Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias
said on Friday he respects Germany just not German politics, nor the
way Berlin views Greece's economy, which faces the prospect of running
out of money if it cannot agree to new bailout terms with creditors. Kotzias
said Greece and its euro zone partners need to compromise on creating
political policies that will foster growth and allow the country to pay
its debts. Asked if he is simply asking the rest of Europe to
trust Greece, he said: "No. To be pragmatic. Trust is a very important
thing but they have to be pragmatic." "Do they want to support us
to have growth... or do they decide to have Greece struggle, to punish
Greece and to create an example of what happens to a country that has a
left government," Kotzias said at the end a four-day visit to Washington
and New York. He further dismissed talk the 19-nation euro zone
currency area could better handle a Greek default now versus the
financial crisis that resulted in a Greek bailout of 240 billion euros."It
is like a game of chicken, but not the kind of game you know. What our
friends are forgetting is that we don't have gas to move... We like to
come back to compromising and at the end we will do it," said Kotzias, a
fluent German speaker. "So you are not giving a solution to Greece, you press the Greek government? What can be the solution? Golden Dawn is coming.
Nobody has an interest in that, so that is why they will find a
solution," said Kotzias, highlighting the far-right political party that
is the third largest in parliament. Reuters
Greece's governors and other local officials agreed on Saturday to lend cash to the central government after Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras assured them the measure would last for only a short period of time. Greek
lawmakers approved a decree late on Friday to force state entities to
lend cash to the central government in spite of protests by
municipalities and labor unions. The measure, which was approved
by 156 lawmakers in the 300-seat chamber, caused an outcry by local
governors, who met Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Saturday to seek an
explanation about the necessity of the action. "We
got assurances that the measure is an emergency and temporary one, so
it will become optional in a short time," the head of the Greek group
representing local government officials, Kostas Agorastos, told
reporters after the meeting. "Since he (Tsipras) talked to us
honestly, and since our country needs this negotiating tool now for the
negotiations to be completed, we will give it this tool," he said.
Just
weeks away from running out of cash, Athens has been tapping the cash
reserves of public sector entities through so-called repo transactions
to cover its needs. On Monday it ordered entities including local
governments to lend spare cash to the state while it tries to reach a
deal with skeptical foreign creditors on new financial aid
Friday’s meeting of euro zone finance ministers bore no fruit for Greece and Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis was hammered by his peers.
Athens was hoping that the meeting in Riga would help release much-needed partial funding. Especially after Thursday’s statements of support from German Chancellor Angela Merkel. A EU official described the atmosphere of the session as “unfriendly” to Greece.
Eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem said the critical discussion on the Greek issue left the group “still far from where we wanted to be.” He reiterated that Athens must come to a comprehensive agreement with creditors before any bailout funds are disbursed.
Eurogroup vice president Valdis Dombrovskis said there was “not enough progress” on talks, while Malta’s Edward Scicluna talked of a “complete breakdown in communication” with Greece’s leadership. “We want to save Greece, but we’re speaking a different language,” he said characteristically.
Dijsselbloem said the Greek issue will be discussed in May’s scheduled meeting of euro zone finance ministers, adding that there won’t be an emergency Eurogroup before that.
Yanis Varoufakis was harshly criticized
Finance ministers expressed their frustration over the Greek minister’s procrastination and lack of urgency in negotiations. According to a Bloomberg report, a source characterized him as “a time-waster, a gambler and an amateur.”
Varoufakis suggested that the negotiation process would be speeded up if creditors would agree to a “partial disbursement” in return for a “narrower list of reforms.”
On his part, Varoufakis said after the meeting that discussions had “converged” and he expressed optimism that a deal for Greece would come soon.
Eurogroup members also expressed their disapproval of the effort made by Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to bypass them and appeal to the German chancellor for a political solution.
- See more at: http://greece.greekreporter.com/2015/04/24/eurogroup-unfriendly-to-greece-varoufakis-hammered-by-peers/#sthash.wDp11Vbb.dpuf
A
political approach to Russia's economic proposal to invest in a gas
pipeline running through Greece may prevent Athens from pursuing its own
economic interests, a Greek expert told Sputnik on Friday.
MOSCOW
(Sputnik) — Greece is currently weighing the political and economic
effects of Gazprom's offer for gas price discounts as well as potential
profits for its cash-strapped economy in exchange for building an
EU-bound gas line for Russian natural gas shipments.Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias said Tuesday he was approached
by US Secretary of State John Kerry who said the United States was
willing to make a counteroffer, although details were not disclosed,
according to the Associated Press. Kotzias commented on his nation's considerations, saying they were purely economic, and not political. George Kapopoulos, a senior political analyst for the Greek business
magazine Imerisia, told Sputnik that Greece was at a crossroads.
"There are two attitudes to the energy
strategy. The first one corresponds to the reality, to the real supply
and transportation export. The second one has purely political and
geopolitical priorities, and it often leads to choices that do not have
economic logic."
The pundit added that Russia, a major gas supplier for Europe, cannot easily be replaced.
