position:ambassador

Making a Killing: The 1.2 Billion Euro Arms Pipeline to Middle East
▻http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/making-a-killing-the-1-2-billion-euros-arms-pipeline-to-middle-east-0

.... while Balkan and European countries have shut down the refugee route, the billion-euro pipeline sending arms by plane and ship to the Middle East remains open – and very lucrative.

It is a trade that is almost certainly illegal, according to arms and human rights experts.

“The evidence points towards systematic diversion of weapons to armed groups accused of committing serious human rights violations. If this is the case, the transfers are illegal under the ATT (United Nations’ Arms Trade Treaty) and other international law and should cease immediately,” said Patrick Wilcken, an arms-control researcher at Amnesty International who reviewed the evidence collected by reporters.

But with hundreds of millions of euros at stake and weapons factories working overtime, countries have a strong incentive to let the business flourish. Arms export licences, which are supposed to guarantee the final destination of the goods, have been granted despite ample evidence that weapons are being diverted to Syrian and other armed groups accused of widespread human rights abuses and atrocities.

Robert Stephen Ford, US ambassador to Syria between 2011 and 2014, told BIRN [Balkan Investigative Reporting Network] and the OCCRP [Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project] that the trade is coordinated by the US Central Intelligence Agency, CIA, Turkey and Gulf states through centres in Jordan and Turkey, although in practice weapon supplies often bypass this process.

BIRN and the OCCRP examined arms export data, UN reports, flight records, and weapons contracts during a year-long investigation that reveals how thousands of assault rifles, mortar shells, rocket launchers, anti-tank weapons, and heavy machine guns are pouring into the troubled region, originating from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia and Slovakia.

Since the escalation of the Syrian conflict in 2012, these eight countries have approved the shipment of weapons and ammunition worth at least 1.2 billion euros to Saudi Arabia, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, and Turkey.

http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/file/show//Images/ADA/Arms%20stories%20/1_point_2_billion_ENGLISH_hires_1045.jpg

#armes #Syrie #crimes

Via Nour Samaha

Few American women have broken the glass ceiling of diplomacy

Since the beginning of U.S. diplomatic relations with the rest of the world, American ambassadors have overwhelmingly been men, an imbalance that speaks to a persistent diversity challenge within the U.S. Foreign Service. The numbers make it clear. Over 4,600 U.S. ambassadors have served in foreign countries since the founding of the nation – and only 9% of them have been women.

http://www.pewresearch.org/files/2016/07/FT_16.07.19_womenAmbassadors.png http://www.pewresearch.org/files/2016/07/FT_16.07.19_womenAmbassadors_current.png

Lebanon asks Russia for weapons
▻https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20160712-lebanon-asks-russia-for-weapons

Lebanese Ambassador to Moscow Chawki Bou Nassar said on Monday that Lebanon asked Russia to supply his country with Kornet anti-tank missile systems and T-72 main battle tanks and cannons.

Nassar added in a statement published by Russian agency Sputnik News that the talks on this matter are continuing, pointing out that the Lebanese authorities are hoping to obtain these weapons within a year.

During his visit to Moscow last month, the Lebanese Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil expressed hope that Lebanon would receive additional military aid from Russia to support its efforts to fight terrorism.

Les 28 pages:
▻http://intelligence.house.gov/sites/intelligence.house.gov/files/documents/declasspart4.pdf

Départ vers Israël d’un bateau turc chargé d’aide pour Gaza
AFP
01/07/2016
▻http://www.lorientlejour.com/article/994346/depart-vers-israel-dun-bateau-turc-charge-daide-pour-gaza.html

Un navire turc transportant de l’aide destinée aux habitants de Gaza a pris le large vendredi depuis un port du sud du pays, une initiative qui s’inscrit dans le cadre de la normalisation des relations entre Israël et Ankara annoncée en début de semaine.

Chargé de plus de 10.000 tonnes d’aide humanitaire, le Lady Leyla a quitté le port de Mersin vers celui d’Ashdod en Israël, pour une traversée censée durer une trentaine d’heures, a indiqué la chaîne privée de télévision turque NTV, précisant que l’aide devait être livrée aux habitants de l’enclave palestinienne avant la fête de fin du ramadan prévue mardi.(...)

