Kissinger: If You Can’t Hear the Drums of War You Must Be Deaf

Kissinger: If You Can’t Hear the Drums of War You Must Be Deaf

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By Hellas Frappe on 8.3.13

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 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A remarkable confession of former Secretary of State of the Nixon era, Henry Kissinger,  reveals what is happening at the moment in the world and particularly the Middle East.

"We’re (the US) like the sharp shooter daring the noob to pick up the gun, and when they try, it’s bang bang. The coming war will will be so severe that only one superpower can win, and that’s us folks."

Speaking from his luxurious Manhattan apartment, he is all too forward with his analysis of the current situation in the world forum of Geo-politics and economics.

“The United States is bating China and Russia, and the final nail in the coffin will be Iran, which is, of course, the main target of Israel. We have allowed China to increase their military strength and Russia to recover from Sovietization, to give them a false sense of bravado, this will create an all together faster demise for them. We’re like the sharp shooter daring the noob to pick up the gun, and when they try, it’s bang bang. The coming war will will be so severe that only one superpower can win, and that’s us folks. This is why the EU is in such a hurry to form a complete superstate because they know what is coming, and to survive, Europe will have to be one whole cohesive state. Their urgency tells me that they know full well that the big showdown is upon us. O how I have dreamed of this delightful moment.”

 (Then he says the extraordinary... Is anyone in Greece listening?)

“Control oil and you control nations; control food and you control the people.”

Mr Kissinger then added:

“If you are an ordinary person, then you can prepare yourself for war by moving to the countryside and building a farm, but you must take guns with you, as the hordes of starving will be roaming. Also, even though the elite will have their safe havens and specialist shelters, they must be just as careful during the war as the ordinary civilians, because their shelters can still be compromised.”

After pausing for a few minutes to collect his thoughts, Mr Kissinger, carried on:

“We told the military that we would have to take over seven Middle Eastern countries for their resources and they have nearly completed their job. We all know what I think of the military, but I have to say they have obeyed orders superfluously this time. It is just that last stepping stone, i.e. Iran which will really tip the balance. How long can China and Russia stand by and watch America clean up? The great Russian bear and Chinese sickle will be roused from their slumber and this is when Israel will have to fight with all its might and weapons to kill as many Arabs as it can. Hopefully if all goes well, half the Middle East will be Israeli. Our young have been trained well for the last decade or so on combat console games, it was interesting to see the new Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 game, which mirrors exactly what is to come in the near future with its predictive programming. Our young, in the US and West, are prepared because they have been programmed to be good soldiers, cannon fodder, and when they will be ordered to go out into the streets and fight those crazy Chins and Russkies, they will obey their orders. Out of the ashes we shall build a new society, there will only be one superpower left, and that one will be the global government that wins. Don’t forget, the United States, has the best weapons, we have stuff that no other nation has, and we will introduce those weapons to the world when the time is right.”

End of interview. Our reporter is ushered out of the room by Kissinger’s minder.

source - global research

North Korean Atomic Bomb Subs Cause Global Panic

Friday, March 8, 2013 19:43

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(Before It's News)

A grim Ministry of Defense (MOD) “URGENT ACTION” bulletin to all Strategic Missile Forces (SMF) is warning these nuclear units to prepare for “Dead Hand” operations over growing fears that at least 5 atomic-bomb equipped North Korean submarines have “successfully evaded” US Naval Forces and are preparing to strike targets in South Korea, Japan and North America.

According to this MOD bulletin, North Korea conducted its third underground nuclear test in seven years on 12 February after which Russian defense analysts noted a series of “highly suspicious” transfers of  “unknown materials” from the Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Facility to the Mayang Do Naval Base where shortly thereafter at least 10 Yono-class miniature submarines departed and are feared to have aboard them atomic bombs.

North Korean Yono class mini submarine

A Yono-class submarine is thought to have fired the torpedo attack which sank a South Korean Pohang-class corvette, the ROKS Cheonan on 26 March 2010 in South Korean waters that killed 46 and injured 56.
According to some investigators, the weapon used in the attack was a North Korean-manufactured CHT-02D torpedo, from which substantial parts were recovered. The device allegedly exploded not by contact, but by proximity, creating a powerful pillar of water, called the bubble jet effect.
Critical to note about North Korea’s CHT-02D torpedo, this MOD bulletin warns, is that it is capable of being armed with a small nuclear device similar to that of the United States M-28 or M-29 Davy Crockett Weapon System developed in the 1950’s and having a yield equivalent to somewhere between 10 or 20 tons of TNT.
So concerned were Russian military leaders about the potential danger these atomic bomb equipped North Korean submarines could pose to world peace, this MOD bulletin says, UN envoy Vitaly Churkin, on 5 March, called for an extraordinary meeting of the UN Security Council, and which yesterday punished the Hermit Kingdom with tough, new sanctions targeting its economy and leadership.
Within hours of these new UN sanctions being announced, this bulletin continues, the state-run Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea announced that “[North Korea] abrogates all agreements on non-aggression reached between the North and the South,” severed its hotline with South Korea, and its leader, Kim Jong-Un, called for “all-out war” as he visited a frontline military unit involved in the shelling of a South Korean island in 2010.

South Korean President Park Geun-hye, who had previously ordered her nations military forces to their highest alert status, called the current security situation “very grave,” and warned that North Korean forces were preparing for a “massive military exercise.”
Most worrisome however, this MOD bulletin says, was North Korea's state news agency warning yesterday: “Now that the US is set to light a fuse for a nuclear war, (our) revolutionary armed forces... will exercise the right to a preemptive nuclear attack to destroy the strongholds of the aggressors.” The North Korean official reading this ominous statement further stated that a second Korean war is “unavoidable.”
To North Korea’s war strategy in employing these atomic bomb equipped submarines, this MOD bulletin warns, is to attack their enemies vital shipping ports which, if successful, could destroy the entire global economy.
Russian military analysts contributing to this MOD bulletin note that the most likely targets for these atomic bomb equipped North Korean submarines include South Korea’s Port of Busan, Japan’s Port of Yokohama, and the United States ports of Seattle (Washington) and Oakland (California).
Unbeknownst to the American, South Korean and Japanese peoples about these North Korean mini submarines, and perhaps best stated by the US National Defense magazine, is that the US Navy has already admitted that it has “no silver bullets” able to defeat them. 

