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Putin and Pompeo: What they did not talk about

Pepe Escobar
Asia Times
Wed, 15 May 2019 00:00 UTC
Lavrov/Pompeo Sochi
© AFP/Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service/Anadolu
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, third right, meets Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, center left, in Sochi on 14 May 2019.
Russia is uneasy over the destabilization of Tehran, and on other hotspots the powers' positions are clear.

Even veiled by thick layers of diplomatic fog, the overlapping meetings in Sochi between US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and President Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov still offer tantalizing geopolitical nuggets.

Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov did his best to smooth the utterly intractable, admitting there was "no breakthrough yet" during the talks but at least the US "demonstrated a constructive approach."

Putin told Pompeo that after his 90-minute phone call with Trump, initiated by the White House, and described by Ushakov as "very good," the Russian president "got the impression that the [US] president was inclined to re-establish Russian-American relations and contacts to resolve together the issues that are of mutual interest to us."

That would imply a Russiagate closure. Putin told Pompeo, in no uncertain terms, that Moscow never interfered in the US elections, and that the Mueller report proved that there was no connection between the Kremlin and the Trump campaign. This adds to the fact Russiagate has been consistently debunked by the best independent American investigators such as the VIPS group.

Comment: See also: Putin to Pompeo: Time to restore US-Russia ties

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X

Report: Trump may kick hawk Bolton off the team for extreme views on Iran, N. Korea, Venezuela


Sputnik
Wed, 15 May 2019 20:22 UTC
TrumpBolton
© Reuters/Carlos Barria
President Donald Trump • National Security Advisor John Bolton
The US president's national security adviser has long been known for his hawkish views on Iran, North Korea, and recently - Venezuela. According to a recent media report, he was the mastermind behind the alleged plan to send 120,000 troops to the Middle East in a bid to counter Iran - something that Trump denied.

Donald Trump could be considering ousting National Security Adviser John Bolton over displeasure with him pushing for forceful regime changes in Iran, Venezuela, and North Korea, as well as attempting to draw the US into another war, The National Interest reported, citing two anonymous sources. According to the media outlet, he is currently the main driver of the Trump administration's confrontations with countries around the world.

The magazine noted, however, that some sources have indicated that the opposite could be true when it comes to relations between the two and pointed out that Trump himself defended Bolton last week. The US president insisted that he "tempers" his national security adviser and that he has more "dovish" people on board to balance Bolton's hawkish approach.

The National Interest also noted that now "there's daylight between Trump and Bolton" and that, according to the sources, "Trump wants him out". What is more, a State Department official and a former senior administration official have told the media outlet that the US secretary of state is also at odds with the national security adviser, fearing that instead of merely pressuring and isolating Iran, Bolton could start a full-fledged war against the Islamic Republic.

Comment: See also:

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Briefcase

Reopening the Swedish Assange case should be welcomed

Craig Murray
craigmurray.org.uk
Mon, 13 May 2019 00:00 UTC
Assange
© Unknown
Julian Assange
That the Swedish investigation into the rape allegation against Julian Assange is being re-opened is something that ought to be welcomed. The alternative would be for this accusation to hang unresolved over Julian's head forever. The Swedish prosecutors now need finally, as my father used to say, either to piss or get off the pot. They need to decide whether there is sufficient evidence to charge or not.

There is no reason for delay. The Swedish police have had seven years to investigate this case and all the evidence has been gathered and all statements taken - the last being the interview of Julian Assange in the Ecuadorean Embassy in 2017. Hopefully to review the evidence and decide whether to charge will not now be a lengthy procedure. It is worth noting, contrary to much misreporting, Julian Assange has never been charged with anything in Sweden.

In the event that Sweden does wish to try to extradite, that should take precedence over the US request. There are three good reasons for this:

Firstly, rape is by far the more serious alleged offence.
Secondly, the Swedes entered the process many years before the Americans.
Thirdly, the European Arrest Warrant is a major multilateral arrangement that is much more important than the discredited bilateral extradition treaty with the USA.
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Attention

Leaked diplomatic cable indicates Saudi foreknowledge of Sri Lanka Easter bombings

Whitney Webb
MintPress News
Wed, 15 May 2019 00:00 UTC
Terrorist/Memo
© Screenshot/Alahed News/KJN
A screenshot from an ISIS video shows Zahran Hashim, alleged ringleader of the Sri Lanka Easter Bombings and the copy of the diplomatic memo.
New evidence suggests that the government of Saudi Arabia not only had foreknowledge of the brutal bombings (and did nothing to stop them) but may have played a more active and direct role in the bloodshed.

