heritage foundation
the relations between medvedev and yushchenko had turned into personal
confrontation said nikolai petrov political analyst at the carnegie moscow
centre
since yushchenko is about to leave russia is showing that there are no more
obstacles to normal relations and is swiftly sending its ambassador
un to send extra troops police to haiti
united nations jan afp
the un voted unanimously tuesday to send extra un troops and police to
quake hit haiti to help keep order and protect aid convoys amid scenes of
lawlessness in the stricken capital city
the member security council recognizing the dire circumstances and urgent
need for response backed request to reinforce the un forces in the
caribbean nation made by un chief ban ki moon on monday
ban was later to lead poignant ceremony to honor the quake victims scheduled
for pm gmt exactly one week after the quake struck and to call for
moment of silence throughout the united nations at that time
am grateful to the security council for its swift action ban told
reporters after it agreed in its vote that the haiti force now will consist of
military component of up to troops of all ranks and of police
component of up to
we must do all we can to get these extra forces on the ground as soon as
possible so that they can help maintain order and deliver humanitarian
assistance ban added
the council vote came week after the magnitude earthquake struck the
impoverished nation of nine million people killing at least according
to the haitian government
the capital port au prince has been left largely in ruins by the quake which
also destroyed the headquarters of the un mission in haiti minustah
un officials confirmed the deaths of at least staffers including
brazilians with more than still unaccounted for in the worst tragedy ever
to strike to world body
ban briefed the council monday on his six hour visit to port au prince sunday
during which he saw first hand the extensive devastation and expressed
solidarity with quake victims and shell shocked un staff
our chief priority is to get the relief distribution in port au prince fully
operational so that we may more efficiently distribute supplies food water
medicines tents the un boss said
ban call came amid fears that desperation at the slow pace of aid could spill
over into widespread violence in country that has long running security
troubles
thousands of homeless haitians were prey to roving bands of looters swarming
through the ruins of port au prince with police and military officials tasked
with protecting the vulnerable populace nowhere to be found
but in videoconference from port au prince un spokesman david wimhurst
dismissed reports of widespread looting and chaos as wildly exaggerated
edmond mulet the acting minustah chief said there was some security concern
particularly with the escape of inmates from the city main prison
including some gang leaders
but he noted that generally the security situation is under control
china un ambassador zhang yesui the council chair this month said meanwhile
the extra troops and police would be deployed for six months
head of un peacekeeping operations alain leroy said monday the reinforcements
would be used to protect humanitarian convoys and build aid corridors linking
port au prince with neighboring dominican republic and northern haitian port
the haitian capital main port was heavily damaged in tuesday magnitude
quake and will require weeks if not months of repairs
the extra minustah troops would also serve as reserve force in case the
security situation deteriorates leroy said
leroy said the dominican republic had agreed to dispatch battalion of
troops for arrival as early as this week and that other countries notably from
latin america and the european union were considering offers
mulet meanwhile said memorandum of understanding had been reached with both
the united states and canada under which the un remains in charge of
coordinating the relief distribution
but forces from the two countries would be used to protect aid convoys in their
separate areas of responsibility
us forces would operate mainly in the port au prince area while the canadians
would deploy in southern haiti including the city of jacmel he said
the un mission in haiti currently has roughly troops police and
about civilian personnel
it has been deployed since mid to help stabilize the impoverished nation
already the poorest in the americas
cruise ships dock at haiti resort despite quake
miami jan afp
luxury cruise ships will continue to dock as normal at an idyll in northern
haiti despite the deadly earthquake week ago that devastated the caribbean
nation company said tuesday
royal caribbean international which has donated one million dollars to the
haiti relief effort defended the move by saying it was important to keep the
haitian economy ticking over despite the tragedy
the giant liberty of the seas which has capacity for passengers was to
drop anchor later tuesday off the port of labadee where the company leases
private resort with beautiful beaches and sparkling turquoise waters
we are on regular itinerary with three ships going to labadee per week the
company director of communications lyan sierra caro told afp
navigator of the seas yesterday monday today liberty of the seas will be
there and celebrity solstice on friday we have no reports on cancellations so
far
but not everyone thought it appropriate for tourists to be lapping up luxury on
haitian beaches while rescuers are struggling to find survivors and bring relief
to those living in wretched conditions following tuesday catastrophe
can imagine having to choke down burger there now knowing how many have
died and how many are dying of thirst and who will probably die of their
injuries said blogger bakincakes visitor to the resort some years ago
labadee where royal caribbean employs hundreds of haitians is on haiti
northern coast which was largely unaffected by the magnitude earthquake
officials fear the quake may have killed up to people in western haiti
in and around the capital port au prince hundreds of thousands remain hungry