A North Korean 300-ton Shark-class submarine

To how vulnerable the Western coastal areas of the United States currently are was noted by Russian military intelligence experts on 8 November 2010 after a Chinese submarine successfully penetrated American waters and launched a missile in full view of Los Angeles, and as we can read, in part, as reported by the Infowar News Service:
“China flexed its military muscle Monday evening in the skies west of Los Angeles when a Chinese Navy Jin class ballistic missile nuclear submarine, deployed secretly from its underground home base on the south coast of Hainan island, launched an intercontinental ballistic missile from international waters off the southern California coast.
WMR’s intelligence sources in Asia, including Japan, say the belief by the military commands in Asia and the intelligence services is that the Chinese decided to demonstrate to the United States its capabilities on the eve of the G-20 Summit in Seoul and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Tokyo, where President Obama is scheduled to attend during his ten-day trip to Asia.”
This MOD bulletin further notes that China’s 2010 submarine incursion into US waters utilized the “concealment and camouflage” of large container ships entering the Port of Los Angeles, and which these “missing” North Korean mini subs are “without doubt” planning to do too as they approach their strike targets.

As White House spokesman Jay Carney told the American people today, “I can tell you that the United States is fully capable of defending against any North Korean ballistic missile attack,” this MOD bulletin notes that the Obama regime is failing to tell their citizens the true state of this war and the danger it poses to the whole world.
The same cannot be said of Russia, as within 5 days of the 12 February North Korean nuclear test, and their subsequent moving of atomic materials to their submarine base, President Putin ordered the largest nuclear army drill in two decades in preparation for what in all terms can only be called World War III.
To if North Korea will be successful in carrying out its nuclear strikes it remains unknown, as does also the intentions of the United States should they begin to bargain with the Hermit Kingdom.

Macedonia Riot Police Thwart Violent Protest

Police stopped around 200 stone-throwing Albanian protesters reaching the government building amid a new outbreak of ethnically-charged violence in Skopje.

Sinisa Jakov Marusic

BIRN

Skopje

Photo by: Sinisa Jakov Marusic

A group of angry youths attempted to march on the Macedonian government building after Friday prayers at the Yaya-Pasha mosque in the heart of the ethnic Albanian-dominated Cair municipality of the capital.
Some of them wore scarves to cover their faces and chanted the name of the ethnic Albanian guerrilla army that battled Macedonian forces in 2001.
“Macedonian youth are beating Albanian youth. They started it first so that is why we are here,” one of the few adult protestors told Balkan Insight, referring to mob attacks the previous week.
Riot police prevented the protesters from approaching the city centre and the government building, and they smashed up a bus station, broke shop windows and destroyed some election campaign posters as they retreated towards Cair.
Some of the stones thrown by the protesters hit journalists, leaving a few with minor injuries.
Officers in riot gear were already patrolling the Macedonian capital on Friday morning as fears simmered over a possible repeat of violent clashes last week sparked by the appointment of a former ethnic Albanian guerrilla as the country's defence minister.
Some shop owners prepared to close their stores while drivers removed cars from parking lots in the city centre, fearing that they could be damaged.
Concerns had risen after calls went out on Facebook for new protests against what was described as the country’s “anti-Albanian policy” and “the torture and attacks on Albanians” carried out by the ethnic Macedonian majority.

Photo by: Sinisa Jakov Marusic

Skopje saw two days of violence last Friday and Saturday, when protests and counter-protests escalated into clashes with riot police in the city centre and in Cair.
Throughout the week, ethnically-charged attacks on commuters across the capital added to the fearful mood. People were attacked by gangs on buses and on the streets, leaving several injured.
On Thursday evening, tear gas was thrown in a commuter bus in Skopje, hurting a young girl and several other people.
In response to last week’s protests and the calls for new ones, a group of local NGOs and activists on Thursday also appealed for calm.
The appeal was publicised at a rally at Skopje’s Old Bazaar, seen as a symbol of multiethnic coexistence in the capital.
Balloons were distributed with messages on them saying “pop the balloon, not someone’s head”.
In a head-to-head discussion on Alsat TV on Thursday, the controversial new defence minister Talat Xhaferi confronted Stojance Angelov, the head of the small opposition Dignity party, which strongly opposes his appointment.
Xhaferi insisted that his appointment was another victory for the reconciliation effort in Macedonia after the conflict between the ethnic Albanian guerrillas and government forces in 2001.
“The day is not far when Talat and Stojance will bow together before a joint memorial that will remind us that the past is closed and that we should work for the future,” Xhaferi said.
Angelov, however, said Xhaferi must resign because he had fought Macedonian troops.

Photo by: Sinisa Jakov Marusic

“For me, Talat Xhaferi is an extremist… This Albanian has fired at my friends,” Angelov said.

Dignity represents police and army veterans from the 2001 conflict, and insists that a former insurgent from the ranks of now-disbanded ethnic Albanian National Liberation Army has no right to lead the army that he fought against.

Balkan Insight meanwhile has discovered that the new controversial defence chief received a six-month suspended jail term for obstructing a police officer in 2008 after a rally by his Democratic Union for Integration in the town of Tetovo.

According to the final verdict from 2011, which Balkan Insight has obtained, the Tetovo court decided not to jail Xhaferi, who was by then an MP, but to put him on a two-year probation period instead.
He was nominated by Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski as defence minister on February 18, before the expiry of his probation at the end of March this year.

Albanians in Serbia: We want the status as the Serbs in Kosovo


PRESEVO - Today in Presevo held meeting of councilors Albanians from Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja.

According to the information transmitted B92, Serbia's Albanians will apply the model of northern Kosovo, in Serbia, formed the Albanian municipal community.