Under
the label of energy security for Europe, Washington has been promoting
its own energy projects in the region in a bid to wean it off Russian
natural gas.If Greece agrees to a joint energy project with Russia, this may put
it at odds with Washington, which has long been critical of the European
Union's reliance on Russian gas supplies. If Greece refuses Russia, the United States may try to step in,
although there is no knowing if it could out-compete Russia, which
accounts for around 30 percent of EU gas imports. Andreas Marazis, Junior Researcher at FRIDE, an EU-Spanish think tank
on European development and dialogue, said it was impossible to predict
the outcome without knowing the details of a purported US
"counteroffer."
"Russia has made a concrete and seemingly
attractive offer to Greece, but since the US has not yet clarified the
precise details of its proposal, it is impossible to tell at this stage
if it would be competitive with that of Gazprom."
Russia is building a major gas pipeline across the Black Sea
to Turkey, continuing to its border with Greece. The Greek energy
minister told Sputnik in early April that the countries would sign a
memorandum of understanding on the Greek section soon. The Greek pipeline could be built by a consortium of Russian and European companies, according to Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller.
The coffins containing bodies of immigrants who died were taken to Porto Empedocle in Sicily
More
than 3,000 people are estimated to have died in the Mediterranean Sea
last year. The Pope has warned the waters are in danger of becoming "a
vast cemetery".
People smugglers have been described as the most
ruthless travel agents on the planet and the Italian Navy rescue mission
has been downsized among claims that helping migrants at sea creates a
"pull factor".
What could European countries do to stop these
deaths? Four expert witnesses give their perspective with the BBC World
Service's The Inquiry.
Andrea di Nicola: Demand is high for 'ruthless travel agents'
The Italian criminologist and author spent two years travelling around Africa and the Middle East speaking to smugglers.
Andrea de Nicola says Europe faces a huge battle against the smugglers
"When we interview and spend
time with the smugglers, they were almost laughing at Europe saying 'You
cannot stop this. If you try and stop this, if you close your border I
will earn more, my prices will increase.' This is what they told us."
Some
smugglers pack migrants into unseaworthy boats in the face of winter
storms. Others have sent a freighter packed with people on autopilot
towards the shore.
"Travelling by sea can be the cheapest way into Europe, but a better class of service can be bought.
"A
Turkish smuggler made his clients enter Italy on yachts with two or
three skippers and they were full of Afghans and Syrians. They were
sailing through the Mediterranean Sea during spring time or summer time.
It was less risky and more costly for them.
"The price paid [by migrants] was something like 7-8,000 euros for each person."
Large, sophisticated networks stretching across continents, comprising thousands of individuals will be hard to stop.
"They
trust each other. They work together. They are more capable of
co-operating among each other in a criminal system than we are among
countries of the European Union. This is incredible.
"It's
essential [for the EU] to co-operate in terms of judicial and
investigative co-operation. For instance, the co-operation with Turkish
authorities should be boosted in order to make the life of the smugglers
more difficult."
Professor Alessio Patalano: 'Italy's dilemma'
The
visiting professor at the Italian Naval War College says Italy's
now-defunct operation Mare Nostrum (Our Sea), which saved thousands of
lives, should be reinstated and funded by European countries.
Prof Alessio Patalano says Italy's rescue model should be adopted by the EU
In October 2013, an Italian
fisherman and his crew rescued 155 migrants from the sea near the island
of Lampedusa when their boat capsized. Some 368 died.
The Italian government set up operation Mare Nostrum (Our Sea) to patrol and save lives in the Mediterranean.
"It
was something that was popular in terms of the broader public and even
within the political corridors in Italy, it's something that touched
pretty much everybody.
"The military deployed planes, helicopters, submarines and destroyers to find and pull people out of the sea.
"The
mission was pretty clear really. We should try very hard to prevent
further disasters of this kind from happening at sea.
"What Mare
Nostrum presented to them was a scale of humanitarian crisis that went
past the standard numbers that you would deal with if you were in the
Italian Navy."
The Italian Navy and Coastguard expected to save about 3,000 people a year.
"There
is nothing in the recent history of the Mediterranean that would
suggest in that year you had 156-157,000 people rescued at sea.
"There
is absolutely no precedent in that sense, in terms of scale, the
impact, the costs and the ability to meet the challenge."
The £10m
a month cost of Mare Nostrum was too much of a strain on Italy's naval
budget. It turned to Europe for help. In response, the EU launched
Operation Triton which has a budget a third the size.
Forensic anthropologist Robin Reineke,: 'Shifting the problem creates more deaths'
The
forensic anthropologist is the Executive Director, Colibrí Center for
Human Rights and works on the Mexican/US border tracking migrant deaths.
She says using geography - like the desert, or the sea - to deter
migration does not work. Desperate people will try to make the crossing
however dangerous it is.
Robin Reineke says changing strategies bring different issues.
"In 1994, the border patrol
under the Clinton administration shifted strategy. It was known as
'prevention through deterrence' and was predicated on this idea that if
people got to the border wall and they saw how difficult it would be,
they wouldn't try."
Borders in El Paso, San Diego and Arizona were strengthened. The reaction from migrants was to find another way to cross.
"Essentially,
would-be migrants were pushed into the very, very remote mountainous
and arid parts of Arizona. In the early 2000s we saw a rapid, tragic
increase in the number of fatalities in southern Arizona in the span of
just a couple of years.
