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Kremlin, Macron agree to include W. Europe in INF Treaty replacement talks: 'We can't exist in a vacuum'


RT
Wed, 04 Dec 2019 14:33 UTC
Iskander-M
© Sputnik/Pavel Lisitsin
Iskander-M tactical missile system
Russia has backed French President Emmanuel Macron's push for European states to join talks on a 'new' strategic arms control agreement after the demise of the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty).

Talks on the replacement of the defunct INF Treaty cannot be focused only on the prospects of China joining in, the Kremlin's spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters on Wednesday:
"First, we need to talk about the Western European countries, on whose territories the mid-range and short-range missiles are also located. We need a new treaty because the old one, unfortunately, is already gone - it was done so not by our initiative. We cannot exist in a state of vacuum, where nothing is being regulated by international law" [anymore].
US President Donald Trump has been saying for months that China should join a new arms control pact in the future, without any concrete suggestions for negotiations. So far Beijing said it is not interested.
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Star of David

UNGA: A 'stumbling block for peace', Israel is called to withdraw from Syria's Golan Heights


RT
Wed, 04 Dec 2019 01:24 UTC
Golan Heights
© Reuters/Ammar Awad
A general view shows the town of Majdal Shams near the ceasefire line between Israel and Syria in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
The UN General Assembly has adopted a resolution demanding that Israel vacate the Golan Heights - Syrian territory it captured in 1967 and has occupied since - arguing its presence in the disputed region is an obstacle to peace.

Passed in a 91-65 vote with 9 abstentions on Tuesday, the resolution called on Israel to abandon the Golan after over 50 years of occupation, insisting that nations may not acquire territory by conquest, a core principle of international law:
"The continued occupation of the Syrian Golan and its de facto annexation constitute a stumbling block in the way of achieving a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in the region," the resolution said, demanding that "Israel withdraw from all the occupied Syrian Golan."
In addition to the Golan resolution, the General Assembly passed four other measures related to Israel on Tuesday, one urging "respect for, and the preservation of" occupied Palestinian lands - including the West Bank and East Jerusalem - and reaffirming the "illegality of Israeli settlement activities." The other resolutions recognized the work of UN departments devoted to Palestine issues, and requested the continuation of a "special program" to disseminate information on Palestine and related UN decisions. The United States voted against all five measures in tandem with Tel Aviv.

Comment: Mondoweiss, 3/12/2019: UN says Israeli occupation cost Palestinian economy $48B
This week, the United Nations attempted to put a figure on exactly how much the occupation was costing Palestinian officials. The number it arrived at — an estimated $48bn between 2000 and 2017 — was larger than many folks expected.

According to Mahmoud Elkhafif, from the UN's Geneva-based trade body, UNCTAD, the losses were roughly three times the size of the entire Palestinian economy in 2017, and easily enough to pay off Ramallah's budget deficit.

UNCTAD counted money that should have been made available to Palestinian officials under the terms of the so-called Paris Protocol, part of the Oslo Accords that were inked by Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization in the 1990s.

[A] 60-page report, The Economic Costs of the Israeli Occupation for the Palestinian People: Cumulative Fiscal Costs, will be discussed by the 193-nation UN General Assembly on Tuesday.
Palestine Post 24 30/11/2019: International law is clear: Israel's settlements are illegal
The clarity of international law on the issue of Israeli settlements arises in part from the unusual fact that they have been formally declared illegal by the most authoritative sources of international guidance.

Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention states that an occupying power "shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies".

International Court of Justice in 2004 strongly reaffirmed the unlawfulness of Israel's settlement construction in occupied territory - and with a 14-1 ruling, the court showed a highly unusual degree of unity.

December 2016, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2334, deeming by a vote of 14-0 that the settlements had no legal validity. The US abstained from the vote.

No country [The USA] can, by its decree, influence the legal status of Israeli settlement activity.


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Calendar

North Korea's tidings, as talks deadline nears: 'It's up to the US what Christmas gift it gets'


RT
Tue, 03 Dec 2019 08:58 UTC
KimTrump
© AFP/STR/KCNA/KNS; Reuters/Kevin Lamarque
Korean Leader Kim Jong-un • US President Donald Trump
Pyongyang accused the US of only being interested in exploiting the stalled negotiations for political campaigning but also hinted that it's up to Washington to get into the Christmas mood this year.