This request shall be made by 74 councilors of these three municipalities Albanians in the Presevo Valley. B92 Serbian Agency reports that the mayor of Presevo and chairman of Party of Albanians Ragmi Mustafa, did not want to show why will meet councilors.

"We at the meeting will provide a document that will be our platform in future agreements between Belgrade and Presevo Valley Albanians," February said Mustafa.

Similarly responded Skender Destani, leader of the Democratic Union of the Valley, noting that this document will answer Albanians Belgrade's bid to normalize relations, which has handed Coordination Body for the three municipalities.

On 25 February the OSCE office in Bujanovac has started Belgrade dialogue with leaders of Albanian political parties in the Valley.

The Government in this case has international entities submitted a letter to eight requests.

Greek Maritime Claims Rock Boat With Turkey

By ALKMAN GRANITSAS and STELIOS BOURAS

ATHENS—Greece has renewed its territorial claims over a broad swath of disputed waters in the eastern Mediterranean where the indebted country hopes to find vast oil and gas deposits—a plan that risks sparking a confrontation with Turkey.
Over the past several weeks, senior government officials have made a series of public statements—both at home and abroad—pointing to an almost two-decade-old international treaty granting those rights, one Greece hasn't asserted until now. Athens also has been building support in other European capitals and stepping up a diplomatic campaign at the United Nations.

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This week, Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras broached the topic with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in a meeting in Istanbul where he called on Turkey to respect Greece's rights under international law. So far, Ankara, which says those resources belong to Turkey and has warned for almost 20 years that any effort to draw new boundaries could lead to war, has called for further dialogue.

 

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Getty Images

A Greek flag flies in front of the Acropolis.

Mr. Erdogan told Greek state television on Monday that "we're approaching the issue with hope and without prejudices as we continue to work on territorial waters and Aegean-related matters. So long as the sides approach this matter with goodwill, there's no reason not to get results."
For Greece, the stakes are enormous. An estimated €100 billion ($130 billion) of undersea hydrocarbon reserves—if proven—could ease the country's crippling debt burden and make Greece a significant energy supplier for Europe, which wants to reduce its dependence on Russia. Mounting evidence of those reserves, along with recent moves by Cyprus to assert its own claims, have raised the stakes even further.
Those reserves "will mean, clearly, wealth for Greece, wealth for Europe, a significant improvement in Europe's energy security and a significant enhancement in Greece's geopolitical role," Mr. Samaras said in a recent speech to a business conference.
For now, Greece is proceeding cautiously to avoid confrontation and is using U.N. procedures to gradually build its case. Athens's end goal is clear: Greece hopes to gain international recognition for the exclusive use of a 200-nautical-mile zone around the country, basing its claims on the fact that it is a signatory to the U.N.'s Law of the Sea treaty and Turkey isn't.
To date, 165 nations and territories—including the European Union—have ratified the treaty. The U.S., which helped negotiate the pact in the 1980s, hasn't ratified it but generally recognizes its provisions. Last summer, the Obama administration attempted to pass the treaty through the Senate, but fell one vote short of the two-thirds majority needed.
Athens "is eager to assert its rights, but we don't want to do anything that creates turbulence in the region," said a senior Greek government official. "For now, we are proceeding slowly" through legal channels.
One such step came in late January, when Greece's foreign minister lodged a formal complaint at the U.N. after Turkey said in April that it would issue exploration licenses in a disputed area south of the Greek island of Rhodes.
Turkey has said Greece's counterclaims "have no basis in international law" and said it would take reciprocal steps at the U.N.
In an interview with a Turkish newspaper this week, Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said energy issues shouldn't be a source for tension in bilateral relations and said Ankara had no imminent plans to issue those licenses. "Don't we know any exploration creates a controversy? Of course we know," he told the Hurriyet newspaper.
The next move for Greece, government officials said, would likely be another submission to the U.N. formally delineating Greece's nautical coordinates. That would be a prelude to declaring an exclusive economic zone under the provisions of the sea treaty.
Under terms of the 1994 treaty, Greece is entitled to extend its territorial rights to as many as 12 nautical miles from shore—double the six it now claims—and an exclusive economic zone of as many as 200 miles. Athens has refrained from doing so. In 1995, the year Greece ratified the treaty, Turkey's parliament declared that any unilateral move to assert such claims would constitute a cause for war.
At issue is the complex geography in the Aegean Sea that separates Greece from Turkey. After the breakup of the Ottoman Empire in the aftermath of World War I, Greece was given sovereignty over most of the islands that dot the Aegean and form a continuous archipelago between mainland Greece and Turkey.
Under the present limit, Greece claims more than 40% of the Aegean as its own, compared with less than 10% for Turkey. By widening the limit to 12 miles, more than 70% of the Aegean and its seabed would be in Greek territory. A 200-mile exclusive economic zone would mean Greek claims also stretched far into the Mediterranean—enveloping Turkey—and reaching as far as Cyprus in the southeast.
Geologists believe there are oil and gas deposits in the north Aegean, where drilling first began on a small scale in the early 1980s. More recently, a bonanza gas find off Israel's coast in 2010, a second find off Cyprus since then, and various surveys have indicated that oil and gas is to be found in the eastern Mediterranean.
Encouraged, Greece began hunting for hydrocarbons late last year in less-contentious areas west and south of the country. The government, which is struggling under a €300 billion debt burden, aims to auction off exploration licenses for those areas toward the end of this year.
In February, French President François Hollande, during a visit to Athens, appeared to back Greece's position by referring to the country's legal rights under the Law of the Sea treaty.
"The presence of gas deposits that can, first, be found, and then subsequently exploited, represents an opportunity for Greece and for Europe; and I believe that here, international law, the Law of the Sea, will prevail," he said.
—Emre Peker in Istanbul contributed to this article. Write to Alkman Granitsas at alkman.granitsas@dowjones.com and Stelios Bouras at stelios.bouras@dowjones.com

A version of this article appeared March 8, 2013, on page A10 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: Greek Maritime Claims Rock Boat With Turkey.

