Friday, February 5, 2016
SACEUR visits NATO Headquarters in Kosovo
5 FEB 2016
PRISTINA, Kosovo - During a two day visit to NATO Headquarters in Pristina, General Philip M. Breedlove, Supreme Allied Commander Europe, met with Kosovo Force troops highlighting NATO’s continued commitment to the stability of Kosovo’s future.
General Breedlove was briefed by Major General Luigi Guglielmo Miglietta, KFOR Commander and the international HQ Staff on the latest developments in the current security situation in Kosovo and in the Balkans region.
"It's very encouraging to see how KFORs contribution to the stability of the security situation here has provided the time and space needed for so much progress. Certainly there is still plenty left to be done but the progress has been notable,” stated Breedlove.
General Breedlove had two very informative and useful meetings with the "Quint Ambassadors” of France, Germany, Italy, United Kingdom and United States as well as the Representatives of the International Community: the EU Special Representative, and the Heads of Mission of UNMIK, OSCE and EULEX.
General Phil Breedlove, Supreme Allied Commander Europe, meets with Major General Luigi Guglielmo Miglietta, Commander, KFOR in Pristina, Republic of Kosovo Thursday, Feb 4, 2016. - NATO Photo by Mass Communications Specialist 1st Class Danielle Brandt, USN
"As Kosovo steps forward and embraces its own future, NATO will remain committed to doing its part to contribute to stability here,” added Breedlove. "We will retain a flexible, deterrent presence and will make changes only when the security situation allows.”
Later in the afternoon, General Breedlove met with the President of Kosovo and the Prime Minister. They expressed appreciation to General Breedlove for the significant contribution made by KFOR’s soldiers in maintaining security and stability in Kosovo.
"KFOR continues to contribute towards maintaining a safe and secure environment in Kosovo and freedom of movement for all,” said Breedlove.
On completion of the tour General Breedlove took the opportunity to have breakfast with troops and leaders.
"I want to thank each and everyone one of your for all the hard work you are doing here, we would not be successful with out your dedication and effort,” said Breedlove.
Story by KFOR and SHAPE Public Affairs Offices
World View: Saudi Ready to Send Ground Troops into Syria, as Regime Encircles Aleppo
AP PhotoThe Associated Press
by JOHN J. XENAKIS
5 Feb 20167
Syrian regime forces, backed by massive bombing by Russian warplanes, cut a vital commercial supply route between Turkey and Aleppo, Syria’s largest city. This route is used to provide food, medicines and other supplies to the more than 2 million people living in Aleppo.
Already, tens of thousands are fleeing from Aleppo. Turkey says that there are already 10,000 refugees at Turkey’s “door,” stranded at the border crossing to Turkey, and 70,000 more are already on the way. The U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that about 40,000 people have fled the region in the past few days.
There are fears that regime forces will now move south and encircle and starve Aleppo, as the regime has done in Homs and other cities. In that case, there may be hundreds of thousands attempting to flee and head for Turkey.
These are all new refugees that could enter Turkey and then attempt to reach the Aegean Sea and travel to Europe. Europe has in the past asked for Turkey’s help in slowing the flood of refugees reaching Europe, and has promised financial aid for the refugees to encourage them to remain in Turkey.
At an international Syria donors conference held in London on Thursday, countries pledged billions of dollars in aid for fleeing refugees. Germany pledged $2.6 billion in aid, the United Kingdom pledged $1.7 billion and the U.S. pledged about $925 million.
What usually happens with these international aid conferences is that a lot of money is pledged, but the pledges are forgotten once the conference and the opportunity for publicity end. In this case, it is hoped that the pledges will be fulfilled, because they are the only hope of slowing the flood of refugees.
The conference itself was overshadowed by the collapse of the “peace talks” in Geneva, as we reported yesterday, and by today’s news of the impending humanitarian disaster in Aleppo. In addition, there continues to be increasing talk about Western military intervention in Libya in the next few weeks, where ISIS is gaining greater and greater control. The old post-WW II order in the Mideast is collapsing, and it seems that barely a day goes by without something new about the collapse. Deutsche Welle and Bloomberg and Vice News and International Business Times
Saudi Arabia ready to send ground troops into Syria
Saudi Arabia is ready to supply troops for a Western ground operation in Syria. According to Asiri:
If the leaders of the international coalition unanimously decided to carry out such operations, the kingdom would be ready to participate in these efforts.
Saudi Arabia is part of the US-led anti-ISIS coalition, and has carried out more than 190 aerial missions. It is also believed that the Saudis have previously supplied weapons to moderate rebel groups in Syria fighting ISIS. The use of ground troops has been hinted at in the past, but the latest announcement is formal and serious, the sources said.
The announcement came after the so-called Islamic State (IS or ISIS or ISIL or Daesh) claimed responsibility for two suicide bomb attacks on Shia mosques in Saudi Arabia earlier this month, as well as several similar attacks last year. Nominally, Saudi troops in Syria would be fighting ISIS.
Saudi Arabia is already fighting a war in Yemen against Iran-backed Houthis, and that war appears to be stalemated. Saudi Arabia and Iran are bitter enemies, and a month ago, the countries broke diplomatic relations with each other. Saudi troops in Syria might well end up fighting Iranian troops. Saudi Press Agency and Reuters
Saudi Arabia sees itself in an existential crisis
Saudi Arabia is facing multiple crises, including a crash in oil prices, its principal source of revenue, and wars in neighboring countries in Syria, Iraq and Yemen.
Foreign minister Adel Al-Jubeir says that Saudi Arabia has been unfairly blamed for the 9/11/2001 attacks on the United States, and that in fact it is Saudi Arabia that’s under attack by terrorists and by Iran:
Some try to malign Saudi Arabia by reciting that “15 of the 19” 9/11 hijackers were Saudi. They should know that the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, told US interrogators that the initial plan was to have 20 hijackers from different nationalities, but late in the planning Osama Bin Laden directed him to use as many Saudis as possible to give the attack a Saudi face.
This was likely designed to drive a wedge between the Kingdom and the US. If this was Osama Bin Laden’s plan, it almost succeeded, as we saw from the wave of criticism the kingdom experienced after 9/11. […]
“Saudi Arabia has long been a target of terrorism perpetrated by Iranian proxies. […]
“Many countries have known the grief and pain [terrorism] causes. It makes no sense for Saudi Arabia to support or condone those who have as their goal the destruction of Saudi Arabia. It is against our values, our faith and our national character.
That is why the Kingdom has responded with strength, persistence and resolve. To accuse the Kingdom of being lax, much less complicit, when it comes to combating terrorism and its financing is not only irresponsible but also flies against the face of reality.