#GAZA

A photo from the past
▻http://www.voltairenet.org/article171580.html

http://www.voltairenet.org/local/cache-vignettes/L400xH250/arton171580-cdc1e.jpg

A photograph from the 80’s has caused a stir in Washington after its publication by several media outlets. It was erroneously assumed that it was Jalaluddin Haqqani shown with President Ronald Reagan.
...
Even if it’s not Haqqani in the photo unearthed from the Getty Image archives, it is nevertheless instructive. President Ronald Reagan is seen receiving at the White House a hero of the anti-communist struggle, Yunus Khalis, who just happened to be a mentor to Haqqani. To the left of the photo is famous CIA operative Zalmay Khalilzad, then presidential Asia adviser. Subsequently, George W. Bush named his neocon aide ambassador to Afghanistan, Iraq and the United Nations.

And yet, the George W. Bush administration accused Yunus Khalis in 2001 of having organized Osama bin Laden’s escape during the battle of Tora Bora.

Gulf Lobbyist Fails to Disclose Ties to Qatar in Media Appearances « LobeLog
▻http://lobelog.com/gulf-lobbyist-fails-to-disclose-ties-to-qatar-in-media-appearances

On Monday, MapLight’s Andrew Perez published an excellent investigation into Ed Rogers’ advocacy against the Iran nuclear agreement while working as an undisclosed lobbyist for Saud Arabia. Rogers’ behavior is particularly troubling since he registered as a lobbyist for Saudi Arabia under the Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA) seven months after signing a contract with the Saudis. In the time period between signing the contract and registering under FARA, Rogers published two columns in The Washington Post criticizing the Obama administration’s nuclear diplomacy with Iran, neither of which identified him as a lobbyist for Saudi Arabia.

Rogers’ actions may have violated the law due to the gap between the contract’s signing date and his registration under FARA. But other lobbyists for Sunni-Arab Gulf states have been slow to identify their paid roles when quoted as experts criticizing the White House’s Iran diplomacy.

One of the most prominent examples of this trend is J. Adam Ereli, U.S. ambassador to Bahrain from 2007 to 2011, a lobbyist for Qatar since January 2015, and an outspoken critic of the Obama administration’s efforts to curtail Iran’s nuclear program.

"#experts" et #incurie des #MSM

UN takes Saudi coalition off Yemen list of child violators - The Washington Post
▻https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/un-takes-saudi-coalition-off-yemen-list-of-child-violators/2016/06/06/3407925a-2c32-11e6-b9d5-3c3063f8332c_story.html

Following a vehement protest from Saudi Arabia, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday removed the Saudi-led coalition fighting Shiite rebels in Yemen from a list of government forces that committed grave violations against children last year, pending a joint review of cases.

Saudi Arabia’s U.N. Ambassador Abdallah Al-Mouallimi insisted “the removal is unconditional and irreversible,” explaining that the government has no problem with a review and is confident it will conclude that the coalition was “wrongly placed on the list.”

Earlier, he asked for an immediate correction saying Saudi Arabia’s inclusion on the list was based on “inaccurate and incomplete” information.

The secretary-general’s annual report on children and armed conflict released Thursday said the U.N. verified a total of 1,953 youngsters killed and injured in 2015 — a six-fold increase in the number of child casualties in Yemen compared with 2014. About 60 percent of those casualties were attributed to the coalition. The U.N. said it also verified 101 attacks on schools and hospitals last year, double the number in 2014, of which 48 percent were attributed to the coalition.

#arabie_saoudite #nations_unies

Cet éditorial suggère qu’Israël doit profiter du coup au Brésil, au motif que le nouveau Président par intérim, Michel Temer, est un « ami d’Israël » : Israel missing opportunity to have ambassador at the Olympics
▻http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4809123,00.html

In August 2015, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he was appointing the former head of the Yesha Council as Israel’s ambassador to Brazil. The host of the upcoming Olympics objected to the appointment on the basis of the nominee’s ties to West Bank settlements. Israel attempted to solve the problem via quiet talks, but in March 2016, the decision was cancelled, and Dayan was assigned as the consul general in New York, instead.