EU concerns for Albania 

In Brussels, the EU and Albanian delegations started the fourth committee meetings for the Stabilization Association Agreement, which evaluates the integration progress made by our country.

Top Channel has secured documents from outside the EU, in which other countries express their concerns about the January 21st concerns.

January 21st 

“The EU delegation will underline the importance of the proper functioning and independence of key democratic institutions, such as the parliament and the judiciary. As regards the judicial case of 21st January 2011, it will note that the prosecution has appealed the first instance verdict of the Tirana district Court and will reiterate that the proceedings of this case need to be completed through a credible judicial procedure without undue interference. This is of utmost importance for the credibility of all state institutions.”

Elections

The EU delegation will urge Albania to take the necessary measures to ensure the effective implementation of the revised Electoral Code. Particular Attention needs to be paid to ensure that the elections administration bodies perform their duties in a professional and non-partisan manner. The EU delegation will underline that the successful preparation and conduct of the Parliamentary elections in 2013 will be a cucial test for the smooth functioning of the country’s democratic institutions and cross-party commitment to reach the relevant European and international standards and therefore an essential element for Albania’s EU integration perspective, as recalled by the Council in its December conclusions.”

As regards the two laws and the Parliamentary Regulation, while the government is expected to defend their position for the referendum, the EU will underline the need of consensus between the majority and the opposition.

Consensus

“Regarding the functioning of parliament, Albania will be encouraged to complete and adopt the revision of the parliamentary rules of procedure in a spirit of inclusiveness and conciliation. The parliament must be able to focus on democratic dialogue and the passing of key reforms that are essential for the European integration of the country. Strengthening the oversight and legislative functions of parliament with the full participation and parliamentary scrutinity of the opposition and through a comprehensive consulation process with all interested stakeholders is essential for the success of the country’s reform agenda.:

Five months after the October report, EU notes moderated progress in the areas of human rights and protection of minorities, equal progress in the key priority for the women and children’s rights and in the policies against discrimination of the Roma people. Regardless the fact that ALbania has voted most of these laws, the implementation remains stalled.

The judiciary 

“With reference to shortcomings identified in the latest Commission Progress Report, it will underline the need to intensify efforts in the are of the reform, of the judiciary and strenghtne its independence, efficiency and accountability, in the fight agaist corruption and organized crime, and as regards the protection of all minorities and vulnerable social groups.”

Administration

“The EU delegation wills stress that the legislative and institutional framework for public administrations is still marked by deficiencies that need to be addressed with a view to strengthening professionalism, de-politicisation, meritocracy and transparency, and fighting against corruption. In key sectors the public and administration faces important challenges in fulfilling its tasks, including the management and follow up of assistance programmes and the implementation legislation aimed at alignment with the EU acquis. Finally, the EU delegation will welcome the establishment of the EU-Albanian PAR Special Group in July 2012, whose first meeting took place in January 2013.”

Corruption

“The EU will invite the Albanian authorities to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of corruptive investigations by the Financial Investigation Unit and Joint Investigative Units with the same objective to develop a convincing track record of investigations, prosecutors and conviction sin corruption cases at all levels.

Property

“It is essential to complete the first registration of properties with certainty of ownership and introduce a national policy for territorial planning. The processes of compensation and restitution to former owners will need to take into account of ECtHR case law.

Media

“The EU delegation will note that the editorial independence continues to be hampered by political and business interest. It will note concern over inadequate implementation of rules for all allocation of government advertising leading to perceptions that its distribution must not be fully fair and impartian.”

Nationalist rhetoric are unacceptable for the EU, which will reiterate that such declarations should be avoided, while for the Albanian citizenship for foreigners EU will ask all decisions to be in full accordance with the liberalization visa criteria. The Stabilization Association Committee, a technical meeting level, will be held behind closed doors for the media. The Albanian party is made of 57 officials and led by Minister Majlinda Bregu, while the EU delegation has representatives from the Commission and the Council, is led by the Enlargement Director, Pierre Mirel.

Prepared by: ARTA TOZAJ  

Kosovo’s radicals form first Balkan Islamist political party
March 8, 2013 – 10:28 am
By Katerina Nikolas Digital Journal



Pristina – Opinion is divided in Pristina over the legitimacy of a newly formed Islamic political party registering as a political entity. Bashkohu will be the first fundamentalist Islamist political party in the Balkans.
The Islamist group Bashkohu (Join!) has registered itself as a new political party Levizja Islamike Bashkohu, causing unease in the Balkan state which remains unrecognized by many countries following its U.S. backed bid for independence from Serbia.
The majority of Kosovo’s secular Muslims are uneasy about Bashkohu gaining political influence, wary of the Salafist influence devout Islamists may try to impose.
The Weekly Standard reported “exponents of Saudi-financed Wahhabism and of the Muslim Brotherhood have penetrated the highest levels of the official Kosovo Islamic apparatus,” though they are not readily welcomed by the secular population.
Prior to registering as a political party the group has vocally called for a mega mosque to be built in Pristina and protested the ban on hijabs in public schools. Fuad Ramiqi, believed to be the controlling figure behind the party, has links with al-Qaeda. The party’s official leader is Arsim Krasniqi.
Kosovo based Islamic charities, financed by Gulf Arab countries, have “attempted to propagate more rigid interpretations of Islam, including the puritanical Salafist” strain, the Irish Times reported. The report states that Kosovans struggling in poverty have been paid to the wear the hijab or grow beards.
Islamic encroachment does not sit well with the local populace. A Pristina resident said: ” We are nominal Muslims. We don’t go to the mosque much; we drink alcohol and eat pork. That’s just the Kosovar way.”

Debate over Bashkohu’s legitimacy continues. According to the Set Times, Seb Bytyci, executive director of Balkan Policy Institute, said “a party cannot be banned because of its ideology.” His words are countered by those of Kosovo’s Ombudsperson Sami Kurteshi who said “If this movement is registered as a political party it would be unconstitutional and illegal.”

