Russia: US Lithuania shield ‘unacceptable’

Russia’s Dmitry Medvedev has told US president that locating part of a missile defense shield in Lithuania is ‘absolutely unacceptable’.

“The Russian president openly expressed his serious concern about talks between the US and Lithuania on the possible installation of anti-missile bases. It was said that for the Russian side this was absolutely unacceptable,” Medvedev’s diplomatic advisor Sergei Prikhodko said after Bush and Medvedev met on the sidelines of the G8 summit in Japan on Monday.

It was their first meeting since Medvedev became president.

The United States wants to base 10 interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar facility in the neighboring Czech Republic to ward off potential attacks by so-called “rogue” states, notably Iran.

But Pentagon Spokesman Geoff Morrell made it clear before the tentative deal with Warsaw was reached that Poland was not the only option the United States had to host the shield.

“There are several European nations that could host the (missile) interceptors and Lithuania is one of them,” Morrell told reporters in Washington.

FF/BGH

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Brzezinski to Bush: Stop Israel

Former White House national security adviser has urged President Bush to dissuade Israel from attacking Iran over its nuclear program.

In an interview on the Bloomberg Television on Friday, Zbigniew Brzezinski, said that an armed conflict between Israel and Iran would widen to include the US and will lead to Iranian attacks against the US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.

He noted that any military confrontation begins between Iran and the US will put the US “into a very destructive conflict from which the US will not extricate itself for many years to come.”

Brzezinski, 80 and now a counselor at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the most effective strategy for dealing with Iran’s nuclear program would be a combination of stiffer economic sanctions and positive incentives to negotiate.

He said threats of military action against Iran are “counterproductive” because they unite the Iranian population in opposition to the US.

Brzezinski said Bush has leverage to discourage an Israeli strike because Israeli warplanes would have to fly through airspace controlled by the US in order to attack Iran, and the US could deny permission to do so.

MGH/HAR

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Chomsky: Bush a catastrophe, a gambler

Noam Chomsky believes that everything the Bush administration has done has turned into a catastrophe, calling war on Iran a wild gamble.

When interviewed by Press TV about the possibility of a US-led attack Iran the world renowned US foreign policy analyst said, “It is conceivable that they would be willing to enter a wild gamble and to see what happens. Remember that everything Bush administration has done almost without an exception has turned into a catastrophe for the interests they represent.”

“US intelligence seems to oppose it. The US military opposes it. The Americans and surely the whole world oppose it,” he said while acknowledging his own doubts if the Bush administration would be swayed by those pressures.

“People like DicK Cheney are unpredictable,” he said in the live Friday interview.

About Iran’s nuclear talks with the IAEA, he said, “The right solution to this problem is to declare a nuclear weapons’ free zone in the entire region which would include Iran, Israel, American forces deployed there and so on. About three quarters of Americans favor it and I think that’s the right idea.”

About the controversial US long-term security treaty with Iraq which stipulates American investors are to be given concessions denied others to Iraq’s resources, he said, “That’s brazen imperialism, saying we invaded you so that we could control your country, and so that our corporations can have privileged access to your resources.”

RZS/HAR

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Merkel urges diplomacy on Iran

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, has called for a diplomatic solution to Iran’s standoff with the West over its nuclear program.

During a joint news conference with the US President George W. Bush at Schloss Meseberg–the German government guesthouse–on Wednesday, the German chancellor said that any further measures against Iran “need to be negotiated in the Security Council of the United Nations,” UPI reported.

“I very clearly pin my hopes on diplomatic efforts and I believe that diplomatic pressure actually already has taken effect (on Iran),” Merkel said.

“If you look at the situation in Iran on the ground, you see that quite clearly. These efforts can have a success, but this presupposes, obviously, that the global community is sort of unified,” she added.

“Both in the European Union and in the world (sic) Security Council we have to continue this common approach,” Merkel said.

“We cannot exclude either that there may well be a further round of sanctions, and those need to be negotiated in the Security Council of the United Nations,” she noted.

MGH/RA

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Bush Urges to Confront “Lebanon Enemy” Hezbollah

US President George W. Bush called on Sunday on Lebanon’s neighbors and other nations in the Middle East to oppose Hezbollah, claiming that the lebanese resistance party turned out to be “the enemy of a free Lebanon,” saying that all nations have an interest in helping the Lebanese people prevail.
 
“We must stand with the people of Lebanon in their struggle to build a sovereign and independent democracy,” Bush told a mostly Arab audience at the World Economic Forum in Sharm el-Sheikh on Sunday, claiming that this means opposing whom he called “Hezbollah terrorists, funded by Iran, who recently revealed their true intentions by taking up arms against the Lebanese people,” according to Bush.
 