Washington's negotiating tactic is "nothing but a foolish trick hatched to keep the DPRK bound to dialogue," designed purely to use the issue of talks in domestic election campaigns, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Ri Thae Song said in a statement on Tuesday.

"So, no one will lend an ear to the US any longer," the diplomat warned, speaking about the looming year-end deadline set by Pyongyang for America to change its attitude toward the negotiation process.

What is left to be done now is the US option and it is entirely up to the US what Christmas gift it will select to get.

Comment: Fickle diplomacy exemplifies the all-too-pathetic caliber of US foreign relations expertise. Whatever happened to Trump's 'art of the deal'? One would think progress towards an agreement would be a significant stroke in his pre-election 'win' column.

RT, 3/12/2019: Trump will use US might if he has to
Trump believes he has saved the world from a major war by reaching out and befriending North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, but added he may yet unleash all the military power of the Pentagon against him.

The statements, blending together a call for peace and threats of war, came from the US leader on Tuesday after officials in Pyongyang complained that the nuclear negotiations between the two nations were going nowhere. Trump praised his handling of North Korea, claiming that "if you would have listened to President Obama, we would have been in a World War III right now."

The US president took credit for defusing the conflict with North Korea by fostering a good personal relationship with Kim. He said he is probably "the only one he has such a good relationship with in the world."

Trump said he was in no rush to declare the negotiations process dead, but warned he had the world's most powerful military at his disposal. "We are by far the most powerful country in the world, and hopefully we won't have to use it. But if we do, we'll use it. If we have to, we'll do it," he said.


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Russian Flag

The Lessons of Russia's Syrian Intervention for Washington and Brussels

Gordon M. Hahn
gordonhahn.com
Wed, 04 Dec 2019 18:41 UTC
rouhani, erdogan, putin
© Sputnik / Valery Melnikov / Kremlj preko Reutersa
If Western leaders are able to put aside the now worn out cliches such as Russian Vladimir Putin 'punching above his weight,' 'Trump handing Putin a victory on a silver plate', not to mention 'Trump as Putin agent', there are serious lessons that they might still be able to draw from Putin's looming victory in Syria. First, the era in which the United States and/or the West (NATO) can dictate outcomes anywhere across the globe unilaterally has ended. Events in Syria are but the latest confirmation of this fact, but many in Washington and Brussels still do not see it. NATO expansion drove Russia into China's arms, and the rest is history and the future. Second, Washington and Brussels (NATO and less so EU) must abandon some aspects of its idealism for realism in foreign policy. Third, hubris, cynicism, and their handmaiden of ethical if not financial corruption have become an obstacle, not 'facilitating grease' for the implementation of Western foreign policies pursued by Washington and Brussels. Fourth, the West must create mechanisms for protecting the conduct of foreign policy from the influence of domestic political competition, as was clearly over the top in Syria and more so in Ukraine. Fifth, while a tough negotiator and dangerous enemy, Putin is an effective tactician and diplomat and improving strategist, who has outplayed the West in Syria and elsewhere precisely because of the Western deficiencies outlined above.

Unipolarism's Grave: 'We Came, We Saw, He Died'

Putin's successful intervention in Syria and utilization of not just Iranian interests but also those of NATO member Turkey has demonstrated that even a country with 'an economy the size of that of the Netherlands' can foil American plans for color revolution and inflict great damage to America's interests and reputation in foreign affairs through effective diplomacy and measured military means. By exposing the new Washington style of hubris, cynicism, and corruption in Syria, Putin's Syria intervention put the last nail in the coffin of the United States' ability to dictate outcomes anywhere across the globe and define the future. Events in Syria are but the latest confirmation of this fact, but many in Washington and Brussels still do not see it. NATO expansion without Russia continues to push the West on the same dangerous road of radicalizing Russian anti-Westernism, strengthening the Sino-Russian strategic partnership, and creating a phalanx of authoritarian regimes strongly opposed to American and even Western interests. Thus, the world is not only no longer unipolar. It is becoming bipolar or multipolar in ways exceedingly detrimental to Western interests and international stability and security. This is a disaster not just for Washington and Brussels but for the world, and mantras about Russian imperialism and totalitarianism will prove of no help.