Greece, one step to recognize Kosovo 

 

Foreign Minster Avramopoulos to meet with E. Hoxhaj, the Foreign Minister of Kosovo, which has not been recognized by Greece

   Thursday, 07 March 2013

Foreign Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos will meet at the Foreign Ministry at 13:00 on Friday, 8 March 2013, with Enver Hoxhaj, the Foreign Minister of Kosovo, which has not been recognized by our country. The meeting will be followed by statements to the news media and a working luncheon hosted by Mr. Avramopoulos in Mr. Hoxhaj’s honor.

Reactions

www.defencenet.gr (analysis)

In harmony with the line of Washington, the Greek Foreign Ministry and by extension Greece proceeded to indirect recognition of Kosovo by allowing establishment of the Office of Commercial Affairs.

Proceedings recognizes the legitimate violent change of borders in the Balkans recognizing the results of the war of 1999 and the amputation of Serbia by NATO and of course opening of worms and other cases: Assuming that a religious or ethnic minority has the right self-determination and secession of the region in which it has a majority population!

Do something to remind us kath'imas this scenario? But it seems that there is now a question or problem for the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the last 15 years seems to run directly from Washington except the period of political chief was Molyviatis.

So today while Kosovo has not been recognized as an independent state, Foreign Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos and "foreign minister" of Kosovo Enver Hoxhaj, met in Athens and reported substantially symapsi diplomatic relations.

The foreign minister, however, stressed that the establishment of the Office of Commercial Affairs in Athens, will not affect Greece's positions on the status, "but it sends a clear message that development is a key tool and a catalyst for peace."

This pernicious idea, since the economy is never preceded the national policy and national interests.

And what he said may have been true for France and Germany, but the Balkan data for threats when national integrity is more than real, such perceptions can act not only against national interests, but to lead to national tragedies if in the name of "development" and "economic cooperation" go to discounts from our national locations as happened in this case.

Naturally thus recognized the right of the Albanian irredentism (do not forget that just last week S.Berisa H.Thatsi and agreed to get passports  to Albanian residents of Kosovo), recognized  the Greater Albania with new borders.

Washington Post

Everything you need to know about the drone debate, in one FAQ

Posted by Dylan Matthews on March 8, 2013

This is well outside Wonkblog’s normal bailiwick, but if nothing else, Sen. Rand Paul’s (R-Ky.) filibuster against CIA director nominee John Brennan — launched as a protest against the administration’s drone policy, which Brennan has steered for the past four years — uncovered a hunger for a broader conversation on the topic. So what does the drone program actually entail, and why are Paul and others criticizing it?
What is a drone?

A Predator drone. This is actually the less powerful of the two drones used by the CIA and military. (Eric Gay / AP)

Technically called “unmanned aerial vehicles” (UAVs), drones are just aircraft without human pilots, encompassing everything from reconnaissance vehicles to unmanned crop dusters. In common parlance, though, “drone” has come to refer to unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs), which are UAVs equipped with combat capabilities, most commonly the ability to launch missiles.
How long has the U.S. government been using them?

CIA director George Tenet (left) originated the use of armed drones following 9/11. (Eric Draper-Reuters)

The General Atomics MQ-1 Predator, the most famous UCAV in the U.S. arsenal, first saw combat in 1995 as part of the NATO intervention in Bosnia, but at that time was solely a reconnaissance tool and carried no payload. On Feb. 16, 2001, the Predator #3034 became the first to be successfully fitted with a Hellfire missile, and to fire it in a trial flight. Predators were deployed to Afghanistan almost immediately after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, and on Oct. 7, 2001 they conducted their first armed mission there.

In addition to the Predator, the General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper, a larger UCAV capable of carrying a higher payload, has seen service starting in 2007. The current program is jointly administered by the CIA and the Joint Special Operation Command (JSOC).

Where do we send them?

So folks in Pakistan really don’t like our habit of reigning death from the skies. (Getty)

Primarily Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia. According to a Washington Post database, compiled with the help of the New America Foundation and Long War Journal, strikes in Pakistan have been occurring since 2004 and picked up in pace starting in summer 2008. Apart from a November 2002 strike in Yemen, the Somalia and Yemen campaigns began in 2011. There have been reports of strikes in the Philippines, though information there is sketchy.
Additionally, drones have seen service in Libya, Afghanistan and Iraq as part of the Unites States’s more traditional military campaigns in those countries.
How powerful is a drone attack?

A home in Yemen that was destroyed in a drone strike. (Reuters)

Predator drones can carry up to two Hellfire missiles. Those have warheads of about 20 pounds, which are designed to pierce tank armor; their damage outside of the vehicle targeted is limited. An alternative warhead, which manufacturer Lockheed Martin touts as featuring “high lethality and minimum collateral damage,” also is in service.
Reapers are another story. They feature a maximum payload of 3,000 pounds, or 1.5 tons. That means they can carry a combination of Hellfires and larger 500 pound bombs like the GBU-12 Paveway II and GBD-38 JDAM. Those have an “effective casualty radius” of about 200 feet. That means that about 50 percent of people within 200 feet of the blast site will die. Those odds improve — or worsen, depending on how you look at it — the closer you get, obviously.
So imagine if you took a football field and shrunk it by a third. A Reaper attacks one endzone with a GBU-12. If you’re on the field, you have a 50 percent chance of dying. Update: I apparently forgot the distinction between yards and feet since middle school. Corrected.
How many drone attacks have we launched to date?

My Washington Post colleagues’ visualization of the drone program from 2002 to the present.

According to the Post database, there have been 347 in Pakistan, 53 in Yemen and 2 in Somalia. From 2008 through October 2012, there were 1,015 strikes in Afghanistan, 48 in Iraq, and at least 105 in Libya according to the Bureau for Investigative Journalism. That does not include strikes in Libya past September 2011, strikes from 2001 to 2007 in Iraq and Afghanistan, and those since October 2012. The New York Times’ Mark Mazzetti reported that at least one strike has happened in the Philippines.
What sort of people have we targeted?