It is widely believed that even if Saudi’s government is not sponsoring terrorism, then some powerful Wahhabi Salafi groups within Saudi Arabia are doing so. Saudi Gazette
Turkey denies Russian reports of Syria invasion
The spokesman for Russia’s defense ministry, Major General Igor Konashenkov, says that Turkey is trying to conceal “illegal” military activity on its border with Syria. Konashenkov’s unsupported claim is that Turkey is firing artillery into populated areas in the north of Latakia Province, and is preparing to invade Syria.
According to Konashenkov, “The signs of hidden preparation of Turkish armed forces for activities in the territory of Syria we notice more and more.”
However, an unnamed source in the office of Turkey’s prime minister told CNN that there are no such plans. “Simply they are diverting attention from their attacks on civilians as a country already invading Syria,” the source told CNN. “Turkey has all the rights to take any measures to protect its own security.” Russia Today and CNN
US Billionaire Soros Donates $6Mln to Support Clinton's Presidential Run
10:47 01.02.2016
United States billionaire George Soros donated $6 million in December to Priorities USA Action, a political action committee (PAC) supporting Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, the organization's latest financial statement said, as cited by local media.
Hungarian-born US magnate and philanthropist George Soros attends an economic forum in Colombo on January 7, 2016
Never Fight a Currency War in Asia: Soros’ Campaign Against Chinese Yuan Likely to Fail
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Soros's total contribution to the pro-Clinton PAC has amounted to $7 million, The Hill newspaper reported Sunday. Priorities USA Action was able to raise a total of $41 million on behalf of Clinton in 2015, according to the news outlet.
Haim Saban, a media mogul and musician and his wife Cheryl, as well as investor Donald Sussman are among the biggest financial contributors to Clinton's campaign, having donated $5 million and $2.5 million respectively, according to the media outlet.
The publication notes that Soros was among investors financing President Obama's reelection campaign in 2012.
Voters in the United States are scheduled to elect their next president on November 8, 2016. In the race for the presidency, former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is considered the Democratic Party’s frontrunner, while billionaire businessman Donald Trump leads the Republican field, according to the most recent polls.
"Closing of borders could renew conflicts in Balkans"
Source: Beta
</div>
<div id='passback-wbeab5730fd'></div>
In an interview for Czech weekly Respekt Sobotka
said the refugee wave would "spill over in the Balkans" adding he
thought the closing of borders of some Balkan countries was "not the
right path, because it can be associated with strong conflicts.""Simply put, the Balkans is not yet integrated, and memories of the wars there are very much alive. If Turkey is unable to control the pressure of migration, in cooperation with Greece, the solution is to reach agreement with Bulgaria, Macedonia and Albania, to provide them with maximum help and start to regulate migration on their borders," said Sobotka.
He then stated that the EU would in this way put additional pressure on Greece to work more closely with Turkey in overcoming the influx of refugees.
The so-called Plan B - that would see the EU put up "a dam" in front of "the refugee wave" on the southern borders of Macedonia and Bulgaria - will be discussed at the extraordinary summit of the Visegrad Group prime ministers in Prague on February 15. The members of this group of central and eastern European countries wish to present the plan to the EU.
"Preserving Schengen is not only in the interest of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, but also countries such as Germany, France, the Netherlands. None of these countries announced they want to introduce some measures that would mean the breaking up of the Schengen area. A number of countries, including us, is strengthening patrols at the borders, but no one is planning to break up Schengen," said the Czech prime minister.
The closing of German borders would, according to him, mean an immediate danger of the Czech Republic becoming a transit country:
"The border would be immediately shut down by Austria. Since Hungary has a fence on its border, and Slovakia is ready to take very strict security measures, it is likely that the migration flow would be diverted. It would be partly halted, and party the borders of some Balkan states would be closed."
Sobotka again criticized Czech President Milos Zeman for "meaninglessly and without any need spreading panic and fear of refugees and Muslims among the Czech citizens and causing division in society." According to Sobotka, he is in this way "preparing ground for himself to be elected for another term."
He said Zeman's gesture that caused the deepest divisions was his participation "in a rally of extremists against Islam and refugees held on the anniversary of the Velvet Revolution on November 17," when Zeman marched along with Block Against Islam leader Martin Konvicka, "who called on the Czechs to turn refugees into bone meal."
Heads of Russian and Catholic churches set to meet in Cuba
Source: B92
</div>
<div id='passback-wb44699fe0d'></div>
It will be an unprecedented event and a huge step towards
repairing relations between the two churches after almost a thousand
years.The meeting is to be held on February 12 and have great importance for relations between the Catholic Church and Russian Orthodox Church. According to announcements, the patriarch and the pope will discuss "persecution of Christians in the modern world." They will also sign a joint declaration.
Patriarch Kiril will be on his Latin American tour starting February 11, during which he will visit Cuba, Paraguay, Chile and Brazil. Pope Francis will arrive in Cuba on his way to Mexico.
There were hints in 2014 that "steps will be made towards healing the wounds of the Great Schism of 1054" when Pope Francis told Patriarch Kirill, "I will go anywhere you wish, just call and I will come."
The Russian Orthodox Church has said that the meeting will be held out of the need "for a common response to the persecution of Christians in the Middle East."
The two churches issued a joint statement saying the encounter will mark an important stage in their relations, and called on all Christians "to pray to God to bless this meeting because it could produce much good."
NATO commander on peacekeeper reduction and "Kosovo army"
Source: Beta
s Kosovo steps forward and embraces its own future, NATO will remain committed to doing its part to contribute to stability here,” added Breedlove. “We will retain a flexible, deterrent presence and will make changes only when the security situation allows.” - See more at: http://gazetadielli.com/saceur-visits-nato-headquarters-in-kosovo/#sthash.EaFdorhq.dpuf "As Kosovo steps forward and embraces its own future, NATO will remain committed to doing its part to contribute to stability her. We will retain a flexible, deterrent presence and will make changes only when the security situation allows," the U.S. general said.
Speaking about the possibility of transformation of the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) in an army, Breedlove, according to a Beta agency report, said that NATO would "monitor how this transformation will be carried out and whether Kosovo will work with its neighbors to reach an agreement on the subject."
"The good news is that the Kosovo Security Force has many opportunities to work together with KFOR in order to gain good experience allowing it to in the future realize its tasks in the best possible way," he said.
During his visit to Kosovo, Breedlove spoke with President Atifete Jahjaga and Prime Minister Isa Mustafa.