homeless and shell shocked in the aftermath of the tragedy
adam goldstein ceo and president of royal caribbean international wrote on his
blog that continuing to send cruise ships was exactly the right thing to do
despite the huge suffering further south
being on the island and generating economic activity for the straw market
vendors the hair braiders and our employees helps with relief while being
somewhere else does not help he wrote
people enjoying themselves is what we do people enjoying themselves in labadee
helps with relief we support our guests who choose to help in this way which is
consistent with our nearly year history in haiti
the oasis of the seas the largest cruise ship in the world which has rooms for
passengers and is also operated by royal caribbean made its first stop at
labadee on december
royal caribbean vice president john weis said thursday that the company was also
using its ships to deliver vital supplies to the quake stricken haitians
including rice dried beans and water
this effort is going to be marathon so we will be partnering with food for
the poor on the back end distribution in haiti he said
olympics quad bike crash rules us snowboarder davis out of games
los angeles jan afp
american snowboarder danny davis suffered spinal fracture in quad bike
accident sunday and will not compete in next month vancouver winter olympics
in updates on his facebook internet social networking page fans of the year
old halfpipe star learned that davis will not compete in any other events this
year as result of the fracture caused by the accident in utah
but doctors who operated upon davis on monday to repair the break were positive
danny will make full recovery
davis joins kevin pearce who suffered serious head injury december while
trying to land double cork move during training run as top americans who
were favorites to compete at vancouver that will not be on the us squad
the american lineup will be finalized this weekend after two last qualifying
events in utah
davis upset reigning olympic halfpipe champion shaun white at qualifying event
earlier this month with an unprecedented three double corks and pearce was also
among the few to defeat flying tomato white in competition
karzai orders security review after taliban attacks
kabul jan afp
afghan president hamid karzai on tuesday ordered review of security in the
capital after audacious attacks by taliban militants highlighted the
vulnerability of the city defences
karzai called in security chiefs to discuss how the islamist militants could
have brought their war to the gates of his fortified palace on monday when
gunmen and suicide bombers brought the city to standstill
security forces were put on high alert after the blitz on commercial and
government buildings the most spectacular assault by the taliban in year
which left fires raging and saw pitched street battles
the attacks have thrown into question karzai plan to bring the militants in
from the cold and cast shadow over an international conference this month on
afghanistan future
five people were killed including child and four members of the security
forces along with seven of the militants
after security briefings by the ministers of defence and interior it was
agreed that the current security plan for kabul be reviewed and that they report
back to the president for approval presidential statement said
as the clean up of kabul was under way residents and analysts voiced concern
about security
kabul is big city with five million inhabitants mainly poor people and the
taliban and al qaeda can take advantage of it and infiltrate the city said
analyst haroun mir
shopkeeper fahim whose store in the qari sami mall was destroyed when the
building was stormed and set ablaze said he had lost everything and blamed the
government for allowing the attack
the taliban succeeded here they have shown what they can do he said
while the authorities investigated how the bombers penetrated the commercial and
political heart of the city security forces won praise from the us military and
nato for averting potentially far greater loss of life
karzai declared that the afghan security forces had brought the situation under
control after three hours
but the attack was highly symbolic as it struck the only part of afghanistan
controlled by local forces just as the western backed karzai was swearing in
ministers for his new cabinet
the taliban said the attack aimed to send several messages and was timed to
coincide with the swearing in
purported spokesman zabihullah mujahid told afp the attacks proved the
taliban can be bought off with money they wage jihad and heed the orders of
god
more troops are not the solution he said apparently referring to the extra
soldiers being deployed to afghanistan this year by the united states and
nato on top of international troops already fighting the taliban
seven of our people proved what we can do mujahid said
the attacks also sent message to the international community before the
london conference telling them that they have invested in an administration that
is not capable he said by phone from an unknown location
karzai is due to announce new reconciliation plan this week before the
international conference in london on january but the attacks cast doubt on
its chances of success
wadir safi kabul university political science professor said the taliban show
of force meant karzai did not have grip on the reconciliation process
the attacks happened at time when karzai has plan for the taliban but he
doesn have contact with the important ones
it long process there are taliban in and around kabul they are here and
can obviously be activated
the nato led international security assistance force said two us soldiers had
been killed by bomb in southern afghanistan on tuesday bringing the total
number of foreign soldiers killed this year to of them american
french hotel giant accor reports revenue drop
paris jan afp
french hotel and services giant accor on tuesday reported an percent drop in
its revenue in to billion euros billion dollars because of
the effects of the global economic crisis