After internal political scandals resulted in Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff’s suspension from power, the conditions were ripe to solve the crisis, but the Ministry of Foreign Affairs took the decision to delay naming an ambassador for the time being to avoid the impression that the Brazilians’ refusal to accept Dayan had been successful. This means that Israel wants to “punish” Brazil for its handling of the matter.

Sources in the MFA expressed surprise at the delay, especially as Acting President Michel Temer is considered friendly to Israel. Temer attended former Israeli president Shimon Peres’s 90th birthday party, and Brazil’s new minister of foreign relations, José Serra, is considered very close to the Jewish community and even came in the 80s for a three-week visit to Israel.

NOAH Internet Conference 2016 | Berlin 08 - 09 June
▻https://www.noah-conference.com
Une rencontre des protagonistes de la disruption à l’européenne se tiendra le 8 et 9 juin à Berlin. Si vous avez envie de découvrir un nid de crabes de casseurs d’aquis sociaux suivez les infos sur cette rencontre digne d’un Bilderberg des économies dites « nouvelles » . On y rencontrera les acteurs représentant les commanditaires principales des nouveaux lois du travail en Europe. La plupart des participants actifs sont des jeunes à la recherche de capital pour leurs startups déjà bien vus par les investisseurs.

The preeminent European event where Internet CEOs, executives and investors gain deep insights into the latest proven concepts, network with senior executives and establish new business relationships.

Now in our 8th year, we are delighted to be hosting two upcoming events with very different underlying themes. NOAH Berlin (8-9 Jun 2016) presents a unique discussion platform for CEOs and founders from established champions and disruptive challengers across a number of key industry verticals. NOAH London (10-11 Nov 2016) is focused on connecting capital with great companies and helping service providers to find relevant customers.

Day 1

Welcome Note
Marco Rodzynek CEO NOAH Advisors Ltd
Jens Mueffelmann CEO Axel Springer Digital Ventures
Keynote
Klaus Hommels CEO Lakestar
Keynote
Carlos Watson Founder & CEO OZY

Home Automation & IoT
Niall Murphy Founder & CEO Evrythng
Ludovic Le Moan CEO Sigfox
Christian Deilmann CEO tado
Andreas Rudyk CEO Smartfrog
Philipp Pausder Managing Director Thermondo

Keynote
Thomas Ebeling CEO ProSiebenSat.1

B2B
Karim Jalbout Head of the European Digital Practice Egon Zehnder
Thomas Bergen Co-Founder & CEO getAbstract
Steve Oriola CEO Pipedrive
Peter F. Schmid CEO Wer Liefert Was
Or Offer CEO SimilarWeb
Andreas Koenig CEO TeamViewer
Torben Majgaard Founder & CEO Ciklum
Mark Schwerzel Deputy CEO Bureau van Dijk

Fintech
Roelant Prins CCO Adyen
Antonio Gagliardi Co-Founder and Managing Director CompareEuropeGroup
Jacob de Geer CEO iZettle
Phil Lojacono CEO Advanon
Jeremias Meier CEO & Co-Founder Bexio
Yoni Assia CEO & Founder Etoro
Oren Levy CEO Zooz
Raffael Johnen Co-Founder & CEO auxmoney

Fintech - Banking Deep Dive
Markus Pertlwieser CDO Private, Wealth & Commercial Clients Deutsche BankAlexander Graubner-Müller CEO & Co-Founder Kreditech
Valentin Stalf Founder & CEO Number26

Who Will Win the Banking Client of the Future? - 2:2
Markus Pertlwieser CDO Private, Wealth & Commercial Clients Deutsche Bank
Dr. Tim Sievers CEO & Founder Deposit Solutions
Alexander Graubner-Müller CEO & Co-Founder Kreditech
alentin Stalf Founder & CEO Number26
Christin Martens Editor-in-Chief Business Insider

VC Panel
Rainer Maerkle General Partner Holtzbrinck Ventures
Yann de Vries Partner, Investments Atomico
Yaron Valler General Partner Target Global
Christian Leybold Managing Director E.ventures
Timm Schipporeit Principal Index Ventures
Luciana Lixandru Vice President Accel Partners
Ankur Kamalia Managing Director – Head of Venture Portfolio Management & DB1 Ventures Deutsche Börse AG
Bo Ilsoe Managing Partner Nokia Growth Partners (NGP)