Greek, German, French Interior Ministers Urge Tightening of EU Borders
©
AFP 2016/ DIMITAR DILKOFF
Greek, French and German interior ministers discussed the refugees influx in the European Union and came to conclusion that it is necessary to tighten external EU border.
©
AP Photo/ Petros Giannakouris
"Curbing immigration, reinforcements for Frontex, fight against falsification of documents – this should be done fast," Cazeneuve wrote on his official Twitter account.
Greece is used as a gateway by hundreds of thousands of refugees and immigrants seeking to enter Europe. After coming ashore on Greek islands, many of them head north in search of passageways to more affluent Germany and Sweden.
©
AFP 2016/ TT NEWS AGENCY / STIG-AKE JONSSON
The EU border agency Frontex detected over 1.8 million illegal border crossings in 2015, in contrast to some 283,000 in 2014. Germany said earlier this week that it would speed up the repatriation of migrants who misrepresent their identity.
Montenegro to Force Troops to Join NATO Operations
Despite popular opposition to the move, the Montenegrin government plans to make military engagement in NATO combat operations mandatory for all members of the armed forces.
Dusica Tomovic
BIRN
Podgorica
Link
As one of the first moves in its upcoming accession negotiations with NATO, Montenegro's goverment is set to amend the defence laws and define participating in the alliance's military operations as mandatory for all troops.
According to the plan, changes to the law that define the use of Montenegrin army units in international operations will be completed by the end of March and sent to parliament.
BIRN has learned from the Ministry of Defence that the new law will abolish the principle of voluntary service abroad, which has been in force since 2010, when Montenegro joined the NATO-led ISAF operation in Afghanistan.
The possibility that soldiers could decide whether they want to be engaged in NATO operations - or not - was provided by the law adopted in 2008.
This was introduced as a compromise solution after only a few soldiers exhibited interest in joining NATO's multinational operation against the Taliban in Afghanistan, which was launched in 2003.
The new law will also prescribe which Montenegrin troops will be available for rapid intervention abroad if NATO allies so decide.
"Deployment will now be mandatory, which means that soldiers will have to go to Afghanistan, for example, or to some other NATO operation in future, if their superiors decide. Otherwise, they risk losing their jobs," a senior offical from the ministry told BIRN.
In February, Montenegro will begin accession negotiations with NATO, after it received an official invitation to join the club last December.
The obligations include modifying key security and defence laws, which must be adapted to NATO's collective defence system regulations.
A majority of Montenegrins still strongly opposes the country's military engagement in places like Afghanistan.
According to the some polls conducted by the Ministry of Defence, only 30 per cent of military personnel also consider taking part in NATO operations acceptable.
The government recently requested approval to contribute to NATO’s peace-keeping mission mission in Kosovo, KFOR, despite opposition from the large Serbian community, which bitterly opposes Montenegro's intention to join NATO.
In order to increase the number of soldiers who are willing to participate in NATO missions, the authorities have offered numerous benefits for those who are deployed abroad, such as higher wages and additional points in the ranking for the country’s housing fund.
After joining NATO in 2004 and 2008, Slovenia and Croatia also abolished voluntary participation in international missions. In Slovenia, dozens of soldiers lost their jobs in 2004 after refusing to go to Kosovo and join KFOR forces.
BIRN contacted the Ministry of Defense seeking a broader explanation of the plans concerning contributing to NATO operations, but it declined to comment.
Thursday, February 4, 2016
20 years after Dayton, here’s what Bosnians think about being divided by ethnicity
The country remains poor overall, ranking 101st of 185 countries in GDP per capita, according to the World Bank’s 2014 figures. Ethnic differences are also evident. Bosniaks report the highest unemployment rate at 32 percent, while Serbs and Croats are at 27 and 25 percent, respectively. Serbs report significantly lower household incomes than the other groups at an average of $413 a month (converted at current exchange rates); Croat households earn $513 and Bosniaks $447.
Washington Post
Should Bosnia’s ethnicities be separated into different territories?
In 2005, we asked Bosnians if they agreed or disagreed with the following statement: “Ethnic relations will improve in my locality when all nationalities are separated into territories that belong only to them.” (In 2005, 50.5 percent of the sample said “yes”; at the time, we compared those results with attitudes in the North Caucasus of Russia, another former war zone, where less than 14 percent wanted ethnic separation.)
Here we have seen some important shifts in opinion. Fewer and fewer Bosnians — in all ethnic communities — support exclusive ethnic territories. Over 43 percent of Bosniaks supported ethnic separation in 2005; today that’s 33, a drop of 10 percentage points. Among Bosnian Croats, support has dropped from 58 percent to roughly 40, or 18 percentage points. The decline is strongest among Bosnian Serbs, with a drop from 57 percent to 33, or 24 percentage points.
Less-educated individuals in all three communities still prefer separation.
Has this drop come because of the attitudes of the “Dayton generations”? Let’s look at the graphic below, which shows various age groups’ attitudes towards ethnoterritorialism.
Our age categories have roughly equivalent respondent numbers in each. The youngest age group (18 to 35) in 2015 is the “Dayton generation,” ranging from those not yet born in 1995 to those who were 15 years old when Dayton was signed. This cohort shows the biggest differences from the attitudes of the young adults in 2005.
Far fewer young Bosnian Serbs of that age agree that ethnic separation is a good strategy than did 10 years ago, with a drop from 60 percent to 28, for a total of 32 percentage points. More Bosniaks in all three age groups disapprove of ethnic separation than did in 2005. However, as Bosnian Serbs and Croats get older, they grow more supportive of separating by ethnicity.
What does all this mean for Bosnian ethnic relations?
Overall, Bosnians are becoming less ethnoterritorial. Only 10 years ago, more than half the population believed that ethnic separation was the way to prevent conflict. And that drop isn’t just because a new generation is growing up in a less ethnically violent world.
Why then? Perhaps tolerance has increased as people have gotten used to dealing with other ethnic groups, especially those who have returned to the homes they were driven from during the war. After all, Bosnians have been traveling back and forth between the political entities without significant friction or dramas. Or perhaps ethnoterritorialism is already so widespread that, ironically enough, respondents feel it’s less urgent to say they want it. After all, it’s already the norm in most places.
To answer our question: Bosnia’s “Dayton generation” is the cohort least likely to support ethnic separation.
Here’s the most optimistic interpretation of this data: Attitudes in Bosnia are changing for the better — but institutions remain stuck in Dayton’s straitjacket, now two decades old.
Yet here’s the reality: Bosnia’s youths are very disengaged from politics. Seventy percent want to leave the country and only 15 percent think that they have any influence on governments.
Bosnia will apply for European Union membership next month. The prospect of E.U. membership, like the prospect of Bosnia again becoming a land of multiethnic tolerance, is far in the distance.