but the group said it was keeping target of pre tax operating profit of
between and million euros for as indicated last august
in business environment still severely hit by the recession the hotel
business saw percent drop in revenue accor also said with particularly
high drop in earnings from its upscale and midscale hotels
in the hotels business the fourth quarter saw an improvement in business
compared with previous quarters with the occupancy rate showing the first signs
of stabilizing in december the earnings report said
revenue for the quarter has demonstrated the firmer resistance both of the
hotels business in europe compared to the united states and of the economy
segment compared with the upscale and midscale segment it added
accor employs more than people and runs hotels around the world
including the ibis mercure novotel and sofitel brands
urgent six power talks on iran constructive us
washington jan afp
the latest talks by six world powers on the nuclear standoff with iran were
constructive us officials said tuesday
us fed welcomes aig bailout probe
washington jan afp
federal reserve chairman ben bernanke said tuesday he would welcome
congressional probe into the controversial government bailout of insurance giant
aig during the financial crisis
bernanke said the fed had already made public much information about actions
related to the aig bailout adding that the central bank and the treasury
acted in the best interests of the united states
in letter to the general accountability office the investigative arm of
congress he said that full review of the issue was appropriate
in this spirit to afford the public the most complete possible understanding
of our decisions and actions in this matter and to provide comprehensive
response to questions that have been raised by members of congress the federal
reserve would welcome full review by gao of all aspects of our involvement in
the extension of credit to aig the statement said
the federal reserve said in statement that it will make available to the gao
all records and personnel necessary to conduct the review
the gao is the audit evaluation and investigative arm of congress
the move came after us treasury secretary timothy geithner agreed to testify
before congressional hearing on the bailout involving more than billion
dollars especially payments made to aig trading partners
the house of representatives oversight and government reform committee said last
week that internal aig emails obtained by the panel to date indicate that the
new york fed may have urged aig to keep secret the details of the counterparty
payments despite the fact that taxpayer dollars made the payments possible
the panel last week subpoenaed documents on the bailout including from
geithner who was president of the federal reserve bank of new york before his
current appointment
geithner said he would testify before the house panel on january stressing
that he was not involved in any decision related to the disclosure of details
about the terms of the bailout
the new york fed had also said it would provide any relevant material to the
congressional panel
panel chairman edolphus towns said his committee was seeking information on
payments made to aig counterparties major global banks including goldman
sachs morgan stanley barclays bank of america deutsche bank and societe
generale
alert
last six power talks on iran were constructive us says
us regrets end to refueling mission for afghanistan
washington jan afp
senior us diplomat on tuesday voiced regret that japan ended naval refueling
mission for military operations in afghanistan saying washington had made clear
to tokyo how critical it was
but kurt campbell the assistant secretary of state for east asia and pacific
affairs played down how much the move as well as row over us air base
would affect the us japanese security alliance which marked years on
tuesday
we have communicated directly to the japanese government not only our
appreciation for the refueling mission campbell said during briefing to mark
the anniversary of the us japanese security alliance
but we ve also tried to be very clear that it made an enormous difference in
our ability to operate campbell said
but not just our ability other major nations have taken full advantage of this
refueling capacity he added
don think it an understatement to say that it will be missed it
played huge and critical role and we regret it said campbell secretary of
state hillary clinton pointman for asia
japan on friday ended the mission that has supported the us led military effort
in afghanistan since as the center left government in tokyo flexes its
muscles in its ties with washington
the end of the mission fulfilled pledge by prime minister yukio hatoyama
government which ousted the long ruling conservatives four months ago pledging
less subservient relationship with the united states
defense minister toshimi kitazawa ordered the two naval ships and their
personnel to return home after eight years of helping supply oil and water to
vessels used by international forces that are engaged in afghanistan
the move came days before washington and tokyo marks the th anniversary of the
signing their security alliance which has been strained by row over the
relocation of us military base on the southern island of okinawa
but campbell played down the tension in ties
there is think very clearly relationship that developing with new
players across the pacific and quite confident about the direction ahead
he said
and so think it important not to overblow what you know these
challenges that we face and put them in larger context and to recognize
that our alliance is bigger than any one or two issues he said
russia ends freeze in ties with ukraine after election
moscow jan afp
russian president dmitry medvedev said tuesday his country would end freeze in
ties with ukraine move that follows the election defeat of the ex soviet
republic pro western president
the announcement that russia would send an ambassador to the neighbouring
country after five month freeze came after two candidates viewed as friendly