"Prevention through deterrence has not
been a strategy that's been successful in deterring people.
Unfortunately it's led to the deaths of thousands of people but it has
not had an impact on the flow of unauthorised immigrants across the
US-Mexico border."
President of the European Parliament Martin Shulz: 'We need a proper structure'
The
president of the European Parliament says Europe needs to increase the
humanitarian effort, but a political solution is needed in the long
term.
Martin Schulz, president of the European Parliament, says a new system must be introduced
"We need a complete new system
of migration. Fifty per cent of all refugees are going to five member
states of the European Union, which has 28 members.
"So what we
need first of all is what we call 'burden sharing'. All member states of
the European Union must contribute to manage this problem of refugees."
He
says one way to reduce the number of people who die trying to get into
Europe illegally is to make it easier for them to do so legally.
"We
need rules for access to the European Union. Who will take how much
quota of immigrants and which kind of immigrants get access to the
European Union.
"This is for sure the better way than to allow illegal uncontrolled immigration."
Mr Schulz understands it is a hard political sell but argues national governments must be honest with their citizens.
"The question is: Is a government obliged to tell its citizens what they want to hear or what is the real need to explain?
"The
Europeans must understand that we are in the beginning of a major
change in the structure, not only of Europe, but the world as a whole
with a lot of migration.
"People in this global world are moving and they will move also to Europe."
The Inquiry is broadcast on the BBC World Service, on Tuesdays from 13:05 GMT. Listen online or download the podcast.
Vladimir
Putin, now in full control of Russia as Prime Minister (then) NOW
President , wishes to build a strong Christian nation. In a televised
Christmas message on January 7 2008 Putin said:
— “The Russian Orthodox Church contributes to the promotion
of moral values in society. One should not completely draw a line
between the culture and the church. Of course by law in our country the
church is separate from the state. But in the soul and the history of
our people it’s all together. It always has been and always will be.” Russia
will make The United States reflect upon what they allowed Rothschild
to do to their own country. So when you see protests against Vladimir
now, keep in mind it is probably staged by The Rothschild’s trying to
control Russia once again. Putin Issues Arrest Warrant for Financial Terrorist George Soros!! Financial terrorist and Hungarian banker,
Convicted Felon George Soros… Russian Intelligence has fingered Soros
for using cross-collateralized compounded Swedish and Danish foreign currency derivatives for the purpose of an attack on the Russian stock market.. Soros’
use of these cross-collateralized compounded derivatives utilizing
Luxembourg banks violates the terms of the Basil II European
Union banking agreement. The thing that should give pause to the
Heads of State Western is like Putin did in freeing Russia from those
who wanted to bring the total economic and social collapse and beat up
in jail all those who have tried. Are they influencing
Lubawitschern Putin? The fact is that Putin is loyal to Russia and its
people, and never allow anyone, even when he is in command in that
nation, to sell out and to let his country into the clutches of the NWO.
For this he ordered to issue an international arrest warrant against
George Soros, who has been caught red-handed as he prepared to send
financial aid to what is called opposition in Russia, which recently
made the streets in dozens of thousands of people telling lies and
misinformation-cheating during the elections. Now Mr. Soros has
little room to continue his dirty games with the speculation that has
devastated the entire global financial system, in collaboration
Rothschild / Rockefeller and other jackals. Putin’s speech, which was officially issued by the Russian authorities. Today it is made public the following statement by the Russian Federation and its Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, has been asked for an arrest warrant against the International Terrorist Finance, the Hungarian currency-Mogul George Soros, the Russian secret services have found that Soros was using foreign currency derivatives with other Danes to start an attack against the Russian Currency Shares in the market. It
should be noted that Soros was using these derivatives with the help of
Luxembourg banks, which is forbidden after the contract was made by the
EU called Basel II. Both the IMF (International Monetary Fund)
and European Union have issued an Interpol “Red Notice” which is not
only against the immediate arrest of Soros, but also against the Sharks
on Finance, Bush, Clinton, criminal organization,
Marc Rich and his firm, which is located in Switzerland, the
Commodities Broker-Richfield, which is why the Russian Premier Putin has
recently met the Chef of the Federal Reserve making clear that the
Russian Federation will not accept that such use is made of people like Soros and Rich to commit criminal acts of the derivatives market and Finance, which led to social destabilization across the globe. Putin will be done and start the hunt for these criminals and their accomplices Bankers Rothschild, Rockefeller……….
Published: BELGRADE – Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has invited his
Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vucic to visit Moscow. The invitation was
extended to Vucic by Russian Ambassador Alexander Chepurin during a
meeting in the Serbian government Thursday.
Vucic and Chepurin discussed political and economic cooperation
between Serbia and Russia, the government’s media relations office said
in a release.
They agreed that the upcoming exchange of high level visits would
significantly contribute to improving relations between the two
countries, especially given that preparation of several
intergovernmental agreements on cooperation in the field of social
security, culture and other fields of common interest was underway.
They also believe that Serbia’s participation in the upcoming
business forum in St. Petersburg will give additional impetus to
cooperation, the release said.
TIRANA,
April 23 (Xinhua) -- Albanian Prosecutor-General Adriatik Llalla and
German federal prosecutor Harald Range Thursday stressed the great
importance of cooperation in identifying the groups involved in the
recruitment of "foreign fighters" for Middle Eastern armed conflicts.