Gerard Toal (Gearóid Ó Tuathail) is co-author of “Bosnia Remade” (Oxford, 2011) and a professor at Virginia Tech’s campus in Alexandria, Va. John O’Loughlin is college professor of distinction and professor of geography at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
US State Department Secretary John Kerry Travels to Tirana, on February 14
Press Statement
John Kirby
Assistant Secretary and Department Spokesperson, Bureau of Public Affairs
Washington, DC
February 4, 2016
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will travel to Munich, Germany, from February 10–14 to participate in the 52nd Munich Security Conference. While in Munich, he will attend an International Syria Support Group (ISSG) meeting to discuss how to accelerate an end to the Syrian conflict. Secretary Kerry will also have a series of bilateral and multilateral meetings.
Secretary Kerry will travel to Tirana, Albania, on February 14 to meet with senior government leaders to discuss Albania’s further Euro-Atlantic integration and strong bilateral cooperation with the United States.
The Secretary will then travel to Sunnylands in Rancho Mirage, California, to join President Obama at the U.S.-ASEAN Summit on February 15-16. This summit will further strengthen U.S.-ASEAN cooperation within the framework of our new strategic partnership and our common vision of a peaceful and prosperous Asia-Pacific region.
Greece grinds to a halt in general strike over pension reforms
Opposition to pension reform has cut across wide swath of occupational groups
The Associated Press Posted: Feb 04, 2016
Greece strike disrupts transportation, services; brief clashes break out
Greek government pledges quick passage for bailout reforms
Greece settles terms with EU to get $14B bailout for banks
Greece election: Alexis Tsipras's Syriza to hold 145 of 300 seats
Services across Greece ground to a halt Thursday as workers joined in a massive general strike that cancelled flights, ferries and public transport, shut down schools, courts and pharmacies, and left public hospitals with emergency staff.
Well over 20,000 supporters of a Communist party-backed union were marching through central Athens, while around 10,000 more people — including about 1,000 lawyers in suits and ties — were gathering for a separate demonstration. A heavy police presence was deployed in the capital, as previous protests have often degenerated into riots.
Greece strike disrupts transportation, services; brief clashes break out
Greek government pledges quick passage for bailout reforms
Unions are angry at pension reforms that are part of Greece's third international bailout. The left-led government is trying to overhaul the country's ailing pension system by increasing social security contributions to avoid pension cuts, but critics say the reforms will lead many to lose two-thirds of their income to contributions and taxes.
Opposition to the reform has been vociferous, uniting a disparate group of professions, including farmers, artists, taxi drivers, lawyers, doctors, engineers and seamen among others.
Demonstrations were also planned in Thessaloniki — where about 200 taxi drivers drove through the city centre honking their horns in protest Thursday — and other Greek cities.
Thursday's general strike is the most significant the coalition government of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has faced since he initially came to power about a year ago. As an opposition party, Tsipras' radical left Syriza party had led opposition to pension reforms, but he was forced into a dramatic policy U-turn last year when he faced the stark choice of signing up to a third bailout or the country being kicked out of the eurozone.
Syriza has even issued a statement backing Thursday's strike.
EUROZONE-GREECE/STRIKE
A passenger looks at an announcement board inside the Athens Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport, as flight controllers hold a work stoppage during a 24-hour general strike against planned pension reforms in Thursday. (Michalis Karagiannis/Reuters)
Athens pensioner Yannis Kouvalakis said Tsipras' government "fooled" Greeks by promising to reverse austerity cuts.
"Because they are from the left, what happened? Was the situation saved? Things got worse. They'd said they'd give some money to pensioners or the unemployed, increase the minimum wage to 750 euros (per month)," he said. "They cut five euros from my pension ... What can they give? Forget it."
The strike comes as the government negotiates with Greece's international debt inspectors, who returned to Athens this week to review progress on the country's bailout obligations. The central Athens hotel where the inspectors were staying was heavily guarded by police.
Ferries between Greece's islands and the mainland remained tied up in port as part of the strike, while only limited public transport was operating in Athens for a few hours in the day and taxis also stayed off the streets. More than a dozen domestic flights were cancelled, while farmers maintained their blockades of highways that have forced motorists into lengthy detours.
State-run hospitals were functioning on emergency staff, while state schools, many shops and gas stations were shut.
Ambassadors in Belgrade and Ankara summoned to MFAs
As Moscow and Ankara are exchanging harsh words, Turkey and Serbia also have a problem.
B92
The two countries have sought to solve it by summoning ambassadors posted in Belgrade and Ankara to the respective foreign ministries.
Recent reports in the Turkish press about alleged Serbian snipers and spies working for the Kurds have managed to easily stir relations between the two countries that are otherwise described by both sides as "better than ever."
Turkish daily Sabah thus writes about "Serbian snipers hired by Kurdish forces to liquidate Turkish generals," but also about "several of them (snipers) being liquidated."
That is why Serbian ambassador in Ankara and Turkish ambassador in Belgrade have been called to the Turkish and Serbian ministries of foreign affairs. The top Turkish diplomat in Serbia said, a day after his meeting with officials of the host country, that "there is cooperation."
"Turkey and Serbia are serious countries, they are closely monitoring this issue and cooperating. Our police minister made a statement saying they arrested some foreign nationals, but that it is only speculation these were Serbs. Institutions of the two countries exchanged information on these speculations that are not concrete information," said Ambassador Mehmet Kemal Bozay.
Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Rasim Ljajic denied the veracity of another affair reported by the Turkish press - about "a secret Serbian agent posing as journalist" allegedly arrested in the areas where the Kuridstan Workers' Party is active.
"As for the spy, that was quickly refuted because the story is pure science fiction. It's about some recording made two years ago, during the arrest of a Turkish citizen and has nothing to do with us. Certainly some circles both in Serbia and Turkey do not like the good relations between the two countries because this is a period of the best possible relations between Ankara and Belgrade," said Ljajic.
Experts say that sudden ups and downs in relations between countries are "quite common."
"On the one hand the economy is showing is some positive signs, mutual meetings speak about a high level of political dialogue, but on the other we have to be aware of a kind of prejudice that comes from the historical context, but also the frequent emotional statements of some Turkish officials," says Aleksandra Joksimovic, from the Center for Foreign Policy NGO.
These relations came to a boiling point in October 2013 when then Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Kosovo, to say that "Kosovo is Turkey, and Turkey Kosovo." Ankara later said the statement was "taken out of context."