A leaked Saudi diplomatic memo obtained by Lebanese outlet Alahed News claims that the government of Saudi Arabia had foreknowledge of the Easter bombings that occurred last month in three cities on the island nation of Sri Lanka, killing nearly 300 and wounding over 500 more. The contents of the memo, which additionally suggests Saudi complicity in the attacks, are supported by the connections recently uncovered by Sri Lankan authorities, that the alleged ringleader of the bombings, Zahran Hashim, had to Saudi Arabia.

The document carries the Islamic calendar (Hijri) date of 11/8/1440, which equates to April 17, 2019 in the Gregorian calendar - just a few days before the bombings - and is addressed to the Saudi ambassador to Sri Lanka, Abdul Nasser bin Hussein al-Harethi, and authored by Saudi Foreign Minister Ibrahim bin Abdul Aziz al-Assaf. It carries the labels "urgent" and "top secret."

Comment: The Saudis might have known, but they're incapable of pulling off a sophisticated multi-site terror attack. That honor falls to their 'higher-ups'...

See also:

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Star of David

Israeli justice, its continuing farce

Yotam Ben-Hillel
Mondoweiss
Wed, 15 May 2019 00:00 UTC
Palestinian house demolition
© Saeed Qaq/APA Images
A Palestinian man sits next to belongings removed from his house as Israeli police officers stand guard during a demolition of the house in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Beit Hanina, October 29, 2013. A statement from the Jerusalem Municipality said there was a court order for the demolition of the house, which was built without a permit.
One of the major topics highlighted in the recent Israeli elections was the increasing attempt to restrain the ostensibly extensive powers of the Israeli judiciary and its alleged interference - the High Court in particular - in the government's actions. Whereas Israelis can easily and willingly be fooled by the notion of a superpower liberal court threatening to overturn any right wing administration initiative, Palestinians residing in the occupied territories know better. Forbidden from participating in elections determining their own fate, 52 years of Israeli occupation have made Palestinians increasingly distrustful toward the Israeli judiciary.

In late April the Israeli High Court of Justice dismissed a petition, submitted by several Palestinian village councils from different areas of the West Bank together with human rights organizations, which demanded to revoke a new Israeli military order aiming to grant the Israeli Civil Administration excessive powers to demolish within 96 hours any type of new building - houses, schools, livestock structures, etc. - erected "illegally" in Area C of the West Bank.

The petitioners argued that the new order changes the existing legal arrangements, as set in Jordanian Planning Law applied to the occupied Palestinian territory, and therefore breaches international humanitarian law requiring the occupying power to respect laws already in force in the occupied territory. Whereas the existing Jordanian Law sets regulated appeal procedures, which include a hearing and opportunity to apply for a building permit, the newly introduced order qualifies the Israeli Civil Administration to conduct a swift demolition while grossly violating the right to due process.
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Arrow Down

Top Hezbollah official: US plots in the ME will fail


PressTV
Tue, 14 May 2019 04:13 UTC
Sheik Naim Qassam
© Alahed News
Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem
A high-ranking member of the Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement says US President Donald Trump's administration is in a state of confusion concerning the developments unfolding in Middle East, stating that Washington's schemes in the region will not thrive.

Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem said:
"(The United States of) America knows that its ability to change equations in the region is weak because there are resistance fighters and a resistance front. Therefore, it cannot dictate what it wants and impose its Israeli and non-Israeli plans."
He then advised leaders of the Persian Gulf kingdoms to review their foreign policy, emphasizing that US plots in the Middle East will fail as the anti-Israel resistance front is confronting them with all available means.
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Russian Flag

'Putin smiles': A clear signal for Russophobic media to disparage Pompeo's diplomacy trip


RT
Wed, 15 May 2019 19:34 UTC
PompeoPutin
© Reuters
US Sec. of State Mike Pompeo • Russian President Vladimir Putin
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's recent trip to Sochi to meet with the Russian president and foreign minister has heads exploding. Many in the media, it seems, will not tolerate a shred of diplomacy with Russia.