Mullah Nazir, a pro-Taliban Pakistani militant, was killed in a drone strike in January. (STR/PAKISTAN/REUTERS)

Primarily al-Qaeda and its affiliates. That includes al-Shaabab in Somalia, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (which works in Yemen), and the Haqqani Network in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Philippines strike was intended to kill Umar Patek, a leader of the Indonesian terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah who helped orchestrate the 2002 attacks in Bali that killed 95 people. Patek is now serving a 20-year sentence in Indonesia.
Have we killed U.S. citizens this way?

Anwar al-Awlaki, an American citizen killed by a drone strike in Yemen in 2011. (Tracy A. Woodward / The Washington Post)

We’ve killed three, at least. Anwar al-Awlaki, an American-born al-Qaeda operative in Yemen, was killed in a drone strike in 2011, as was his American-born 17-year-old son and Samir Khan, a North Carolina native who died in the same strike as the elder al-Alaki. Ahmed Hijazi, also an American citizen based in Yemen, was killed in 2002. Note: paragraph updated to correct spelling of al-Awlaki’s name and include Hijazi.
To clarify the Obama administration’s exact policy on killing Americans without a trial, Eric Holder wrote the following letter to Sen. Rand Paul: “Dear Senator Paul: It has come to my attention that you have now asked an additional question: ‘Does the President have the authority to use a weaponized drone to kill an American not engaged in combat on American soil?’ The answer to that question is no.” The dispatch followed an earlier, more equivocal note from Holder on the subject, which seemed to indicate Holder believes the president has the authority to kill U.S. citizens on U.S. soil if he judges them a threat.
How many people have died in drone attacks?

The best information we have on how many people have been killed by drones may be a slip of the tongue from Sen. Lindsay Graham (above). (Jason Reed / Reuters)

Sen. Lindsey Graham estimated the death toll of the Pakistan/Somalia/Yemen program at 4,700. That’s higher than most estimates; Micah Zenko of the Council on Foreign Relations puts the number at closer to 3,500.
How many of those were civilians?

Mourners carry the body of a civilian allegedly killed in a U.S. drone strike in Pakistan. (Thir Khan / AFP / Getty)

Cora Currier at ProPublica helpfully compiled a number of estimates in January. New America puts the civilian death total in Pakistan and Yemen between 276 and 368, of which 118-135 were under the Bush administration. The Bureau of Investigative Journalism puts the number between 446 and 978, increasing to 993 if you include Somalia. Of those, 179 to 209 were children, BIJ estimates. A Stanford/NYU study suggests that the strikes have inflicted considerable psychological trauma on residents of Pakistan, and deterred relief workers from serving areas targeted. Funerals and rescue workers have been targeted in past strikes.
What’s the process for deciding when and where to launch them?

Counterterrorism head John Brennan meets with President Obama.  (Pete Souza / The White House)

As my colleague Greg Miller has reported, the administration uses something called the “disposition matrix” to determine targets for drone strikes. Miller describes it as a “single, continually evolving database in which biographies, locations, known associates and affiliated organizations are all cataloged. So are strategies for taking targets down, including extradition requests, capture operations and drone patrols…The database is meant to map out contingencies, creating an operational menu that spells out each agency’s role in case a suspect surfaces in an unexpected spot.”
The National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) will prepare lists of potential targets, which will be reviewed every three months by a panel of intelligence analysts and military officials. They are then passed along to a panel at the National Security Council, currently helmed by CIA director nominee Brennan, and then to Obama for final approval. The criteria for addition to the list are determined personally by Obama, who also must personally approve all strikes outside Pakistan. Pakistan strikes are approved by the CIA director.
What’s the case for using drones?
There’s some political science to suggest that “decapitation strikes,” like these drone attacks, are actually quite effective at reducing the ability of terrorist groups to operate effectively. The RAND Corporation’s Patrick Johnston and UCLA’s Anoop Sarbahi have found preliminary evidence that the drone program specifically is effective at degrading the operations of targeted groups. Zack Beauchamp has a good overview of this literature here.
But that’s a case for strikes, not for drone strikes specifically. There is, however, substantial evidence that the percentage of casualties borne by civilians is much lower with drone strikes than with just about any other kind of military intervention, even if one accepts high estimates of the percent of killed who are civilians.
Is Congress kept in the loop?

Senate Intelligence Committee chair Dianne Feinstein was important in pushing for Congressional oversight over the drone program. (Ben Margot / AP)

To some degree. As part of Brennan’s confirmation process, Senate Intelligence Committee members were granted access to Justice Department memos justifying the use of drones, and a similar white paper was shared last year. The Committee and its House counterpart are also allowed to review individual strikes, including the intelligence behind them and video obtained during their commission. But they have not tried to limit the program in any way. ”I don’t know that we’ve ever seen anything that we thought was inappropriate,” one Congressional aide told the Los Angeles Times.
How about the courts?

Former acting solicitor general Neal Katyal has opposed giving the judiciary oversight over drones. (Richard Yu / The Dartmouth)

Nope. Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) has proposed establishing a specialized court to approve drone strikes based on FISA courts that approve surveillance of suspected foreign intelligence in the U.S., but that is, for now, just an idea. Neal Katyal, a former acting solicitor general under Obama, has called for an oversight board placed within the executive branch.
Is this legal?

Harold Koh, formerly the State Department’s legal adviser, was among the most involved parties in formulating the legal rationale for drones. (Zuma Press)

The Justice Department certainly thinks so, though the reasons why are classified, and lawsuits to expose them have proven unsuccessful. The clearest window we’ve gotten into their reasoning as relates to the killing of U.S. citizenscomes from a white paper leaked to NBC News last month. It derives the authority for the strikes from the Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) passed in the wake of 9/11, which grants the government broad powers against al-Qaeda. What’s more, the white paper argues that drone strikes somehow don’t run afoul of Executive Order 12333, the ban on assassinations as a tool of policy that has existed since the Ford administration, as they are used for “self-defense.” See also Brennan’s speech here defending the program more broadly.
Administration critics aren’t impressed, with the ACLU’s Jameel Jaffeer noting the white paper, “argues that the government has the right to carry out the extrajudicial killing of an American citizen.”
Does it violate international law?