Archbishop Janullatos for Greek CNN: In Albania, live 22% Orthodox
Albania's Orthodox Church, reiterated accusations that do not recognize Census of 2011, which declared 6.7% of the orthodox population in Albania
CNN
Greek section of CNN International has published the second part of the interview with the archbishop of Albania Orthodox Church, his eminence Prof. Anastasios of Tirana. Asked for the demolition of the Church of St. Athanasius in Drymades. The head of the Orthodox Church called an unpleasant episode of the intervention of the state, and spoke for property nationalized during the communist time that the church has not been returned by the Albanian state. "It is a detail not so pleasant.
The government has not yet returned church property nationalized by the communist state ", - stressed Janullatos. Clarified that there monasteries belonging to the Orthodox Church, but never returned. Explains that" what t is holy and what is not, there is a issues that may determine the government ".
Archbishop, told CNN on Albania Greek Orthodox people are 22% of the population, a figure which according to him shows that the Orthodox are not the majority, but as a small island.
"They are a living and are active part of society", according to him. Archbishop Janullatos notes that interfaith relations should be handled very carefully in Albania and that the Church should transmit the faith in society.
Putin meets ‘old friend’ Kissinger visiting Russia
Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has met former US Secretary of
State Henry Kissinger in his residence outside Moscow. The Kremlin said
that the two have “long-standing, friendly relations” and that they have
used the “opportunity to talk.”
The meeting is a continuation of a “friendly dialogue between President Putin and Henry Kissinger, who are bound by a longstanding relationship,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
“They communicate all the time, use the opportunity to talk,” he added. Putin “values” this opportunity to discuss pressing international issues as well as exchange opinions on global perspectives, Peskov said.
Putin and Kissenger have had over 10 tete-a-tete meetings so far, according to media reports. When Kissinger visited Russia in 2013 Putin said that Moscow always pays attention to his opinion and called the former secretary of state "a world class politician."
Kissinger, a former US national security adviser and foreign policy head, pioneered the detente policy in 1969 steering the US-Soviet relations to a general ease. For his part in negotiating a ceasefire in Vietnam in an unsuccessful effort to put an end to the Vietnam war (1955-1975) he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1973.
In a December interview with German newspaper Handelsblatt, Kissinger said that he believes the West should understand there could be no resolution to the Syrian crisis and unity without Russia’s participation. He also said that one cannot defeat Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISISL) militants in the Middle East using diplomatic means.
“They communicate all the time, use the opportunity to talk,” he added. Putin “values” this opportunity to discuss pressing international issues as well as exchange opinions on global perspectives, Peskov said.
Putin and Kissenger have had over 10 tete-a-tete meetings so far, according to media reports. When Kissinger visited Russia in 2013 Putin said that Moscow always pays attention to his opinion and called the former secretary of state "a world class politician."
Kissinger, a former US national security adviser and foreign policy head, pioneered the detente policy in 1969 steering the US-Soviet relations to a general ease. For his part in negotiating a ceasefire in Vietnam in an unsuccessful effort to put an end to the Vietnam war (1955-1975) he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1973.
In a December interview with German newspaper Handelsblatt, Kissinger said that he believes the West should understand there could be no resolution to the Syrian crisis and unity without Russia’s participation. He also said that one cannot defeat Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISISL) militants in the Middle East using diplomatic means.
'Mafia State and Greater Albania': Washington Turns Blind Eye to Organized Crime in Kosovo
©
RIA Novosti. Iliya Pitalev
By carving Kosovo out of Yugoslavia Washington sowed a whirlwind for Europe to reap: Kosovo has turned into a de facto "mafia state," American author Justin Raimondo writes, citing German intelligence agency BND.
Libya,
Syria, Iraq and Kosovo have become grotesque monuments to Washington's
controversial "regime change" operations, which "have wreaked havoc
everywhere they've been successful," Justin Raimondo, an American author
and the editorial director of Antiwar.com underscores.
The concept caught a second wind when Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany. Hitler and his Italian ally Benito Mussolini jumped at the opportunity to engage Albanian nationalists into their political fold.
For instance, former Prime Minister and present Deputy Prime
Minister and Foreign Minister of the Republic of Kosovo Hashim Thaci
(Thaqi), dubbed by US Vice President Joseph Biden as "the George
Washington of his country," was involved in kidnapping, force
displacement and murder along with other commanders and soldiers of the
KLA, according to a 2010 Council of Europe inquiry report.
Five years earlier, German intelligence agency BND issued a 67-page analysis regarding organized crime in Kosovo,
stating that the region's key political players, including Ramush
Haradinaj, Xhavit Haliti, and Hashim Thaci were intimately involved
in criminal activities.
"The US wasn't blind to Thaci's criminal career: they just didn't care," Raimondo stresses.
"Twenty or so years after the American
'liberation' of Kosovo forcibly separated it from the former Yugoslavia,
the country is a mess. Unemployment is massive: crime is pandemic; and
an ultra-nationalist movement, Vetevendosje, is on the rise.
Vetevendosje wants to achieve the dream of the old Kosovo Liberation
Army: a 'Greater Albania'," Raimondo notes in his article for Antiwar.com.
Furthermore,
the ultra-nationalists who gained 13.59 percent of the vote in the 2014
Kosovan parliamentary election are calling for unification
with Albania.
The idea of Greater Albania is not a new one: it emerged after the
defeat of the Ottoman Empire in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78. A
group of Albanian nationalist leaders met in a Prizren mosque on June
10, 1878 and declared the creation of a "Greater Albania," which aimed
to bring together all vilayets (provinces) of the Ottoman Empire
inhabited by Albanian nationals.The concept caught a second wind when Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany. Hitler and his Italian ally Benito Mussolini jumped at the opportunity to engage Albanian nationalists into their political fold.
"Hitler and Mussolini realized the Greater
Albania ideology established by the 1878 League of Prizren.
Albanian-settled areas of the Balkans — Kosovo-Metohija, western
Macedonia, southern Montenegro — were incorporated in a Greater
Albania," Carl Kosta Savich, Serbian American historian and journalist,
wrote in his op-ed for Serbianna.com.
During
the Second World War Albanian nationalists of the 21st Waffen Mountain
Division of the SS Skanderbeg unleashed ethnic cleansing of Serbs and
Jews on a massive scale, particularly in Kosovo and Bosnia-Hercegovina.
Remarkably, half a century later, in 1998-1999, Washington took the
side of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) which was until 1998 on the US
State Department's "terrorist organization" list.
While branding Serbs as ruthless "butchers,"
the White House turned a blind eye to numerous atrocities and crimes
committed by Albanian ultra-nationalists in the course of the Kosovo war
and after NATO's bombing of Yugoslavia.
"The US wasn't blind to Thaci's criminal career: they just didn't care," Raimondo stresses.