Fireside Chat
Oliver Samwer Founder & CEO Rocket Internet
Marco Rodzynek CEO NOAH Advisors Ltd

NOAH Top Picks
Dr. Holger Klärner VP Fast Growing Tech McKinsey & Company

Mobility
Hakan Koç Founder & Managing Director Auto1 Group
Harold Goddijn CEO TomTom
Christian Vollmann Patron of smart urban pioneers smart
Nir Erez CEO Moovit
Daniel Ishag Founder & CEO Karhoo
Nicolas Brusson COO & Co-Founder BlaBlaCar
Shahar Waiser Founder & CEO Gett
Simone Menne CFO Lufthansa Group

Keynote
Greg Ellis CEO Scout24

NOAH Top Picks
Rudolph W. Giuliani Former Mayor of New York City Chair Cybersecurity and Crisis Management Practice, Greenberg Traurig LLP Greenberg Traurig

1:1
Peter Terium CEO RWE
Rainer Sternfeld Founder & CEO Planet OS
Marco Rodzynek CEO NOAH Advisors Ltd

1:1
Dr. Mathias Döpfner CEO Axel Springer SE
Henry Blodget CEO, Editor-In-Chief Business Insider

Mobility - 1:1
Travis Kalanick CEO UBER
Dr. Dieter Zetsche Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars Daimler

Music
Thomas Hampson Baritone | Ambassador IDAGIO
Wolfram Rieger Pianist IDAGIO

Day 2

Day 1 Summary
Marco Rodzynek CEO NOAH Advisors Ltd

Company Presentation
Michael Gross Vice Chairman WeWork

Winners Make Winners - The Strong Performance of Interhyp with ING - 1:1
Ralph Hamers CEO ING Group
Michiel Goris CEO Interhyp

Consumer Goods
Olaf Koch Chairman of the Management Board Metro Group
Olivier Marcheteau COO Vestiaire Collective
Jeff Lipkin CFO Harry’s
Robyn Ward Founder Mahtay
Fabian Siegel Co-Founder & CEO Marley Spoon
Daniel Sobhani CEO Freeletics
Luke Waite Co-Founder Titan Black

Consumer Goods - 1:1
Herbert Hainer CEO adidas Group
Florian Gschwandtner CEO & Co-Founder Runtastic
Marco Rodzynek CEO NOAH Advisors Ltd

NOAH Top Picks
Euan Davis Senior Director Cognizant

Credit Suisse: Corporate Private Banking `connecting your wealth
Henrik Herr Head Germany & Austria International Wealth Management Credit Suisse
Florian Gschwandtner CEO & Co-Founder Runtastic

Retail
Tim Stracke Co-CEO Chrono24
Rubin Ritter Member of the Management Board Zalando SE
Dr. Oliver Lederle Founder & CEO MYTOYS GROUP
Niklas Östberg CEO Delivery Hero
Alexander Frolov General Partner Target Global
Dr. Philipp Kreibohm Co-Founder Home24
Thierry Petit Co-Founder & Co-CEO Showroomprive.com
Philip Rooke CEO Spreadshirt
Susanne Zacke Member of the Board Auctionata

Travel & Tourism
Johannes Reck CEO GetYourGuide
Bo Ilsoe Managing Partner Nokia Growth Partners (NGP)
Glenn Fogel Head of Worldwide Strategy and Planning Priceline Group
Hugo Burge CEO Momondo Group
Joachim Hunold Founder Air Berlin
Jochen Engert Founder & Managing Director FlixBus

7 Steps Needed for the Internet Economy in Europe
Clark Parsons CEO Internet Economy Foundation

Advertising
Ragnar Kruse CEO Smaato
Zvika Netter CEO & Co-Founder Innovid
Jürgen Galler Co-Founder and CEO 1plusX
Tim Schumacher Chairman Eyeo
Carl Erik Kjærsgaard Chairman and Co-Founder Blackwood Seven

Healthcare, Science & Education
Mariusz Gralewski Founder & CEO Docplanner
Markus Witte Founder and CEO Babbel
Dr. Torsten Oelke Executive Chairman CUBE
Jessica Federer Chief Digital Officer Bayer
Friedrich Schwandt Founder & CEO Statista
Stanislas Niox-Chateau CEO Doctolib