Llalla, who is in Germany at the invitation of his
counterpart, stressed the need for close partnership in the fight
against terrorism and organized crime.
In addition, both interlocutors shared views on the
need for swift communication between the two countries' prosecution
offices to increase efficiency in investigations.
Apart from the existing cooperation between the two
countries' judicial authorities, the two senior officials expressed
willingness to sign an extradition pact between the two countries to
send sentenced people from Albania to Germany and vice versa.
The Albanian chief prosecutor also requested
Germany's technical and legal assistance to strengthen investigative
capacity in Albania, as well as increasing the institution's
independence.
Skopje. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama received
Brussels’ support for the European integration of Albania and was
praised as “constructive partner in the region”, while just a few days
earlier the prime minister repeated his position that the restructuring
of the borders in the Balkans was inevitable and the unification of
Albania and Kosovo was a clear project, Macedonian journalist Iskra
Korovesovska in a commentary published in the Macedonian Dnevnik daily.
“He even made an appeal towards the EU, since it was up to its approach to determine the development of the things.
Instead of reaction to Rama’s statement for change of the border, which
Brussels considers impossible, the Union kept silent about the issue and
on the top of it even praised the politician.
How should we interpret this silence, while the Albanian prime minister
is firmly talking about restructure of the European borders,” the author
writes.
Dnevnik also cites a statement of Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic,
who said that if Voislav Sesel said only a two words, then everyone
would rise in Brussels, though Sesel is currently nobody in Serbia,
while when a prime minister of a country talks about border changes,
everyone kept silent.
TIRANA,
Albania (AP) — Albanian authorities say they have charged a young man
with allegedly trying to join Muslim extremists fighting in Syria.
Police
say the 18-year-old was detained in Greece for illegally entering the
country from Albania, and promptly handed over to Albanian authorities
who arrested him Thursday.
Although Albanian officials say some 70
local people are believed to have joined extremists from the Islamic
State group fighting in Syria, the teenager is the first to have been
arrested and charged.
If convicted, he faces up to 10 years to jail.
Nine Albanian Muslims, including two preachers, are on trial for recruiting for Syrian rebels. About
two-thirds of Albania's 3.2 million people are Muslims. Mainstream
religious leaders have called on believers not to join rebel groups in
Syria.
Prosecution or Persecution
By Andy Manatos A gunshot rang out in the Russell Senate Office Building as U.S.
Senator Lester Hunt pressed the end of the barrel of his gun to his
temple. He experienced the destructive, often lethal, power of
threatened national humiliation. A group of U.S. Senators, including
Joseph McCarthy, attempted to secure their party’s majority of the
Senate by keeping Senator Hunt from running for re-election. They
threatened to have spread in headlines across America about his son’s 1954 arrest for gay activities, which were then considered scandalous. National humiliation is a mega-weapon that carries life-shattering
ramifications even when wielded honorably. For example, two U.S.
Senators who were censured by the Senate in the 1950s and ’60s died
prematurely in the wake of their national humiliation. Taken alone, the
high-profile prosecution tarnishes reputations and careers with
irrevocable consequence; it must only be applied to the indisputably
guilty. Otherwise, we victimize the innocent. Essential to the determination of indisputable guilt is presumed
innocence. Today’s media-led portrayals of Congressional activities are
too often presumed as nefarious. Ironically, this Congress is the
cleanest in history and in the world. This negative presumption makes
perfectly legitimate activities, like Congressional questioning of
apparent agency wrongdoing, appear improperly motivated and against the
public interest. The Congress and agencies were better understood in the 1970s and
’80s when Senator Bill Proxmire gave his highly publicized “Golden
Fleece Award.” His monthly prize, given to the worst example of agency
misconduct, made the American public more aware of the need for
Congressional oversight of agency transgressions. Today, America is virtually unaware of the egregiousness of agency
wrongdoing. Who knows of the recent case of a paraplegic widow of a WWII
hero and Army general who had her pension, tax returns and social
security checks withheld by the Veterans Administration (VA), to the
tune of $140,000? Years of family efforts to secure her funds failed,
and she was on the verge of being forced from her daughter’s home. At a
contributor’s request, a Member of Congress raised it to the VA
Secretary’s level and the widow’s funds were returned. Or take the case of a builder who signed a contract with the federal
government and fell victim to a foreman who wanted a different
contractor. This foreman gave the builder a change-order with a 30-day
deadline, withheld for 31 days his approval of the required change-order
plans, and then fired the builder for missing the deadline. A Senator’s
questions, urged by a contributor, corrected this agency wrongdoing. Incorrect presumptions about Congressional oversight of agencies
ignore the fact that Senators and members: (1) Come to Washington to
spend significant amounts of time questioning apparent U.S. government
wrongdoing; (2) Have no actual control over agencies except for the
moral weight of their questions; (3) Have their questions essentially
ignored by the agencies 99 percent of the time; (4) Gain information
about questionable agency actions from many sources including friends,
some of whom support their reelection; and (5) Scrupulously refuse to
raise questions lacking in merit, regardless of who makes the request. For those who work with the Congress, smelling the occasional crooks
among the hard working public servants is not difficult. And, too
frequently, we see the innocent attacked. The investigations and
prosecution of Senators Ted Stevens, John McCain and national hero John
Glenn come to mind, as does the impending case against Senator Bob
Menendez. Misuse of this life-shattering mega-weapon intruded into my life as a
boy when my father discovered the slumped body of his boss, Senator
Hunt. Its intrusion continues today into the lives of my friends. • Two friends and likely-to-win Senate candidates lost Senate seats
and their dreams due to unjust ethics investigations and prosecutions
during their campaigns from which they were exonerated after the
elections.