"In a disgusting display of victor's 'justice,'
the leaders of the Serbian resistance to the Albanian onslaught were
hauled before the self-styled 'International War Crimes Tribunal' at the
Hague — a kangaroo court — and sentenced to long jail terms, while
thugs like Thaci were elevated to high office and given millions in US
'aid' to dole out to their Mafia hit men," he elaborates.
The journalist underscores that Kosovo is currently a de-facto
"American protectorate in the heart of Europe." At the same time it is
also an ultra-nationalist hornets' nest that threatens to undermine the
fragile stability of the European continent.‘Dear Albania,’ by Watertown’s Eliza Dushku, airs on WGBH
By Meredith Goldstein
Globe Staff
Actress Eliza Dushku doesn’t call “Dear Albania” a documentary. She says the film, which she made with her brother, Nate, is more of a love letter to her ancestry, and hopefully an introduction for those who’ve only seen Hollywood’s take on the country.
“You’ve seen ‘Taken?’ ” she asks, of the Liam Neeson action film franchise. The villains in those films are Albanian, she explains. And then there’s Barry Levinson’s “Wag the Dog,” where the US’s confusion about Albania is one big punch line.
Dushku, known for “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Bring It On,” and the upcoming season of “Banshee,” said she felt it was her responsibility to make “Dear Albania” because so few Americans know the country as she does.
“We wanted to show the beauty, and I think we did,” Dushku said.
“Dear Albania” airs Thursday at 9 p.m. on WGBH. The hourlong special will feature the Watertown-bred Dushku siblings exploring more than 15 locations, including the capital, Tirana, and beaches on the Adriatic Sea. There’s talk of the history and politics of the country, but the story is a more of an intimate look at family’s discovery of its background.
The Dushkus’ father, Philip, was raised in the South End by his parents, who were from Korçë, Albania. Eliza said she understands that his background was isolating at times.
“He could never be loud and proud about it.”
Dushku, who is also Danish, said she’s in a good position to tout her background, and that Albanian-Americans have been thrilled with the representation. In the 2003 horror film “Wrong Turn,” Dushku wore a shirt with the double-headed eagle that appears on the Albanian flag. She didn’t think much about it, but the wardrobe choice was noticed.
“After that, the floodgates opened. People started coming out of the woodwork.”
She’s since been invited to tour the country, and was welcomed when she and her brother filmed the “Dear Albania” from 2011 to 2015. She was able to secure more than $65,000 in Kickstarter support, which she said came from Albanians — and loyal “Buffy” fans.
Her latest accomplishment is securing distribution with Albanian broadcaster Radio Televizioni Shqiptar.
As for Thursday, Dushku will be live-tweeting the WGBH broadcast while she watches with her family. Dushku moved back to Watertown two years ago be closer to her parents and siblings, and to pursue a sociology degree at Suffolk, where her mom, Judy, has been associate professor emerita in the Department of Government. She’s splits her time between acting projects, volunteering, and going to classes. She said it’s been good to be home.
“I take the T in to school most days,” she said, smiling. “I love it.”
"Putin’s tycoon to buy media empire in Serbia" - daily
Source: Blic
</div>
<div id='passback-wb1fbbb63e8'></div>
This was reported by Belgrade-based daily Blic on Tuesday.Apart from a national broadcaster, the paper said, quoting a source- Malofeev "intends to buy one cable channel, daily newspapers and an advertising agency, while a minor stake in the whole business will belong to Serbian tycoon Bogoljub Karic."
“Karic is the main point of contact and middle man. Until this business of acquiring a TV is not over, Russia will not sit still. They intend to make some heavy investments into the internet site Sputnik Serbia. It will be followed by a cable TV program, and for a start, the rebroadcasting of Russian television Russia Today that is openly in favor of Vladimir Putin," the source has been quoted.
The paper said that “Russia Today” is "a part of TV Novosti, an 'autonomous non-profit organization', established by Russian state news agency RIA Novosti, financed by Kremlin," and that "in December, 2008, Putin had placed TV Novosti on the list of organizations that are strategically significant to Russia" and one "believed to have used almost USD 1 billion from the Russian budget."
The paper quotes "those familiar with relations between media and politics" as "asking not why Kremlin is doing this but why something has not been done so far - why now, when the Russian economy is in crisis, with the very low price of oil."
The article said that "the answer could be found in the forthcoming general elections in Serbia, while pro-Russian political parties in Serbia nowadays are the most popular they have been in the last 15 years" with "the coalition DSS-Dveri and the SRS list of Vojislav Seselj having a good chance to sit in the parliamentary benches."
"Future MPs of SNS from Tomislav Nikolic’s fraction and especially those from Karic’s PSS should not be forgotten. Therefore, Putin would have a hundred MPs in the next Serbian parliament in his favor. Do we need clearer sign that Russia justifiably believes that investing into media empire in Serbia would pay off very well in the political currency?," asks the newspaper.
In a follow up on Wednesday, Blic writes, under the headline, "In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Putin" that "a team of well-paid lawyers of Konstantin Malofeev, the extremely religious Russian tycoon, has been touring through Serbia for a year, looking for a chance to buy a media company," describing Malofeev as “Putin’s Soros” - due to his close ties with the Kremlin.
“We had expected for him to appear among interested parties in the process of media privatization, but that has not happened”, a Blic source, "familiar with business ventures of the Russian tycoon," stated.
The article further said that Malofeev "wants to achieve a two-folded result": the representation of Russian geopolitical interests and offering support to pro-Russian political parties in Serbia, and, "the spreading of very conservative religious values that Malofeev described to the Western media as 'Orthodox, patriotic and imperial'."
"As an ardent monarchist, Malofeev is eager to restore Russian Empire in its full scope, as well as advocating for the institution of the emperor to be restored. Last year, he launched an Orthodox broadcaster in Russia named Constantinople, that promotes such opinions and standpoints, investing in it dozens of millions of euros, hiring, paradoxically, the biggest U.S. TV experts of conservative orientation," writes Blic.
The paper added he also "bought TV stations in Bulgaria and Greece," while "his St. Basil the Great Charitable Foundation represents the biggest Russian Orthodox charitable foundation."
USA harbors plans to decapitate Russia within minutes
26.12.2014
Pravda
USA harbors plans to decapitate Russia within minutes. USA can strike nuclear blow on Russia
The West has declared a cold war on Russia. The ultimate goal of the United States of America is to destroy Russia. The Americans already consider plans about the neutralization of the nuclear potential of Russia. Plan A is to strike a blow that would behead Russia. Plan B is to destroy the launcher. President of the Academy of Geopolitical Problems, Konstantin Sivkov, shared his views about the developing standoff between Russia and the West in an interview with Pravda.Ru.