to moscow finished on top in sunday vote
the election marked sharp turnaround for ukraine which had set out on
defiant course for european union and nato integration after the orange
revolution of
think you should begin your duties as ambassador to ukraine and try to do the
utmost to strengthen the friendly character of our countries relations
medvedev was quoted as saying by russian news agencies at meeting with
ambassador appointee mikhail zurabov
medvedev appointed zurabov ambassador kaine last year but announced in august
that he would not send him to kiev in protest against the anti russian
policies of ukrainian president viktor yuto ushchenko
yushchenko re election bid failed misserably in sunday presidential polls as
voters gave him humiliating fifth place finish final official results
released late tuesday gave him just percent of the votes
two candidates viewed as friendly to moscow pro russia politician viktor
yanukovich and prime minister yulia tymoshenko took percent and percent
respectively and are now set to compete in february run off
third place went to businessman sergiy tigipko with percent while former
foreign minister aresniy yatseniuk took seven percent ukraine central
election commission announced
medvedev said he hope the election would lead to capable effective
government oriented towards the development of constructive friendly and
multidimensional relations with russia
yushchenko came to power in the orange revolution pledging democratic reform and
membership in the european union
he angered moscow by seeking to bring ukraine into the nato military alliance
supporting russia foe georgia and campaigning for stalin era famine that
killed millions of ukrainians to be classified as genocide
and on sunday voters punished him for failing to bring about the promised
reforms and extracting ukraine from deep economic crisis
russian foreign minister sergei lavrov also indicated moscow pleasure at
yushchenko departure from power
regarding the prospects of russian ukrainian relations we have always been
against approaches that are politicised artificial and have nothing in common
with the interests of the ukrainian people lavrov said
we hope the new president whose name we will most likely find out on february
will fully understand the need to build relations in this manner and not hold
them hostage to his or her ambitions he told reporters
the dismal relations between moscow and kiev contributed to the gas crisis of
january where supplies of russian natural gas to the european union passing
through ukraine pipelines were cut off in the middle of winter
analysts said medvedev decision to send an ambassador to kiev immediately
after sunday election showed russia readiness to cooperate with either of
the possible winners of the run off
moscow has sent signal that either one candidate or the other would be
welcome said yevgeny volk head of moscow office of the washington based
heritage foundation
the relations between medvedev and yushchenko had turned into personal
confrontation said nikolai petrov political analyst at the carnegie moscow
centre
since yushchenko is about to leave russia is showing that there are no more
obstacles to normal relations and is swiftly sending its ambassador
nearly die in fresh nigeria religious clashes
kano nigeria jan afp
new clashes between christians and muslims in the nigerian city of jos left
nearly dead senior muslim cleric and paramedic said tuesday as troops
were deployed to the city
state authorities placed the city under hour curfew and terrified residents
reported gunshots and smoke billowing from parts of the plateau state capital in
central nigeria all flights to the city were suspended aviation sources said
nigeria vice president goodluck jonathan ordered troops into jos the national
security adviser sarki mukthar told reporters
mukthar also said jonathan has ordered security chiefs to immediately move to
jos to assess the situation
jonathan on tuesday held separate meetings with the security chiefs and the
ruling party leaders his office said details of the meetings were not
disclosed
the jos fighting broke out at the weekend over the building of new mosque jos
has been hotbed of sectarian tensions in recent years with hundreds killed
most bodies from the latest clashes were taken to the city central mosque
according to its head balarabe dawud we received dead bodies this morning
and another this afternoon dawud said
he said at least people had been wounded of whom had been taken to
military hospitals with serious injuries
fighting spread to bukuru on the outskirts of jos during the day leaving
another five dead and injured paramedic maryam mohammed said at clinic
there
as am speaking to you now fighting is ongoing although soldiers have been
deployed so far we have injured and now five dead she told afp
dawud said the jos central mosque had run out of medical supplies to treat the
injured even neighbourhood private clinics are full with the injured normally
these are the places we would have gone to for supplies but they are also in
need of them he said
mosque employee mohammed shittu told afp that the mosque is full with the
injured and the dead
announcing the extension of weekend curfew state information commissioner
gregory yenlong told afp all residents are hereby directed to stay indoors as
security agents work towards restoring peace
david maiyaki christian resident of the dutse uku area of jos where the new
fighting erupted said the clashes had gone on despite the curfew fighting is
continuing unabated he said
we woke up to new fighting this morning as am talking to you we are indoors
but there is burning and gunshots all around us he told afp by phone
ibrahim mudi resident of sabon fegi suburb said from here can hear
gunshots and see burning buildings from neighbourhood in the northern part of
the city
it seems that jos north is completely on fire added mudi who spoke by phone
from his veranda
mohammed ahmad from the unguwarrogo area said the city is enveloped in smoke
and gunshots have filled the air