Fintech - 1:1
Christian Mylius Managing Partner Innovalue Management Advisors
Julian Teicke Founder & CEO FinanceFox

Technology, Media & Gaming
Polina Montano Co-founder and COO JobToday
Klaas Kersting Founder & CEO flaregames
Hermione Mckee Head of Finance Wooga
Hanna Aase CEO Wonderloop
Christian Sauer CEO Webtrekk
Nora-Vanessa Wohlert
Founder and Managing Director EDITION F
Susann Hoffmann Founder and Managing Director EDITION F
Peter Würtenberger CEO upday
Eric Léandri President and Co-Founder Qwant
Lucas von Cranach Founder & CEO Onefootball

What We’re Working on at NOAH: An Outlook for the Next 3 Years
Marco Rodzynek CEO NOAH Advisors Ltd

Les organisateurs se comportent comme une secte extrémiste - même les musiciens du « get together » font partie d’une startup potentiellement disruptive. Comme ca on est sûr de toujours communiquer sur la même longueur d’ondes bien à l’abri des critiques et contestations.

Les conditions générales de vente le disent explicitement :

The event is invitation only and generally tickets are not transferable. However, please contact us with your request and we can review.
...
The ticket price for NOAH16 Berlin is EUR 690 for Internet companies and corporates, EUR 850 for service providers; EUR 990 for small investors, EUR 1,490 for large investors and EUR 3,000 for investment bankers. All mentioned prices are excluding VAT. This price includes two full days including breakfast, lunch, and drinks and cocktail party.

Effectivement.

#Berlin #disruption #startup #économie #politique #capitalisme

Seymour Hersh Says Hillary Approved Sending Libya’s Sarin to Syrian Rebels
Eric ZUESSE | 28.04.2016 | WORLD
▻http://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2016/04/28/seymour-hersh-hillary-approved-sending-libya-sarin-syrian-rebels.

http://www.strategic-culture.org/images/news/2016/04/28/or-37252.jpg

In an interview with Alternet.org, the independent investigative reporter Seymour Hersh was asked about Hillary Clinton’s role in the Benghazi Libya consulate’s operation to collect sarin from Libyan stockpiles and send it through Turkey into Syria for a set-up sarin-gas attack, to be blamed on Assad in order to ‘justify’ the US invading Syria, as it had invaded Libya.

He said: «That ambassador who was killed, he was known as a guy, from what I understand, as somebody, who would not get in the way of the CIA. As I wrote, on the day of the mission he was meeting with the CIA base chief and the shipping company. He was certainly involved, aware and witting of everything that was going on. And there’s no way somebody in that sensitive of a position is not talking to the boss, by some channel».

This was, in fact, the Syrian part of the State Department’s Libyan operation, Obama’s operation to set up an excuse for the US doing in Syria what they had already done in Libya.

The interviewer then asked: «In the book [Hersh’s The Killing of Osama bin Laden, just out] you quote a former intelligence official as saying that the White House rejected 35 target sets [for the planned US invasion of Syria] provided by the Joint Chiefs as being insufficiently painful to the Assad regime. (You note that the original targets included military sites only – nothing by way of civilian infrastructure.) Later the White House proposed a target list that included civilian infrastructure. What would the toll to civilians have been if the White House’s proposed strike had been carried out?»

Hersh responded by saying that the US tradition in that regard has long been to ignore civilian casualties; i.e., collateral damage of US attacks is okay or even desired (so as to terrorize the population into surrender) – not an ‘issue’, except, perhaps, for the PR people. (...)

#Seymour_Hersh

Un article du New York Post, référencé dans un article de dedefensa est assez édifiant, si ce qui est relaté est vrai.
Il y est question du rôle de Bandar « Bush » bin Sultan - alors ambassadeur saoudien aux USA - dans le 11 septembre.
On trouvera l’article d’@dedefensa ici, avec références à cet article et d’autres, ainsi que le commentaire : ▻http://seenthis.net/messages/481341

L’article en question :
How US covered up Saudi role in 9/11
New York Post / 17.04.16
▻http://nypost.com/2016/04/17/how-us-covered-up-saudi-role-in-911
Selon des enquêteurs toutes les pistes menaient à l’ambassade saoudienne aux USA, mais ils ont été dissuadé de poursuivre les investigations en ce sens :

Case agents I’ve interviewed at the Joint Terrorism Task Forces in Washington and San Diego, the forward operating base for some of the Saudi hijackers, as well as detectives at the Fairfax County (Va.) Police Department who also investigated several 9/11 leads, say virtually every road led back to the Saudi Embassy in Washington, as well as the Saudi Consulate in Los Angeles.
Yet time and time again, they were called off from pursuing leads. A common excuse was “diplomatic immunity.”