"American politicians have committed a variety of crimes. Will anyone be held accountable for those crimes? What about the international law, the UN and other organizations? Are they doing anything?"
"Indeed, one can enumerate their crimes for long. In Iraq, about 1 million 200 thousand people have been killed. The American elite will answer for all that when Nuremberg-2 trial takes place. Hitler's elite answered for all atrocities and crimes only after Hitler's war machine was destroyed and the Nuremberg trial was held.
Print version
+ - Font Size
Send to friend
"The American elite will not be held accountable for anything until their military machine is destroyed. Needless to say that external forces can not contribute to the defeat of the American elite. Ferguson showed only a little bit of tension. In fact, the American society is very conflicted from the inside. There are extensive layers of conflict. Layers of conflict are very extensive. There are ethnic, cultural, property, territorial differences and even ideological signs. In the United States, there are many internal contradictions.
"Today, these contradictions get lost in overconsumption, but the time of overconsumption comes to an end. There are already people in America, who line up and fight for free food coupons. The American society will decay some day, and that will be the day, when the question of responsibility of the American elite is going to arise."
"In addition to carrots of consumption, they use sticks in America at a much greater extent. The penal system in the United States is very strong."
"This is true. Hitler's state machine was the same. Nevertheless, there were people in Nazi Germany, who were fighting against all that. They try to give an acceptable level to the majority of population. Yet, they do not have enough brains to ensure decent maintenance to veterans of their own armed forces. In the United States of America, scandals related to retired military men, who do not receive social benefits, are frequent.
American society will decay some day
"Suffice it to recall the recent scandal about the soldier, who, allegedly shot Osama Bin Laden. Well, that's not even the point. Pay attention to the last speech from the Chief of Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, General Gerasimov. His speech was nothing but a de facto recognition of the fact that the West had declared cold war on Russia. I want to remind you that in 1949, it was not the USSR, but the West that started the cold war. It was not the Soviet Union, but the West that was building the Iron Curtain. The United States created NATO in 1949, and the Warsaw Pact saw the light only in 1955, six years later. We had to take some measures in response. Today, the story is the same."
"There are many reports saying that the United States has been seriously preparing for war against Russia, that they plan to use thousands of cruise missiles."
"This is an absolutely realizable thing. Against Yugoslavia and Iraq, the United States used more than a thousand missiles. Yet, one has to deploy all these missiles somewhere first. It is impossible to launch them all at once - such an attack will have to be conducted for quite a long time. Therefore, if they launch a missile at Russia, Russia will respond with a retaliatory nuclear strike. Therefore, thousands of missiles can be good only if they succeed in neutralizing Russia's nuclear potential.
"It can be possible to neutralize Russia's nuclear potential in two ways. The first one is an attack that would behead Russia. The idea is to destroy command centers, from which orders are made. The second way is to destroy the launcher that launches missiles. They can use both ways too. Note that during the recent years, the Americans have been criticizing Russia for its alleged violations of the treaty on medium-range missiles. By signing this treaty, we, in fact, made all of Europe unreachable for our medium-range missiles. Now, Russia can strike nuclear blows on Europe only with the help of air forces. Yet, there are powerful air defense systems in Europe that are difficult to overcome.
"We went for it, because the Americans developed Pershing-II missiles. A distinctive feature of this missile is a flat trajectory of flight and a very high precision contact - about five-ten meters. Such a ballistic missile overcomes the distance of 2.5-3 thousand kilometers within 5-8 minutes. Thus, the Americans created conditions for a beheading strike. They obtained an opportunity to strike Moscow and other Russian cities from the territory of Turkey and many other places.
Americans take efforts to destroy Russia in mere minutes
"In order to protect our country from this decapitating strike, we took up the treaty on intermediate-range missiles. Today, the Americans scream and shout that we allegedly violate the treaty. All this, of course, is being done to find a reason to pull out from the treaty and launch the deployment of such missiles. In addition, the Americans have the so-called breakout potential. After the START-1 Treaty that Gorbachev concluded, nuclear weapons were cut from about ten to nearly four thousand warheads for each side. Russia destroyed 6,000 warheads. Moreover, the weapons-grade uranium and plutonium obtained from the disassembly of those warheads was handed over to the United States for a symbolic amount."
"You mean it was sold for a penny?"
"Sold for a penny, yes. Today, the Americans use it for their nuclear power plants. They also supply it to Ukraine. The Americans have not dismantled their 6,000 nuclear warheads - they still store them there in America. Those warheads, at any time, can be mounted on the second stages of Minutemen missiles that have not been dismantled either. The Americans dismantled only the third stage of those missiles. With its second stage, a Minuteman can fly for about 5,000 kilometers. They can deplay such missiles in Europe. So today, Russia has found itself in a very difficult situation.
"The Soviet Union had a clear ideology when it entered the Cold War. The Soviet ideology was recognized globally. The USSR also had the consolidated classless society. The USSR was led by unconditional patriots, who won the war. The Soviet Union had the economy the potential of which was equal to 30-50 percent of the US economy. The USSR had a well-developed industry that did not depend on the West. The Soviet industry could develop independently.
"In the USSR, there were full-fledged scientific schools that were as advanced as American scientific schools. Most importantly, the USSR had a great strategic backyard in the form of socialist countries, where Soviet troops were stationed. That was how the Soviet Union entered the Cold War. Today's situation, if compared to the beginning of the previous Cold War, is like heaven and earth.
"Today, we are in a situation, when, unfortunately, theory begins to turn into practice. Today's Russia does not have anything of that. The economic potential of today's Russia makes only ten percent of the American economic potential. To crown it all, we are tied to the West thanks to the destruction of our fundamental and applied science."
"Do you think that the situation is that catastrophic?"
"We are entering the war being in a catastrophic situation. Extraordinary measures should be taken. If these measures are not taken, our country will be defeated very quickly. The only thing that holds back the West today is our nuclear capability. Nevertheless, this nuclear potential can be neutralized. A modern war against Russia will be carried out the way it had been done in Ukraine, Syria, Egypt, Libya, Iraq ..."
Interviewed by Inna Novikova
U.S. F-16s fly with Greek air force
By Oriana Pawlyk, Air Force Times
9:12 p.m. EST February 3, 2016
The Falcons, now temporarily a part of the 480th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, are conducting routine training out of Souda Bay with the Hellenic air force's 115th Combat Wing. The units are working on "combined flying operations between the countries to help identify and negate coordination concerns that may arise during real-world events," the Air Force said in a release.