Christof Heyns, the UN special rapporteur for extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions, has said that the drone program may constitute a war crime. (AP)

The Justice Department memo cites the UN Charter, which allows states to make war in the interest of self-defense, an interest also invoked by Brennan. Critics, like UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial killings, summary or arbitrary executions Christof Heyns, say that this defense is a stretch, and the killings plainly run afoul of the laws of war and international human rights treaties.
Are other countries using drones this way?

An IAI Heron, one of the most prominent drones outside the U.S. (Israeli Aerospace Industries)

Only the United States and the United Kingdom (which assists in the Pakistan drone effort) currently use drones in combat, but many other countries have acquired drone technology, including China, Russia, India, Iran and Israel. The U.K. uses Reapers and Predators while most other countries use the Israeli Aerospace Industries Heron or similar Israeli models. Drones saw combat use in Israel during the Gaza war of late 2008. Even Hezbollah has acquired reconnaissance drones. All told, the GAO estimates that 76 countries, at least, have drone technology.
What do our allies think about it?

U.K. Defense Minister Philip Hammond (left) is among the few non-U.S. officials involved in the drone program. (Yves Logghe/Associated Press)

European allies other than Britain generally refrain from using drones to attack al-Qaeda, but frequently share intelligence that assists the drone program in selecting targets.
What about the countries where we send drones? What do they think?

Protests in Sanaa, Yemen. (Khaled Abdullah/Reuters)

They’re very mad. The Pakistani government has condemned the drone strikes as a violation of sovereignty, though there’s evidence they’re tacitly allowing the strikes to happen. The Yemeni government quietly agreed to the strikes, though murmurs of opposition have emerged of late. Citizens in both countries deplore the campaigns.
Is it actually weakening al-Qaeda?

Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of al-Qaeda since Osama bin Laden was killed. (AFP/Getty Images)

New America estimates that 1,967 – 3,236 militants were killed in Pakistan and Yemen, meaning the overwhelming majority of casualties were intended targets. That said, the share of deaths who were “high-profile targets” was 11 percent under Obama and 33 percent under Bush according to New America. And there are deeper doubts as to whether the strategy is recruiting more militants than it kills, by turning local populations against the United States. The attempted Times Square bomber, for instance, cited drones as a motivating force.
It could also be a bad idea even if it is weakening al-Qaeda. Many have noted that the money spent on anti-terrorism efforts might save more lives if devoted to tackling more mundane threats, like auto accidents.
Thanks to Zack Beauchamp for research help throughout.

Defense minister "was on probation" at time of appointment

Source: Tanjug

SKOPJE -- Macedonia's new defense minister, Talat Xhaferi, was in 2011 sentenced to two years probation for "obstructing a police officer in performing his duties".

(Tanjug, file)

The appointment of the ethnic Albanian politician and former commander of rebels who took up arms against the Macedonian forces in the early 2000s caused rioting in Skopje last week.
The Balkan Insight website is reporting that Xhaferi was first sentenced to six months in jail in 2008, after an incident that happened during a rally of his Democratic Union for Integration - an ethnic Albanian party that is now a member of Macedonia's ruling coalition.

However, the final verdict from 2011 saw the court in the town of Tetovo sentence at that time MP Xhaferi to two years probation.

Xhaferi, whose appointment was put forward on February 18 by Macedonia's PM Nikola Gruevski, will have completed his sentence this month.

This is yet another reason cited by the small opposition Dignity Party who are asking for the decision to appoint Xhaferi to be revoked.

The party was set up to protect the interests of police and military personnel who fought against the Albanian insurgents in 2001.

The Macedonian veterans have also launched an initiative to collect 150,000 signatures so that the issue could be decided in a referendum.

Last Friday, young Macedonians gathered to protest against the appointment, while next day ethnic Albanians took to the streets.

During the two days of violence in Skopje 30 people were injured, and cars and buses set on fire.

Albanians have announced a new protest for tomorrow.

The ideator of the Natural Albania calls the Albanians of Macedonia
 
 Danaj: Macedonia "dead". Our hope, unity
by Koco Danaj

Today Macedonian chauvinism is laid on the offensive, he tells you that instead of Albanian democracy and coexistence, must choose the fear of the state or by people paid by the state. Therefore, this should disappear chauvinism. But to eradicate the Macedonian chauvinism have no value statements condemning it and in the end you call for caution Albanians!!!.

There are more than a decade that these statements come from Tirana, Pristina or out of the headquarters of the Albanian political parties in FYROM. There are more than a decade in Brussels Albanian nation is being used as a fireman in the Balkans, when it should be its main peacemaker. With recent events in the Skopje, Brussels messages or statements of Tirana, Pristina, etc. have no value. Already has value only Mass Resistance. National Union has value only has value only Natural Albania.

Macedonian chauvinism as any other chauvinism against Albanians, will disappear only when Albanians to join a state. For this reason, the official Tirana should refrain from statements that do not resolve anything and implement the Albanian Constitution, which provides for national unity, the protection of the rights of Albanians abroad. But in this sense should not be misinterpreted messages and appeal of our strategic partners of the West. The U.S. is against the nationalist rhetoric, but it is pro Albanian Constitution. U.S. defends not Macedonian chauvinism at the expense of the Albanians.

Likewise official Tirana should take example by the action of the Italian President Napolitano, who canceled a meeting with the German chancellor candidate only because he insulted two Italian politicians, Berlusconi and Bepe Grillo called clowns. And rightly Napolitano said: invalidate the meeting in the name of national unity and dignity of Italy. Therefore "List for Natural Albania" calls the Albanians in Albania East: Continue to Resist, continue to plead, from Kumanovo in Struga. Abandon the parties who want to use as "cannon fodder" for the interests of their corrupt ties with Macedonian chauvinism.