Selon les mêmes sources, dans les 28 pages classifiées sont données des preuves obtenues par la CIA et le FBI d’une aide d’officiels saoudiens pour au moins deux des pirates de l’air installés à San Diego, et notamment de coups de fil avec l’ambassade saoudienne et d’un virement de 130 000$, à parti d’un compte au nom de la famille de Bandar, à une tierce partie qui auraient financé les deux pirates de l’air :

Those sources say the pages missing from the 9/11 congressional inquiry report — which comprise the entire final chapter dealing with “foreign support for the September 11 hijackers” — details “incontrovertible evidence” gathered from both CIA and FBI case files of official Saudi assistance for at least two of the Saudi hijackers who settled in San Diego.
Some information has leaked from the redacted section, including a flurry of pre-9/11 phone calls between one of the hijackers’ Saudi handlers in San Diego and the Saudi Embassy, and the transfer of some $130,000 from then-Saudi Ambassador Prince Bandar’s family checking account to yet another of the hijackers’ Saudi handlers in San Diego.

Le 13 septembre 2001 réunion de Bandar avec G.W. Bush à la Maison blanche qui mène à l’évacuation de nombreux saoudiens du territoire des USA dont des membres de la famille ben Laden - qui ne seront donc pas interrogés :

After he met on Sept. 13, 2001, with President Bush in the White House, where the two old family friends shared cigars on the Truman Balcony, the FBI evacuated dozens of Saudi officials from multiple cities, including at least one Osama bin Laden family member on the terror watch list. Instead of interrogating the Saudis, FBI agents acted as security escorts for them, even though it was known at the time that 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudi citizens.
“The FBI was thwarted from interviewing the Saudis we wanted to interview by the White House,” said former FBI agent Mark Rossini, who was involved in the investigation of al Qaeda and the hijackers. The White House “let them off the hook.”

Enfin, Anouar al-Aoulaki, citoyen américain et futur chef d’AQPA, a été brièvement détenu à l’aéroport JFK pour fraude au passeport en 2002 avant d’être relâché grâce aux Saoudiens (il sera tué plus tard dans une opération américaine par drone en 2011 au Yémen) :

Even Anwar al-Awlaki, the hijackers’ spiritual adviser, escaped our grasp. In 2002, the Saudi-sponsored cleric was detained at JFK on passport fraud charges only to be released into the custody of a “Saudi representative.”

Tensions rise between Italy and Egypt over Giulio Regeni murder - World Socialist Web Site

▻http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2016/04/20/ital-a20.html

Tensions rise between Italy and Egypt over #Giulio_Regeni murder
By Marianne Arens
20 April 2016

The brutal murder of Italian student Giulio Regeni in Cairo has resulted in an open diplomatic crisis between Egypt and Italy.

On April 8, the government in Rome recalled its ambassador to Egypt. Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said that Italy had a duty to Regeni’s family “but also to the dignity of us all” to bring the “genuine truth” to light.

#italie #égypte
Italian student and journalist Giulio Regeni was tortured to death in Egypt in January in a bestial manner. On January 25, the fifth anniversary of the Egyptian revolution, he disappeared without a trace close to Tahrir Square. Then on February 3, his horrifically disfigured body was found in a ditch by a highway.

La policía turca mata a tiros a sirios, entre ellos niños, que intentan cruzar su frontera

Fuerzas fronterizas turcas están disparando los refugiados cuando escapan de la guerra civil en Siria, según ha confirmado el periódico británico The Times. Dieciséis personas, entre ellas tres niños, han sido asesinadas por los guardias turcos mientras trataban de cruzar la frontera durante los últimos cuatro meses, según el Observatorio Sirio para los Derechos Humanos.