Bush also sought to reassure skeptical Arabs he is committed to securing a deal on Palestinian statehood before he leaves office, despite his outspoken support for Israel, claiming the so-called peace in the Middle East was possible by the end of the year but that it required “tough sacrifices.”  
 
Wrapping up his Middle East tour in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, Bush was looking to ease Palestinian dismay over his visit to Israel, where he lavished the Zionist entity with praise, hailing it as a “homeland for the chosen people.”
 
Bush alternately prodded and encouraged his allies from the so-called moderates on everything from oil to political reform, and urged them to isolate U.S. foes Syria and Iran for “supporting terrorism.”
 
“We must stand with the Palestinian people, who have suffered for decades and earned the right to a homeland of their own,” Bush said at the end of a five day Middle East tour.
 
Attempting to adjust his approach from the one taken on his visit to Israel for marking the formation of the Zionist entity on the Palestinian territories, Bush pressed Palestinians to “fight terror” and called on Israel to make “tough sacrifices for peace and ease restrictions on Palestinians.”
 
He was alluding to the hardship Palestinians face from Israeli roadblocks and barriers in the occupied West Bank, measures they call collective punishment.
 
Bush, who met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Sharm el-Sheikh on Saturday, sought broader regional support for the so-called peace process and urged Arab states to “move past their old resentments against Israel.”
 
He called on Arab governments to free all “prisoners of conscience” and open up political debate. “Too often in the Middle East, politics has consisted of one leader in power and the opposition in jail,” Bush said.
 
Reflecting concern over record oil prices during a presidential election year, Bush also warned Arab oil producers their supplies were limited and they must diversify their economies. His comments follow a visit to Saudi Arabia where he won a modest increase in oil output.

Source: www.insight-info.com

‘Bush Intends to Attack Iran before End of His Term’

 US President George W. Bush intends to attack Iran in the upcoming months, before the end of his term, Israeli Army Radio quoted officials in Jerusalem as saying Tuesday. The official claimed that a senior member of the president’s entourage said during a closed meeting that Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney were of the opinion that military action was called for.
 
However, the official continued, “the hesitancy of Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice” was preventing the administration from deciding to launch such an attack on the Islamic Republic.
 
The report said that according to assessments in Israel, recent turmoil in Lebanon, where according to them, “Hezbollah established control of the country”, was advancing an American attack.
 
Bush, the officials said, opined that Hezbollah’s show of strength was evidence of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s crowing influence. They said that according to Bush, “the disease must be treated – not its symptoms.”
 
In an address to the Knesset during his visit to occupied territories last week, Bush said, “America stands with you in firmly opposing Iran’s nuclear weapons ambitions,” Bush said, adding that allowing Iran to obtain nuclear weapons would be “an unforgivable betrayal of future generations.”
 
Bush also said that he hoped that by Israel’s 120th anniversary the Palestinians “will have the homeland they have long dreamed of and deserved – a democratic state that is governed by law, respects human rights, and rejects terror.”
 
This came at a time the Zionist entity feels shaky concerning its existence especially after the increased Palestinian resistance attacks and after its defeat in Lebanon Second War in 2006. This also came with the blessings of some Arab countries in the region which have delivered Bush a message saying that he must push for a settlement of the Palestinian problem if he wants to counter Iran’s growing clout in the Middle East.

Source: www.insight-info.com

Bush Urges to Confront “Lebanon Enemy” Hezbollah

US President George W. Bush called on Sunday on Lebanon’s neighbors and other nations in the Middle East to oppose Hezbollah, claiming that the lebanese resistance party turned out to be “the enemy of a free Lebanon,” saying that all nations have an interest in helping the Lebanese people prevail.
 
“We must stand with the people of Lebanon in their struggle to build a sovereign and independent democracy,” Bush told a mostly Arab audience at the World Economic Forum in Sharm el-Sheikh on Sunday, claiming that this means opposing whom he called “Hezbollah terrorists, funded by Iran, who recently revealed their true intentions by taking up arms against the Lebanese people,” according to Bush.
 
Bush also sought to reassure skeptical Arabs he is committed to securing a deal on Palestinian statehood before he leaves office, despite his outspoken support for Israel, claiming the so-called peace in the Middle East was possible by the end of the year but that it required “tough sacrifices.”  
 
Wrapping up his Middle East tour in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, Bush was looking to ease Palestinian dismay over his visit to Israel, where he lavished the Zionist entity with praise, hailing it as a “homeland for the chosen people.”
 
Bush alternately prodded and encouraged his allies from the so-called moderates on everything from oil to political reform, and urged them to isolate U.S. foes Syria and Iran for “supporting terrorism.”
 
“We must stand with the Palestinian people, who have suffered for decades and earned the right to a homeland of their own,” Bush said at the end of a five day Middle East tour.
 