• An innocent friend was terribly humiliated before his neighbors,
horrified family and the invited media as he was handcuffed and arrested
at 5 a.m. in his nightclothes. The arrest and charges against my friend
were dropped but they unnecessarily hurt his reputation and business,
and he lost over $1 million in legal fees.
• Another later-exonerated friend lost his honor, hundreds of thousands
in legal fees and his health. Friends attribute his early death to his
acutely felt humiliation.
• And, finally, a very bright, very shy and very innocent high school
friend escaped the humiliation of an unjust government prosecution by
taking his own life. Joseph Walsh said to Senator Joseph McCarthy, his era’s destroyer of
lives in the sincere pursuit of wrongdoing, “Let us not assassinate this
lad further, have you no sense of decency at long last?”
Fourteen
migrants were hit by a train and killed in central Former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) late on Thursday as they walked through a
canyon along an increasingly well-trodden Balkan route for migrants
trying to reach western Europe. The accident happened at around
10.30 p.m. near the central city of Veles. Rescue efforts were hampered
by difficult terrain, with the site of the accident accessible only by
foot or railway. FYROM's state prosecutor said that from interviewing survivors it appeared most of the group were from Somalia and Afghanistan. Local
media reported that the group numbered around 50. They were hit by an
international train traveling from the southern border town of Gevgelija
to the Serbian capital, Belgrade, the same route taken by migrants
trying to get from Greece to Hungary. "The driver saw a large group, dozens of people," the prosecutor said in a statement. "At
that moment, he took action to stop the train and engage the siren, at
which point some people left the tracks. The train was unable to stop
before hitting and running over some of them." Reuters
By George Friedman The Greek crisis is moving toward a climax. The issue is actually
quite simple. The Greek government owes a great deal of money to
European institutions and the International Monetary Fund. It has
accumulated this debt over time, but it has become increasingly
difficult for Greece to meet its payments. If Greece doesn't meet these
payments, the IMF and European institutions have said they will not
extend any more loans to Greece. Greece must make a calculation. If it
pays the loans on time and receives additional funding, will it be
better off than not paying the loans and being cut off from more? Obviously, the question is more complex. It is not clear that if the
Greeks refuse to pay, they will be cut off from further loans. First,
the other side might be bluffing, as it has in the past. Second, if they
do pay the next round, and they do get the next tranche of funding, is
this simply kicking the can down the road? Does it solve Greece's underlying problem,
which is that its debt structure is unsustainable? In a world that
contains Argentina and American Airlines, we have learned that
bankruptcy and lack of access to credit markets do not necessarily go
hand in hand. To understand what might happen, we need to look at Hungary. Hungary
did not join the euro, and its currency, the forint, had declined in
value. Mortgages taken out by Hungarians denominated in euros, Swiss
francs and yen spiraled in terms of forints, and large numbers of
Hungarians faced foreclosure from European banks. In a complex move, the
Hungarian government declared that these debts would be repaid in
forints. The banks by and large accepted Prime Minister Viktor Orban's
terms, and the European Union grumbled but went along. Hungary was not
the only country to experience this problem, but its response was the
most assertive. A strategy inspired by Budapest would have the Greeks print drachmas
and announce (not offer) that the debt would be repaid in that currency.
The euro could still circulate in Greece and be legal tender, but the
government would pay its debts in drachmas.
The Deeper Questions
In considering this and other scenarios, the pervading question is
whether Greece leaves or stays in the eurozone. But before that, there
are still two fundamental questions. First, in or out of the euro, how
does Greece pay its debts currently without engendering social chaos?
The second and far more important question is how does Greece revive its
economy? Lurching from debt payment to debt payment, from German and
IMF threats to German and IMF threats is amusing from a distance. It
does not, however, address the real issue: Greece, and other countries,
cannot exist as normal, coherent states under these circumstances, and
in European history, long-term economic dysfunction tends to lead to political extremism and instability.
The euro question may be interesting, but the deeper economic question
is of profound importance to both the debtor and creditors.......................................................
more see: https://www.stratfor.com/weekly/grexit-issue-and-problem-free-trade?utm_source=freelist-f&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Gweekly&utm_campaign=20150421&mc_cid=a228ca89db&mc_eid=1c7ab09ec5
U.S. Warships Prepare for Possible High Seas Standoff With Iran
Nightly NewsAmerican warships are
prepared to intercept a convoy of Iranian ships suspected of carrying
weapons to Houthi rebel forces in Yemen, senior defense and military
officials told NBC News on Monday.
An Iranian convoy of
freighters, escorted by warships from the Iranian military and
Revolutionary Guard forces, appears headed for Yemen, the officials
said.