Comment: All 'good' things come to an end. Thank the heavens for that.

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X

Why Iraqi PM Mahdi has to go: The many mistakes by US, Iran and the Marjaiya

Elijah J. Magnier
ejmagnier.com
Mon, 02 Dec 2019 17:43 UTC
abdel mahdi

Adel Abdel Mahdi
The democratically elected Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi has fallen. 241 members of parliament voted for his resignation, in accordance with the request of the Marjaiya in Najaf, the Grand Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Sistani: Abdel Mahdi must end his term much earlier than planned in response to his mismanagement of the civilian uprising.

Abdel Mahdi is not responsible for the longstanding corruption in Iraq where, as in Lebanon, the political system is controlled by "whales," political parties that control the ruling system and share the wealth among themselves. However, as commander in chief of the security forces, he is responsible for the killing of a large number of protestors. Most of these protestors are not beholden to Iran, the US, or any other country in the region. They are the new Middle Eastern generation, unwilling to accept the submissiveness of their parents and ancestors to a long-dominant, unfair and corrupt ruling system.

The US liberated Iraq from Saddam Hussein but committed serious mistakes, starting from the beginning of their rule in Mesopotamia. Iran imposed its influence when a vacuum arose, but Iran also made mistakes. The Marjaiya in Najaf became involved in the political process after the liberation of Iraq from Saddam Hussein; it became directly involved in parliamentary politics. The Marjaiya pulled out of politics when it realised the impossibility of navigating within Iraq's corrupt political system and took its distance until the recent protests. Iraq's culture differs from other Middle Eastern countries; it is more susceptible to rumours and manipulated mobs. Today, Iraqis are taking over the streets with one agenda: changing everything and everybody. Moqtada al-Sadr and other regional and international players (the US and the United Arab Emirates mainly) seek to manipulate this protest movement. Where is the country headed? What roles will the US and Iran play in Iraq's future?
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Star of David

Foreign interference: Netanyahu to 'press' Pompeo for more pressure on Iran


RFE/RL
Wed, 04 Dec 2019 17:29 UTC
pompeo netanyahu
© AP
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (left) shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a meeting in Jerusalem in March.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is heading to Portugal to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and call for increased pressure on Iran.

"We're seeing the Iranian empire totter," Netanyahu said on December 4 before departing for Lisbon, citing anti-government demonstrations in Iran, Lebanon, and Iraq.

U.S. President Donald Trump has imposed "tremendous" sanctions on Iran, he said. "It's important to increase this pressure against Iranian aggression."

Netanyahu and Pompeo, who will be on his way home from a NATO summit in London, are to meet in the Portuguese capital late in the day, according to the U.S. State Department.

Israel, which has the Middle East's sole but undeclared nuclear arsenal, has accused Tehran of seeking to obtain nuclear weapons and strongly opposed a 2015 deal that gave Iran access to world trade in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program.


Comment: Quite surprising to see RFE/RL include this fact... Officially, Israel's illegal nuclear arsenal doesn't exist, and it is U.S. government policy to never bring it up. Doing so would require an end to Israeli aid according to U.S. law, which prohibits giving handouts to rogue nuclear states.


Trump, a strong Netanyahu ally, in May 2018 withdrew the United States from the agreement, and has since reimposed crippling sanctions on the Iranian economy. Meanwhile, Tehran has gradually reduced some of its commitments under the accord.

Comment: Imagine if the headline were "Putin to press Trump for more pressure on Ukraine". Only Israelis are allowed to tell American politicians what to do. It's a national tradition.

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Light Sabers

Former prime minister Tony Abbott drops by to see convicted paedophile George Pell in Melbourne prison

Chris Hook
7news.com.au
Mon, 02 Dec 2019 17:20 UTC
abbott pell
© Joel Carrett/ David Crosling/AAP
Tony Abbott was spotted visiting Melbourne Assessment Prison on Monday.
Former prime minister Tony Abbott has been spotted visiting convicted paedophile Cardinal George Pell at his Melbourne prison.