Attempting to adjust his approach from the one taken on his visit to Israel for marking the formation of the Zionist entity on the Palestinian territories, Bush pressed Palestinians to “fight terror” and called on Israel to make “tough sacrifices for peace and ease restrictions on Palestinians.”
 
He was alluding to the hardship Palestinians face from Israeli roadblocks and barriers in the occupied West Bank, measures they call collective punishment.
 
Bush, who met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Sharm el-Sheikh on Saturday, sought broader regional support for the so-called peace process and urged Arab states to “move past their old resentments against Israel.”
 
He called on Arab governments to free all “prisoners of conscience” and open up political debate. “Too often in the Middle East, politics has consisted of one leader in power and the opposition in jail,” Bush said.
 
Reflecting concern over record oil prices during a presidential election year, Bush also warned Arab oil producers their supplies were limited and they must diversify their economies. His comments follow a visit to Saudi Arabia where he won a modest increase in oil output.

Source: www.insight-info.com

Bush pivots to Arab side of Mideast peace dispute

By JENNIFER LOVEN, Associated Press Writer 5 minutes ago

SHARM EL-SHEIK, Egypt – President Bush pivoted to the Arab side of the Mideast peace dispute on Saturday, and got a far less glowing reception from his Egyptian host — a key player in the long-running fight — than he did in Israel earlier this week.

Bush opened two days of talks with a string of leaders in this Red Sea resort town by sitting down with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. The two smiled and shook hands but said nothing to reporters.

Egypt was the first Arab nation to make peace with Israel and has long been seen as a key mediator in the Mideast dispute that Bush has said he wants to solve by the time he leaves office next January.

But Egypt’s state-owned newspapers, which are run by government-appointed managers, greeted Bush with stinging criticism. Bush is seen in the Arab world as tilting much too far toward Israel, and Bush’s two-day stay in Israel earlier this week seemed to reinforce that view.

In a much-anticipated speech Thursday to the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, Bush showered Israel with praise, strongly reiterated its right to defend itself and only gently urged leaders to “make the hard choices necessary,” without mention of concrete steps. By contrast, he did not visit the Palestinian territories nor mention the Palestinians’ plight. He spoke of them only in one sentence saying that Israel’s 120th anniversary — in 2068 — would see it neighboring an independent Palestinian state.

“Bush aims to do nothing but appeasing Israel,” wrote Mursi Atallah, the publisher of Al-Ahram, the flagship daily of the state-owned press.

A front page editorial in Al-Gomhouria, another Egyptian state-owned daily, described Bush as “a failed president who delivers nothing but a lousy speech.”

Akhbar Al-Youm also on Saturday published a picture of Bush hugging Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and captioned it “lovers.”

There was a similar reaction while Bush was in Saudi Arabia on Friday.

“We are all aware of the special U.S.-Israeli relation and its political dimensions,” Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal said. “It is, however, important also to affirm the legitimate and political rights of the Palestinian people.”

He also sharply criticized Israel for the “humanistic suffering weighed upon the West Bank and Gaza Strip population” of Palestinians. He said Israel’s “continued policy of expanding settlements on Palestinian territories” undermines the peace process.

Bush is meeting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas late Saturday — they have dinner after a more formal discussion session. Israelis and Palestinians have been negotiating since December, but nothing visible has emerged from the secretive process. Bush did no negotiating while in Israel and left the Holy Land with no new progress.

Mubarak, nearly three decades in power, could be an unlikely partner for Bush’s push to change that. Bush and Mubarak spent 90 minutes meeting and having lunch.

Over the past year, several secular newspaper editors in Egypt have been tried, some sentenced to prison, for anti-Mubarak writings. The country’s most outspoken government critic, Egyptian-American Saad Eddin Ibrahim, has gone to the United States for fear of arrest; he faces trial on accusations of harming national interests. The Egyptian government also has waged a heavy crackdown on its strongest domestic opposition, the Muslim Brotherhood, arresting hundreds of the Islamic fundamentalist group’s members.

Egypt, the largest recipient of U.S. foreign assistance behind Israel, would still continue to get $1.3 billion annually in U.S. aid for the next decade under a package the administration sent to Congress last year.

Bush also was seeing Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Saturday. Then, on Sunday, he is meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and several Iraqi leaders.

He had planned to meet with Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora as well, but that session fell off his schedule amid turmoil in Lebanon.

The militant group Hezbollah overran Beirut neighborhoods last week in protest of measures aimed at the group by Saniora’s government. The display of military power by the Shiite militant group resulted in the worst internal fighting since the end of Lebanon’s 1975-90 civil war. But on Thursday, Saniora’s government reached a deal with Hezbollah, which the U.S. considers a terrorist organization, after Lebanon’s Cabinet reversed measures aimed at reining in the militants.

___

Associated Press Writer Maggie Michael in Cairo, Egypt, contributed to this report.

Source: www.yahoo.com