They emphasized that
while the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier group would be in position to
intercept the convoy, an intercept could also be carried out by Saudi
Arabia, Egypt or the United Arab Emirates, which are patrolling the
waters off Yemen.
Supported by the United
States, Saudi Arabia has led Sunni Arab countries in carrying out more
than three weeks of airstrikes targeting the rebels, who are backed by
Iran and have seized parts of Yemen.
There is no indication
that U.S. or other coalition warships have been in contact with the
Iranians, but one official told NBC News, "They know we're there."
Some U.S. officials are
concerned that the leak of the information is not good, coming at the
same time as the United States and other countries try to reach a final
agreement on Iran's nuclear program.
"Since this is now
public, the Iranians may feel they've been backed into a corner" and
attempt to run through any blockade set up by the coalition warships,
one official said.
The deployment comes
after a U.N. Security Council resolution approved last week imposed an
arms embargo on leaders of the Iranian-backed Shiite Houthi rebels, who
have taken over much of Yemen.
The resolution passed in
a 14-0 vote with Russia abstaining. Navy officials said Monday that the
Roosevelt was moving through the Arabian Sea. A massive ship that
carries F/A-18 fighter jets, the "TR" is seen more of a deterrent and
show of force in the region.
White House spokesman
Josh Earnest would not comment specifically on any Navy movements in
Yemeni waters, but said the U.S. has concerns about Iran's "continued
support for the Houthis.
"We have seen evidence
that the Iranians are supplying weapons and other armed support to the
Houthis in Yemen," Earnest said Monday. "That support will only
contribute to greater violence in that country. These are exactly the
kind of destabilizing activities that we have in mind when we raise
concerns about Iran's destabilizing activities in the Middle East."
He added, "Iranians are
acutely aware of our concerns for their continued support of the Houthis
by sending them large shipments of weapons."
The
meeting between Greek PM Alexis Tsipras and German Chancellor Angela
Merkel is under way in Brussels on the sidelines of the extraordinary
summit on migration.
The European Commissioner for migration Dimitris Avramopoulos said the European Union will “hunt down” human smugglers in the Mediterranean to bring them to justice. “We cannot allow these criminals to continue exploiting human lives,” Avramopoulos told
a press conference at Auberge de Castille, ahead of an extraordinary EU
summit to discuss a way forward on migration after some 650
unidentified migrants perished at sea in one of the deadliest shipwrecks
ever. “The EU is at war with human smugglers and we will hunt
them down and destroy their capacities. We will seize the smugglers’
boats, destroy them and bring the smugglers to justice.” Avramopolous,
flanked by Italian minister for the interior Angelino Alfano and deputy
prime minister Louis Grech, insisted that European countries cannot
tackle migration flows ‘alone and divided”, and that immediate remedies
must be sought to prevent any further loss of life. But he warned
that migratory flows would not disappear anytime soon. “The EU must
come up with structural and holistic solutions to the instability in the
migrants’ countries of origin,” Avramopolous said. “Global migration
won’t end, no matter how much money the EU pours into its policies.” When asked, Avramopolous added that migration issues should play a key role in ongoing UN-brokered Libyan peace talks. Louis Grech praised the EU for sending a “strong message” that it is willing to take action. “Passiveness
in the face of such tragedies is no longer an option,” Grech said,
referring to two recent shipwrecks off the coast of Libya that resulted
in the deaths of over 1,000 migrants. “The EU must take charge.” Deputy
Italian Prime Minister Angelino Alfano described the recent tragedy as a
“punch in the stomach” for those who are indifferent about the
Mediterranean’s migration problems. He said that the EU has
“finally woken up” and realized that the problem is a European one, and
not just a southern European one. http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/
President Mamnoon Hussain offers to provide higher education and training facilities to Albania.
Pakistan and Albania have agreed to enhance bilateral cooperation in economic, trade and cultural fields.
The understanding came at a meeting
between the President Mamnoon Hussain with his Albanian counterpart
Bujar Nishani on the sidelines of centenary celebrations of Canakkale
battles at Istanbul in Turkey today.
President Mamnoon Hussain also offered to provide higher education and training facilities to Albania.
He said that high level contacts are necessary for maintaining and expanding friendly relations between Pakistan and Albania.
The President said that Pakistan values
its relations with Albania which are marked by goodwill and cordiality
and expressed confidence that the relations between the two countries
will grow stronger in the years ahead.
Mamnoon Hussain said that parliamentary
relations are an important pillar of bilateral relations. He said a
Pakistan - Albania Parliamentary Friendship Group already exists in
Pakistan's National Assembly and we look forward to the formation of a
similar group in Albanian Parliament.
The President stated that the volume of
bilateral trade between the two countries is below potential and called
for exploring ways and means to further expand it. He underscored that
bilateral trade can be enhanced further with greater interaction between
the Chamber of Commerce of the two countries.
The President emphasized that both
countries need to work on establishing institutional framework and
linkages to further the bilateral cooperation. He underlined the need to
work toward increasing bilateral collaboration through cultural and
people to people contacts.
The President said that negative
propaganda is being carried out against Islam and called upon all Muslim
countries to take collective measures to address the situation.