While Abbott did not confirm who he was visiting when he was seen at Melbourne Assessment Prison on Monday morning, the disgraced cardinal is its most high-profile resident.

Abbott and Pell have been close friends for many years.

"Look, I was simply visiting a friend that's all," Abbott told 7NEWS.

Earlier this year, the 78-year-old former archbishop of Sydney turned Vatican adviser was convicted by a jury of the rape of a 13-year-old choirboy and sexual assault of another at St Patrick's Cathedral in Melbourne in 1996.

He was jailed for six years with a non-parole period of three years and eight months.

Comment: Shades of Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein.

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Cow Skull

US Congress condemns China for treatment of Uighurs


DW
Wed, 04 Dec 2019 00:00 UTC
Uighurs
A US bill that describes Beijing's treatment of Muslim minorities as "gross violations" of human rights has been overwhelmingly supported. China has refuted the claims, saying they are merely trying to combat terrorism.

The US House of Representatives approved a bill late on Tuesday aimed at increasing pressure on China over the brutal crackdown on Muslim minorities in the northwestern region of Xinjiang.

Congress voted 407-1 in favor of the Uighur Human Rights Policy Act of 2019, which has already passed the Senate.

The Act decries China's "gross human rights violations" linked to the maltreatment of more than 1 million Uighurs, Kazakhs and other minorities in so-called reeducation camps.

The minorities at the camps are subjected to political indoctrination, torture, beatings, and food deprivation, as well as denial of religious and linguistic freedom.

Comment: The US Congress loves to get on it's politically-motivated self righteous high horse and condemn powerful countries of what the US itself has been guilty of - through its proxies - many times over.

For a better understanding of this particular bit of propaganda, don't miss:

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Star of David

How Israel became one of the world's worst rogue states

Alain Gabon
Middle East Eye
Fri, 29 Nov 2019 12:40 UTC
Netanyahu
© AFP
sraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pictured in Jerusalem on 3 September
Despite propaganda to the contrary, Israel is not a democracy and never has been

As an integral part its ongoing propaganda, Israel, along with its fervent supporters and legions of paid and anonymous agents, zealously repeats and disseminates - in the media, on university campuses, in blogs and comment sections, at conferences and more - the same old, tired Zionist myths.

Propaganda guides and tool kits, such as the "global language dictionary", offer ready-made arguments and counter-arguments to sell Israel to journalists and critics. Such talking points come with tips on what tone and rhetorical tactics to use, what words and formulas "work", and how to discuss "sensitive" issues, such as Israel's illegal colonisation and annexation of Palestinian land, Jewish settlements and the killing of civilians.

All of which are now set to get worse since US President Donald Trump has both rewarded and emboldened Israel by recognising its illegal and brutal colonisation (its "settlements"). By the same token he has offered yet another spectacular demonstration of the complete contempt of the United States for the rule of international law.

Setting such an example will only send the message to all the despots, autocrats and tyrants of various stripes around the globe that not only it is ok to steal, colonise, and brutalise weak and defenceless populations, but that you may even be rewarded by the West for adopting the "law of the jungle".
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Display

Senate Dem Schumer gets bland FBI letter about FaceApp: In tizzy over 'election meddling', 'Russian tentacles'


RT
Tue, 03 Dec 2019 21:29 UTC
russia flag faceapp
© Reuters / Vasily Fedosenko; AFP / Martin Bureau
Political and media hysteria over FaceApp is back, after the leader of the Democrats in the US Senate made public a letter from the FBI calling any Russian-developed software a "counterintelligence threat" to the US.

Senator Chuck Schumer (D-New York) shared the letter he received from Assistant Director Jill Tyson, in response to his July request to look into the potential dangers of FaceApp, a program rolled out in 2017 that went viral earlier this year as part of the 'Age Challenge.'

Comment: From Wikipedia:
FaceApp is a mobile application for iOS and Android developed by Russian company Wireless Lab which uses neural network technology to automatically generate highly realistic transformations of faces in photographs. The app can transform a face to make it smile, look younger, look older, or even change gender. FaceApp was launched on iOS in January 2017 and on Android in February 2017.


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