it quite terrifying we are indoors but we don feel safe it like any
moment something is going to happen to us said ahmad
sunday fighting had been confined to the predominantly christian nassarawa
gwon area but has since spread to other parts of the city the army said
it is not concentrated it is not limited to one area it is scattered army
spokesman colonel galadima shekari told afp
fighting first erupted when christian youths protested the building of mosque
in christian majority area of nigeria th city houses and vehicles were
set ablaze
sunday clashes killed at least people according to muslim leaders the red
cross said more than people were seriously injured and that it was
struggling to cope with around displaced people
yenlong vowed the state government will do all it takes to ensure the return of
normalcy to the city
jos situated between the muslim dominated north and the christian south has in
recent years been hotbed of religious violence in nigeria whose million
people are divided almost equally between followers of the two faiths
in november hundreds of people were killed in two days of fighting in the
city triggered by rumour that the mainly muslim all nigerian peoples party had
lost local election to the christian dominated people democratic party
at least people were killed in borno state last july when security forces
put down an insurrection by muslim fundamentalist sect in december around
were killed in clashes between security forces and members of another radical
sect in bauchi state
minister insists britain wanted diplomatic solution on iraq
london jan afp
the first former cabinet minister to give evidence to the iraq war inquiry
insisted on tuesday that britain had always wanted diplomatic solution to the
crisis before the invasion
former defence secretary geoff hoon testimony kicked off appearances from
series of ex cabinet ministers before the eagerly awaited questioning of former
prime minister tony blair on january
hoon said britain had always hoped diplomatic efforts to disarm iraq through the
united nations would bear fruit and he doubted that blair had ever given the
united states unconditional support for military action
blair influential spokesman at the time of the war alastair campbell told
the inquiry last week that blair had sent secret notes to then us president
george bush in the months before the march invasion
campbell said that while blair was pressing bush to seek diplomatic solution
he indicated in his notes he would support military action if the un route
failed
hoon was asked whether he as defence minister would not have expected to have
been consulted if blair were writing notes committing britain to military
action
would have been and that is why do not believe he was ever unconditionally
committing us to anything hoon said think that right up until the vote in
the house of commons our attitude towards the use of force was always
conditional
hoon was referring to the march vote in which british lawmakers backed the
use of military force against saddam hussein regime
on blair talks with bush at the president ranch in crawford texas in april
hoon said he had not been briefed directly on what was said at the
meeting
declassified letters released by the inquiry show that peter goldsmith then
attorney general the government top legal advisor warned hoon in april
there were considerable difficulties in justifying military action
but hoon said that by march shortly before the us led invasion
goldsmith was advising the government that an invasion would not be illegal
was clear that his conclusion was that there was legal justification for
military action hoon told the inquiry he says so categorically
goldsmith is due to give evidence on january two days before blair
hoon said he had believed britain ministry of defence mod was content with
the controversial claim in government dossier used to make the case for war
that iraq could deploy weapons of mass destruction within minutes
david kelly an mod weapons expert who believed he may have been the source of
the minute claim later committed suicide officials had confirmed his name as
the source to some journalists
hoon admitted he had not seen the minute claim before it appeared in the
draft dossier but after seeking and receiving satisfactory explanation from
officials thought little more of it
he added he was unaware for months after the invasion why near blanket
press coverage of the minute issue later became controversial until he saw
bbc documentary on it
he explained this by saying had been in kiev for couple of days at the
crucial time and had not seen newspaper headlines
hoon defence minister from to identified mid as the period when
it became clear that washington meant business over iraq because the united
states was deeply traumatised over the september attacks and perceived
saddam as another threat
he said that as early as october he told blair that decision on military
action was necessary because he felt it was essential that the armed forces be
given time to prepare
hoon admitted he had feared the british armed forces would struggle to meet the
demands of full scale military invasion of iraq because they were already
deeply committed in afghanistan following the invasion
iran welcomes west new realism on nuclear drive
tehran jan afp
iran on tuesday welcomed what it called the west newfound realism on
tehran controversial atomic programme after world powers failed to decide on
new sanctions
britain meanwhile warned of punitive financial measures against iran regime
after china urged flexibility on the standoff over tehran nuclear drive and
return to talks
however iranian defence minister ahmad vahidi renewed warning that tehran
forces could hit western warships in the gulf if it comes under attack over the
nuclear standoff
on the diplomatic front foreign ministry spokesman ramin mehmanparast told
reporters speaking of sanctions is repetitive and it is not constructive
some western countries should correct their approach and be realistic about
our nuclear rights and we feel there are traces of realism to be seen he
