile actions and the US Speaker of the House and her bipartisan congressional delegation should be complimentated for this courages initiative.

Labels: Middle East, Peace, Pelosi, Syria, US

Syrian officials say Damascus played key role in getting British sailors released by Iran

Syria's information minister and foreign minister said Wednesday that Damascus had played a key role in resolving the standoff over the 15 British sailors held by Iran. Information Minister Mohsen Bilal said that Syria had been asked "to help positively in the issue of British sailors" since their March 23 seizure by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard navy in the Persian Gulf waters.

Labels: Britain, EU, Middle East, Syria, War

Around the globe: U.S. allies: No attack on Iran from their lands

ABOARD THE USS JOHN C. STENNIS — The United States wrapped up a massive military exercise in the Persian Gulf Wednesday, putting on a show of strength for Iran even as the United Arab Emirates became the second Gulf nation to declare it would not take part in any attack on the Islamic Republic. The U.S. has denied any intention to attack. But the public refusals of two allies to help could affect U.S. military options or require shifting of resources if tensions did seriously escalate.

Qatar — home to 6,500 U.S. troops and the enormous al-Udeid Air Base, headquarters of all American air operations in the Middle East — said this month it would not permit an attack on Iran from its soil. The Gulf Cooperation Council, a loose alliance of Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the Emirates, has called on all its members not to support any U.S. action against Iran.

Labels: Iran, Middle East, Nuclear, US, War

Admit fault to help sailors: Iran to U.K.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Iran’s foreign minister said Wednesday that Britain must admit that its 15 sailors and marines entered Iranian waters in order to resolve a standoff over their capture by the Mideast nation. Manouchehr Mottaki’s statement in an interview with The Associated Press came on a day of escalating tensions, highlighted by an Iranian video of the detained Britons that showed the only woman captive saying her group had “trespassed” in Iranian waters. Britain angrily denounced the video as unacceptable and froze most dealings with the Mideast nation.

Earlier Wednesday, a brief video of the captured Britons was shown on Iran’s Arabic language satellite television station, Al-Alam. The video also displayed what appeared to be a handwritten letter from Turney, 26, to her family. “I have written a letter to the Iranian people to apologize for us entering their waters,” it said. The letter also asks Turney’s parents in Britain to look after her 3-year-old daughter, Molly, and her husband, Adam.

Labels: Iran, Middle East, Nuclear, UK, US, War

U.S. Aircraft Carriers Start Exercises in Gulf

The captain of the USS Dwight D Eisenhower carrier strike group in the Gulf said a second U.S. aircraft carrier had entered Gulf waters on Tuesday to carry out exercises. It is the first time a second aircraft carrier has entered Gulf waters since the attack on Iraq in 2003 and comes at a time of rising tension with Iran over its nuclear programme and the capture of British military personnel. Captain Dan Cloyd said in an interview the USS John C. Stennis strike group would carry out dual carrier exercises for a "few days or more", but could stay on in the Gulf for longer.

He said the deployment and exercises were not timed to exert pressure on Iran and did not mean a military confrontation was looming.

Labels: Confrontation, Iran, Middle East, Nuclear, US, War

The bear is back: Russia's return to the Middle East - by Robert Freedman

"The recent visit to Moscow of Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal came shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin's trip to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Jordan. There he aligned Russia with the Arab consensus supporting the Saudi-mediated Mecca Agreement between the Palestinian factions, called for the lifting of sanctions against the new Palestinian unity government, discussed energy cooperation and sought both to increase Russian arms exports to the Arab world and to attract Arab investment for the non-energy sector of the Russian economy. These moves have underscored the resurgence of Russian interest in the Middle East.

Under Putin, Russia has sought to achieve three major goals in the region. The first is to demonstrate its renewed power and influence in an area where American influence is on the decline. The second is to increase trade with the nations of the region so as to buttress the Russian economy, especially its non-energy sectors. The third goal is to minimize Arab, Turkish and Iranian support for the Chechen rebellion against Russian control, which the rebels are carrying out in the name of Islam."

Labels: Hamas, Middle East, Russia

US may shift its Iran policy post Bush - by Jalal Alavi

Ever since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the terror events of September 11, 2001, the world has, as a result of US opportunism, witnessed the creation, or intensification of three major trends in international politics.

Firstly, the re-emergence of an agitated Russia - as reflected by Vladimir Putin's remarks in the Munich conference of February 10 - as a bastion against further US expansionism in Central as well as Southwest Asia. Secondly, a more aggressive brand of terrorism associated with self-styled Islamist movements (Sunni and Shiite alike) intent on challenging traditional US influence in the Middle East. Thirdly, a sort of Cold War-like preoccupation with matters related to global security and defense on the part of the Western democratic community, which is very much emerging at the expense of that community's capacity and desire for attending to such issues as human rights and democratization in the hitherto undemocratic segments of the developing world.

Should the Islamic Republic somehow manage to escape an attack by the Bush administration - which would truly benefit everyone, including the US - by perhaps slightly modifying its rigid stance against the international community, and war-weary Democrats win the White House during the course of the next US presidential election, it is almost certain that the US, under new leadership, would see it fit to eventually initiate reconciliation efforts with the Iranian regime, in hopes that such reconciliation would, as mentioned earlier, not only steer Iran away from Russia, but also eventually open up its markets and government-owned industries to US influence and domination, in line with neo-liberal principles dictated by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

Labels: Bush, Middle East, US

EU: New Palestinian government must comply

The European Union is prepared to cooperate with the Palestinian national unity government on condition that it complies with the requirements laid down by the Middle East Quartet, the German government said Monday. 'The EU is prepared to cooperate with the Palestinian government of national unity insofar as it reflects the Quartet criteria in its statements and its actions,' German Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Jaeger said.

Germany currently holds the six-month rotating EU presidency. The Quartet - the EU, the United States, the United Nations and Russia - has stipulated that a Palestinian government must acknowledge Israel's right to exist, renounce violence and acknowledge previous international agreements.

Labels: EU, Israel, Middle East, Negotiations, Palestinians, Peace