U.S. Air Forces Europe-Africa commander Gen. Frank Gorenc also flew with the airmen.
"One of the biggest things we want to do is work with the joint terminal attack controllers on the ground." Air Force Lt. Col. Timothy Murphy, 480th EFS commander, said in the release.
Exercises began Jan. 22 and are set to conclude Feb. 15.
The base out of Souda Bay is responsible for operational airborne support because of its strategic location, the Air Force said. Throughout the next two weeks, the Hellenic air force pilots will train with their U.S. counterparts "to enhance their capabilities with different flying roles: air-to-air combat, suppression of enemy air defense, air interdiction, counter-air and close air support."
Check out pictures from the forward-deployed mission below:
Wednesday, February 3, 2016
Moscow confirms: Serbia wants Russian missiles and warplanes
Serbia is interested in buying Russian air defense systems Tor, Pantsir, and Buk, as well as MiG-29 warplanes, Sputnik is reporting.
Belgrade showed interest in this after Croatia announced it planned to buy American weapons, a representative of the Russian Federal Service for Military Technical Cooperation said.
"We are considering the issue of delivering air defense systems and MiG-29s to Serbia. That country is our strategic partner in Europe in many spheres, including military-technical cooperation," the source said.
It was stated on January 15 that in the wake of Croatia's announced plans to buy MGM-140 ATACMS missiles, Serbia became interested in Russian air defense systems and jets.
Albania to auction off old Eastern Bloc military aircraft
The Defense Ministry says the 40 Soviet or Chinese planes and helicopters for sale include six propeller-driven Yak-18s, Mig-15, -17, -19 and -21 jets and four Mil Mi-4 transport helicopters. They date mostly to the 1950s, and haven't been used for years.
A ministry spokeswoman said Wednesday that potential buyers in the U.S., France and Italy have expressed interest in the Feb. 22 auction in Tirana. Starting bids range from 1.1-1.9 million leks ($8,572-14,800).
The former Communist country joined NATO in 2009, and is modernizing its weaponry. Founded in 1951, Albania's air force currently consists of helicopters.
Turkey Blocks Russian Flight Under Open Skies Treaty, Moscow Vows Response
©
Flickr/ Dmitry Terekhov
Ankara has violated the Open Skies Treaty by not allowing Russian inspectors to conduct a scheduled inspection flight over the Turkish territory, a move that Moscow will not leave without proper response, the Russian Defense Ministry said Wednesday.
MOSCOW
(Sputnik) — Russian inspectors were scheduled to perform an observation
flight on board the An-30B plane over the Turkish territory within the
framework of the Open Skies Treaty on February 1-5.
"We are not going to leave this violation of the treaty by Turkey without proper attention and adequate response," the official stressed.
"The itinerary included the observation
of areas adjacent to the Turkish border with Syria, as well as airfields
that host NATO warplanes. However, after the arrival of the Russian
mission to Turkey and the announcement of the desired itinerary, the
Turkish military officials refused to allow the inspection flight citing
an order from the Turkish Foreign Ministry," head of the ministry’s
National Nuclear Risk Reduction Center Sergey Ryzhkov said in a
statement.
Ryzhkov called the Turkish move "a dangerous precedent
of uncontrolled military activity carried out by a member of the Open
Skies Treaty."We are not going to leave this violation of the treaty by Turkey without proper attention and adequate response," the official stressed.
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
Major Iowa poll shows Trump, Clinton holding narrow leads
Washington (CNN)Donald
Trump has a five-point lead on Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in what is likely to
be the final major poll before the Iowa caucuses, while Hillary Clinton
and Bernie Sanders are virtually tied.
The Des Moines Register/Bloomberg Politics Iowa Poll gives the billionaire businessman
28% of likely GOP caucus-goers, with Cruz at 23%. Sen. Marco Rubio of
Florida trails at 15%, with Ben Carson further back at 10%.
On the Democratic side, Clinton holds a narrow lead over Sanders, 45% to 42%.
The margin of error for results on both sides is 4 percentage points.
This
is the first time Trump, the nationwide GOP front-runner, has held a
lead in a Bloomberg Politics/Register poll. In other recent Iowa
surveys, he has been above 30%. For Cruz, however, the poll is down a
bit from where he stood in most December and early January polling.
Appearing with evangelist Jerry Falwell Jr. at a Davenport, Iowa, town hall event, Trump said he was happier that he was connecting with evangelicals than he was leading the new poll.
He credited "Jerry's incredible spirit and endorsement."
Cruz also celebrated the poll while speaking to reporters Sioux City, Iowa.
"If
you would've told me a year ago that two days out from the Iowa
caucuses we would be neck and neck -- effectively tied -- for first
place in the state of Iowa, I would've been thrilled," he said.
Sanders,
meanwhile, is enjoying his highest mark in a Bloomberg
Politics/Register poll. His campaign quickly sent out a fundraising
email to supporters soon after the results were made public.
"We've
come so far," the email reads. "Can you imagine how you would feel if
we come up just short in Iowa? Especially when our numbers against
Republicans are so strong."
Poll usually last major survey before caucuses
On
the Democratic side, there are indications that Iowans, like New
Hampshire voters, would largely be satisfied with either Clinton or
Sanders at the top of the ticket. Both have extremely high favorable
ratings among likely Democratic caucus-goers (81% for Clinton, 82% for
Sanders), and about seven in 10 each say they would be enthusiastic
about either candidate (73% for Clinton, 69% for Sanders).
For
Republicans, meanwhile, the warm feelings toward the top candidates are
not universal: 50% have a positive view of Trump, 65% of Cruz, 70% for
Rubio and 72% for Carson. The rest have positive ratings below 50%. And
only Cruz, Carson and Rubio pull together majorities of likely
caucus-goers saying they would enthusiastically back them should they
win the nomination.
The results were
released just two days before Iowa voters begin caucusing, kicking off
the 2016 presidential season.
The Des Moines Register/Bloomberg Politics
Iowa Poll is usually the last major survey before the Iowa caucuses, is
closely watched due to its track record of accuracy.
J.
Ann Selzer, whose Selzer & Company conducts the Iowa Poll, was the
only pollster to accurately predict the 2004 Democratic caucus order.
Her final poll prior to the 2008 Democratic caucuses also foresaw Barack
Obama beating Hillary Clinton. And in 2012, her poll noted the late
surge by former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum -- a lonely call at the
time.
Last week, the paper endorsed Marco Rubio and Hillary Clinton for the presidential nominations of the Republican and Democratic parties.
CNN's Jennifer Agiesta, Eugene Scott and Theodore Schleifer contributed to this report.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)