Albanian President Bujar Nishani said
that people of Albania consider Pakistan a sincere friend and Albania
desires expansion of bilateral relations with Pakistan. He said that
Pakistan could take advantage form Albania's expertise in textile,
tourism, mining, energy and agriculture sectors.
President Mamnoon Hussain also conveyed
the sentiments of solidarity of the people of Pakistan with the Albanian
people on the recent floods that caused widespread damage and
displacements.
President of Albania also extended
invitation to his Pakistani counterpart to visit Albania and a similar
offer was made by President Mamnoon Hussain to Albanian President.
BELGRADE -- Serbian Government Office for Kosovo
Director Marko Djuric has said that he will visit the province despite
the fact Pristina did not officially approve it.
Djuric addresses a news conference on Wednesday (Tanjug)
"I
was informed by the provincial government that it is unable to allow me
to visit Gracanica, which was to be organized during today and
tomorrow," he said.
"My only message is: See you in Kosovo
and Metohija. After all, the republic-level government has seniority
over the provincial," Djuric told journalists, in reference to the
governments in Belgrade and Pristina.
He spoke on Thursday after a meeting of the Serbian Parliament's Committee on Kosovo and Metohija.
Asked whether the decision of the authorities in Pristina was "a response and an act of reciprocity in relation to the cancellation of Hashim Thaci's trip to Belgrade," Djuric said that he received no explanation for Pristina's decision not to enable him to go to Gracanica.
Djuric also said that further progress in talks with interim
institutions in Pristina will not happen until the issue of the
formation of a community of Serb municipalities (ZSO) has been resolved.
"The debate on the Statute of the ZSO is in a serious stage.
We are consulting with representatives of the municipalities and several
drafts are being worked on. Before anything is determined, things must
be measured and evaluated many times. In any case, the domestic public
will be learn about our draft statute," Djuric said.
At the exact same time that Greece has received a guarantee for
billions of cubic meters’ worth of Russian gas, Macedonia is being
rocked by the threat of a renewed Albanian insurgency designed to offset
Moscow’s pipeline plans. Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller announced that Russia will guarantee 47
billion cubic meters of gas a year to Greece via the Turkish Stream,
which would then go onwards to supply the European market. While it’s
not yet specified exactly which path the pipeline will take from Greece
to the EU, it’s more than likely that it’ll go through Macedonia en
route to the former South Stream’s envisioned Serbian hub, and
thenceforth through Hungary, Austria, and beyond, just like Russia
originally anticipated last year. There’s one major obstacle to that
strategy, however, and it’s that the US is attempting to transform its
failed Color Revolution in Macedonia into an Unconventional War
to neutralize this geostrategic route, utilizing the specter of an
Albanian terrorist campaign modeled off the Syrian template to achieve
its destructive goals. From Color Revolution to Unconventional War In the years since the War on Yugoslavia, the US has perfected and patterned a
novel method of regime change that proceeds according
to pre-established escalation checkpoints. Washington first issues
either a direct or implicit/covert ultimatum to the targeted government,
the rejection of which serves as the ‘dog whistle’ for activating the
dormant Color Revolution social infrastructure present in the country.
Should that plan come to fail, then some of the associated destabilizing
actors are transitioned into launching an Unconventional War. The final
step, should that fail and a Great Power doesn’t diplomatically
intervene (as Russia did with Syria in September 2013), is to repeat the
Libyan Scenario of a conventional intervention that leaves no doubt
as to the success of its regime change odds. Adapting this template for the Macedonian application, it can be seen how the country has thus far successfully repelled the
Color Revolution attempt by Zoran Zaev, which in turn led to concrete
Russian investment in the country’s pipeline infrastructure that set the
stage for the Putin-Tsipras agreement earlier
this month. Now that the Balkan Stream pipeline plans are rapidly
gaining traction, the US realized that it needs to act quickly to in
order to sabotage them, hence the sudden reemergence of Albanian
terrorism in Macedonia. While this problem was previously so serious
as to push the country near civil war in 2001, it’s generally subsided
since then, with only a handful of extremists unhappy with the generous
Ochrid Agreements that guaranteed the Albanian minority vast political
and social rights. Nonetheless, that hasn’t stopped the country
of Albania, the US’ regional Lead From Behind proxy, from threatening regional destabilization in order to create Greater Albania.
Albanian Agitation An international scandal rocked the Serbian capital of Belgrade last fall when Albanian nationalists used a drone to fly a Fascist-era Greater Albania flag through a
football stadium during a heated match, threatening to rekindle ethnic
tensions that had long remained on edge in that corner of the Balkans.
The provocation thankfully didn’t result in any deaths, but it did raise
fears that the same style of World War II historical revisionism
from Ukraine was slithering down to the Balkans with implicit US strategic support, opening up a new geo-ideological front in the New Cold War.
Earlier this month, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama confirmed that
Fascist-era thinking is indeed alive and well in Tirana when he officially pushed for the creation of Greater Albania.