Do not let the sacrifice neither you nor Eastern Kosovo Albanians in the name of supposedly great historic compromise Thaçi Dacic, a compromise that protects not only Albanians, but thanks to the Albanian territories. Macedonia "has died" as a common state of Albanians and Macedonians. Let them "bury" it. This will be the greatest contribution in the service of peace, progress and stability in the Balkans. This will be the greatest contribution save Brussels by the crisis of the existence of the EU itself.

www.shekulli,com,al

Is Crvenkovski telling voters to go to war, or vote?

Thursday, 07 March 2013

Leader of Macedonia's Social democrtatic alliance, Branko Crvenkovski during his campaigning held only two speeches, one in Ohrid and the other in Strumica. From his statements, no one can conclude whether he is calling citizens to go out and vote for his party or go out and wage war. Both of his speeches in Ohrid and Strumica, typically lasting nine minutes, were identical. In his statements, Crvenkovski speaks of battles, fighting, pay backs and punishments. At no point during his speech does Crvenkovski mentiones how would his party help the people, what sort of programs they have, or how would his party candidates help the economy and create jobs. Crvenkovski starts his speech by saluting his 'comrades' and 'fighters', only later to remind them they must fight, and battle against the ruling Government which he calls "tyranical'. "On March 24th we have an opportunity to complete one very important job. We have a chance for a pay back, we are going to get even for everything" said Crvenkovski in Ohrid. Similar, if not identical was his speech in Strumica, calling for battles, revolutions, boycotts. At no time did SDSM's leadership told the gathered citizens about any projects or plans they had for the future.

UNESCO: We are concerned about Berat and Gjirokastra, will introduce the black list

After Butrint risk Berat and Gjirokastra

Blacklist is currently Butrint, which has suffered severe damage if not maintained properly. But this list may include Berat and Gjirokastra, which are being destroyed by illegal constructions

The World Heritage Committee, UNESCO has expressed concern about the state of the two cities declared World Heritage, Berat and Gjirokastra.

They have written to the Minister of Culture, Aldo, for the situation where the following cities, warning that they will be included in the list of world heritage sites in danger.

Also expressed concern about Butrint.

"The World Heritage Committee expressed concern about illegal construction and lack of maintenance in Berat and Gjirokastra. Committee sent a letter to the Minister of Tourism, Culture, Youth and Sports, listing all measures to be taken before the UNESCO meeting in June this year, when discussing whether Gjirokastra and Berat will enter the blacklist of "Heritage World at risk. "

Butrint archaeological zone is already on this list, as the area has shown severe injuries due to poor management and conservation. Berat and Gjirokastra main concern relates to the lack of government control over illegal construction that kill cities. In a letter to the Minister of Tourism, the Committee expressed concern that no progress has been made in introducing a program of archaeological interventions in the event of implementation of major restorations, as well as the lack of an overall plan against fire.

Furthermore, the Committee urges the Albanian government to undertake a major restoration project at Portland Castle, "said UNESCO notice.

Strong statement of the leader of the opposition in Albania

Edi Rama: Albanian State Police, associated with the crime, and the people were armed to defend itself

Socialist Party leader, Edi Rama, has attended meetings for the presentation and discussion of the program for an Albanian renaissance in Lezha. The focus of the meeting was again the subject of public order and safety, as one of the most important socialist government after June 23.

President of the Socialist Party, Edi Rama has started his speech by bringing to the attention of the audience all unsafe condition undergoing Albanians, because of the lack of state and the complete organization of the State Police. "We have seen that especially in the territories of the village, to protect property, to protect the house, armed people."

"We have seen how many property disputes erupt and turn to crime. And what we see is always less state presence. Country has abandoned the task. Organization of State Police, just like all of our state organization, today is out any logical standard, as well as to all State Police structures of our country have returned to the nest to introduce "members" of the Democratic Party. There is no other standard. If we want to fight crime and ringremë State Police , should këpusim links between the dome of the Ministry of Interior and crime, "said Rama. According to him, the top managers of the State Police today are associated with organized crime.

 "This is a fact. Top executives of the State Police today guarantee smuggling routes and manage all the proceeds from corruption. This is a fact, as it is a fact that between crime and cupola leadership of the Ministry of Interior has ongoing collaboration, treason against the State Police, where criminals find out as soon as a planned operation and so fail operations.

 This has led to a moral destruction of all State Police, because every one in the State Police know what happens, "said the head of the SP.

Shekulli.com.al

7 March 2013 Last updated at 21:36 GMT

John Brennan confirmed as CIA head after filibuster

I

 

n February, senators pressed Brennan on the use of drones in anti-militant operations

Continue reading the main story

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Data (March 6, 2013)

Mark Wilson/Getty Images

John O. Brennan in 2005 giving President George W. Bush a tour of the National Counterterrorism Center in Tysons Corner, Va.

Pool photo by Pablo Martinez Monsivas

Mr. Brennan with George J. Tenet in 2012.

• Profile: John Brennan
• The cost of Obama's secret drone war
• Brennan pressed on drones in hearing Watch

The US Senate has confirmed John Brennan as the new director of the CIA, after a senator's 13-hour speech delayed the vote.

Senator Rand Paul took to the Senate floor on Wednesday to question whether President Obama had authority to order drone strikes on Americans on US soil.
Attorney General Eric Holder replied the president claimed no such power.
Some of Mr Obama's second-term nominees have faced protracted confirmation battles with Senate Republicans.
"With the bipartisan confirmation of John Brennan as director of the Central Intelligence Agency, the Senate has recognised in John the qualities I value so much," President Barack Obama said in a statement.
"With John's 25 years of experience at the Agency, our extraordinary men and women of the CIA will be led by one of their own."
Mr Brennan was recently President Obama's top counter-terrorism adviser and he had long appeared to hold enough votes to win confirmation.
But a final vote was held up by both Sen Paul's marathon speech, known as a filibuster, and requests from an intelligence panel to see White House documents laying out the legal basis for drone strikes on US citizens in anti-militant strikes overseas.
He was confirmed on Thursday by a 63-34 vote