By all indications Tuesday's meetings in the Russian resort city of Sochi were productive, with both parties showing a desire for warmer relations. Pompeo told Russian FM Sergey Lavrov that President Donald Trump "is committed to improving this relationship." But much of the mainstream media, to nobody's surprise, was having none of it.

MSNBC's Chris Hayes remains fixated on the Trump-Russia conspiracy theory, months after Robert Mueller's seemingly endless investigation discredited it. Hayes saw the meetings as an opportunity to breathe new life into the idea of "collusion."


Comment: See also:

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Light Sabers

Iran is high-hanging fruit, which is why US is unlikely to attack

Neil Clark
RT
Thu, 16 May 2019 19:17 UTC
Nour missile is test fired
© REUTERS/Ebrahim Noroozi/IIPA
A Nour missile is test fired off Iran's first domestically made destroyer, Jamaran
There's been lots of talk about an imminent war with Iran. The US is engaging in a military build-up in the Persian Gulf and the rhetoric from Washington is increasingly bellicose.

However, a full-scale conflict is still unlikely, because Iran, unlike other countries the US has attacked, is no soft target.

The US already deployed the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group and a bomber task force to the Middle East earlier in the month. The Pentagon also announced that a battery of Patriot missiles and transport ship, the USS Arlington, were on their way to the Gulf.

Taken together with the fiercely anti-Iranian rhetoric of foaming-at-the-mouth neo-con figures in the Trump administration, such as National Security Advisor John Bolton, and unsubstantiated claims that Iran had sabotaged four tankers in the Persian Gulf, does this mean we are heading for a conflict?

While we shouldn't dismiss the risks of something very big kicking off soon, as a betting man, my money is on the US NOT attacking the Islamic Republic.
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Jet4

Saudi-led warplanes pound rebel targets after drone pipeline attack


AFP
Thu, 16 May 2019 00:00 UTC
BombYemen
© reutersmedia
Saudi-led coalition's bombing of Yemen
Saudi-led coalition warplanes bombed Yemeni rebel targets including in the capital on Thursday following insurgent drone strikes on a key oil pipeline that Riyadh said were ordered by its arch-rival Tehran.

The new bombardment came after the UN envoy, who has been spearheading efforts to end more than four years of conflict in the Arab world's poorest country, warned it still faced the threat of plunging into all-out war.

The Saudi deputy defence minister warned that Tuesday's attack by Yemeni rebels on a major pipeline in the kingdom was "tightening the noose" around peace efforts.

The Saudi-led coalition, which has been battling the Huthi rebels since March 2015, confirmed that its warplanes were carrying out multiple strikes across rebel-held territory. "We have begun to launch air strikes targeting sites operated by the Huthi militia, including in Sanaa," a coalition official, who declined to be identified, told AFP.

The coalition said it had hit "a number of legitimate military targets" that the rebels used to store munitions. The rebels' Al-Masirahn television said the coalition carried out at least 19 strikes, 11 of them in the capital.

Comment: See also:

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Light Sabers

China formally arrests two Canadians on spying charges


CBC
Thu, 16 May 2019 18:35 UTC
spavor and kovrig
© Associated Press/International Crisis Group/Canadian Press
Michael Spavor, left, and former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig, right
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused Beijing of not playing by the same rules the large majority of democracies follow after Chinese authorities formally arrested two Canadians, accusing them of crimes related to national security.

Businessman Michael Spavor, who worked with North Korea, and former diplomat Michael Kovrig were picked up separately in December, shortly after Canada arrested Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver, and were recently arrested, according to both Chinese and Canadian officials.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Lu Kang told a daily news briefing in Beijing on Thursday morning that Kovrig - who now works for the International Crisis Group (ICG) a non-governmental organization which focuses on conflict resolution - is suspected of gathering state secrets for other countries and Spavor is accused of stealing and illegally providing state secrets, said Lu.

He didn't say when the men will be formally charged, just that they had recently been arrested.

Comment: Previously:

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