He spoke of his country’s plans to annex the Serbian Province of Kosovo
(which he calls “unification”), saying that it was “inevitable” and
“unquestionable”, and that the only question is “Will it happen in the
context of the EU as a natural process and understood by all, or will it
happen as a reaction to EU blindness or laziness?” The Serbian
government rightfully responded with indignation, warning Albania
against “banging the war drums” and saying that the two entities would
“never unite”. This was just the opening salvo of Tirana’s regional agitations,
however, as a short while later, Hashim Thaci, the former political
leader of the terrorist Kosovo Liberation Army and Foreign Minister
of the unilaterally self-proclaimed government of Kosovo, said he would
travel to Belgrade to attend a conference he was invited to. Serbian
Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic warned that
“If he turns up in Belgrade, the Ministry of Interior will act
according to the law and bring him to justice”, since Thaci had been
convicted in absentia of terrorist-related offensives in 1997 and
sentenced to a decade imprisonment. Not even a week later, about 40
individuals identifying themselves as members of the thought-to-be
disbanded Kosovo Liberation Army, the same group that Thaci himself once
led, crossed over from Kosovo (now under NATO occupation and no longer
administered by Serbia) and raided a Macedonian police post near the
border. They took a couple police officers hostage and ominously declared that “We will have an Albanian state”, before scurrying back to their NATO protectorate after a few hours. Thus, just as Albanian nationalism threatened to make South Stream a pipedream,
so too does it seem poised to do the same with Balkan Stream, as in the
course of only six brief months, Albania and its Kosovo satellite have
shockingly:
* Flown a Fascist-era flag over Belgrade;
* Openly declared their intentions to unilaterally impose a Greater Albania on the Balkans;
* Revived an irredentist terrorist organization;
* And staged a violent border incursion into Macedonia.
The most destabilizing aspect is that the US, EU, and NATO haven’t
condemned any of this whatsoever, and in fact, Albania and Kosovo enjoy
de-jure and de-facto NATO support, with the former being an official
member and the latter being occupied by one of the US’ largest bases
in Europe, Camp Bondsteel. These disturbing facts reveal implicit
Western support for Albanians aggressive actions, adding credence to the
analysis that they are indeed being coordinated by the US in order
to sabotage Russia’s Balkan Stream project. Forecast Indicators And Coming Consequences * Here’s what to monitor as the situation further develops: * Possible expansion of terrorist raids into Serbia’s Albanian-populated Sandzak and Presevo Valley border regions; * Albanian/Kosovar/NATO/US military reactions and official statements
to the terrorist incursion (whether in Macedonia and/or Serbia); * The loyalty of Albanian political parties to the democratically elected government of Macedonia; * And the ‘second wind’ potential of the Macedonian Color Revolution
and its possible transformation into a EuroMaidan-like meltdown. Other than the possible disruption of Balkan Stream’s construction
and the violent formalization of Greater Albania, the consequences
of renewed ethnic destabilization in the Balkans could include: * A strengthening of Serbian-Macedonian ties centered on shared victimhood; * Intensification of CSTO/SCO/Eurasian Union outreaches to beleaguered non-NATO and non-EU members Serbia and Macedonia; * The threatening of China’s Balkan Silk Road plan for high-speed
rail from the Greek port of Piraeus to Budapest (via Macedonia and
Serbia); * And subsequently, possible Chinese shadow mediation at settling the conflict before it spirals out of control. Finally, be on the lookout for US/EU ‘mediation’ attempts that are
nothing more than ‘good cop’ diplomatic tricks to pursue their ‘bad cop’
geopolitical designs. Also, be wary of any initiative or statement that
could be interpreted as a subversive invitation for US/NATO military
intervention in Serbia and/or Macedonia.
Dodik's plane heading to Armenia unable to fly over Turkey
Source: Tanjug
BANJA LUKA -- Milorad Dodik was on Wednesday
traveling to Armenia at the invitation President Serzh Sargsyan, but his
plane did not receive the permission to fly over Turkey.
(Tanjug, file)
After several hours of waiting in Bulgaria, the plane on Wednesday afternoon returned to Banja Luka.
Dodik,
who recently sent a draft declaration to the RS assembly that would
recognize the Armenian genocide, was supposed to participate in
ceremonies dedicated to its 100th anniversary.
The leader of
the Serb entity (RS) in Bosnia-Herzegovina said upon his return that it
was "obviously said that the plane cannot fly through Turkish airspace,"
even though, as he said, RS government aircraft previously encountered
no problems from that country, the Fena news agency reported.
"It is obvious that some new circumstances have emerged. We can only guess about them," said Dodik.
He also confirmed that Turkish authorities gave the permission to the plane after it had returned to Banja Luka.
He told reporters that the permission "probably would not have been issued had we not returned from Bulgaria."
Dodik added that he "does not want to give qualifications to this," but
that "the fact cannot be erased in this manner that 100 years ago a
terrible crime was committed against Armenian Orthodox Christians,
committed by Turks, and that the Turkish state does not want to
recognize it as genocide."
Pilot Sreten Ilic said that authorities of Armenia on Tuesday granted the airplane the permission to land the next day.
"Given that our plane has no direct flight to Yerevan, we planned
landing in Burgas, where, after landing and refueling and preparing to
take off for Yerevan, we were informed by the Bulgarian air traffic
control that we were not allowed to fly over Turkey," said Ilic.
The pilot also told reporters that they waited for four hours but did
not receive any explanation why Turkey had rejected their request to fly
over its territory.
by Philip Chrysopoulos - Apr 24, 2015