▻http://www.eldiario.es/desalambre/Turquia-dispara-refugiados-intentan-frontera_0_500450171.html
#réfugiés_syriens #mourir_aux_frontières #Turquie #assassinat #frontière

Colombia: Zidres Law promotes land grabbing, affects communal territories
▻http://www.farmlandgrab.org/25932

On 3 February, President Santos signed the Zones of Rural, Economic and Social Interest Law (Zidres in Spanish) in the central-eastern department of Casanare. He could not have chosen a more defiant location. In this highland region (Altillanura), domestic and foreign companies see the potential for securing long-term investments to accumulate thousands of hectares of land. Indeed, congresspeople, academics and farmers have denounced the shortcuts used by these companies to acquire land, including vacant lands that exceed the limit established by the 1994 Law of Family Agricultural Units (Law 160). This scandal even resulted in the resignation of the Colombian ambassador to the United States, Carlos Urrutia. Urrutia had signed legal documents permitting the creation of fictitious companies that were listed as owners of properties, which in fact all belonged to the same company.

President Santos seemed to be saying that, through this law, those who seek justice in cases of land grabbing would ultimately get their revenge. However, the Zidres Law, which critics call the “Urrutia Law”, actually serves the interest of land grabbers [helping them access lands] in areas where there is little infrastructure, where the land needs a large investment in order to be productive, and where investors must demonstrate that they possess a large amount of capital. Most frightening are the acquisitions already made by companies like Cargill, Riopaila Castilla and Poligrow, in complete disregard for the law.

#Colombie #foncier #terres #agro-industrie

Actress Kangana Ranaut has been signed in by Lifestyle International Pvt. Ltd. as the brand ambassador for their contemporary ethnic wear brand Melange by Lifestyle.

The “Queen” actress is scorching in the latest “Rethink Ethnic” campaign by the brand that challenges the conventional and is inspired by her fearless, bold and strong individualistic style.

With modern silhouettes, classy cuts and vibrant patterns, Melange by Lifestyle’s latest Spring Summer collection redefines ethnic wear and is crafted for the independent woman of today whose sense of style reflects her individuality. “Melange is a brand that gives a contemporary twist to traditional Indian-wear and adds a chic vibe to ethnic looks, much like my free-spirited sense of fashion. The way the brand marries Indian aesthetics with fun, modern nuances makes me rethink ethnic and fall in love with it. Hence, the endorsement,” Kangana said.

The collection takes inspiration from the actress’ strong individuality and interplays the latest season’s trends highlighting eclectic designs, patterns and global accents while bringing forth the brand’s new philosophy — Rethink Ethnic.

“Melange by Lifestyle has emerged as a preferred contemporary ethnic wear brand for modern women who have a keen sense of style and dress in a manner that amplify their individuality. Kangana wholly embodies the Melange Woman with her effortless style, fierce personality and independent persona,” Kabir Lumba, managing director, Lifestyle International Pvt. Ltd. said.

“Her achievements as a versatile actress coupled with her quintessential confidence are inspirational to women across the country, and we are delighted to have her as our brand ambassador,” Lumba added.
This new brand campaign will be rolled out across outdoors, print, digital and in-store this March. from ▻https://www.trendygowns.com

US Congress blocks $159 million in aid to PA
March 20, 2016 6:17 P.M. (Updated : March 20, 2016 6:22 P.M.)
▻http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=770770

BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Members of the United States Congress are delaying a payment of $159 million in aid allocated for the Palestinian Authority in effort to pressure the PA to relaunch negotiations with Israel, the PLO ambassador to Washington said Saturday.

Maen Erekat confirmed earlier reports that US Congress was blocking the payment, which came at the request of House Republican Kay Granger, the Chairwoman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State-Foreign Operations, under the pretext that the PA supports “terrorism.”

The Obama administration allocated $440 million in aid to Palestinians for 2015, including $131 million for economic and development projects by USAID and $70 million for PA agencies and security agencies, while $80 million in aid was deducted following Israeli criticism of “incitement” by the PA last October.

Erekat added that some “pro-Israel” congress members are continuing to pressure the PA to relaunch diplomatic negotiations with Israel, and prevent Palestinians from joining international organizations and conventions.

““““““““““““““““““““““““““
L’aide américaine aux Palestiniens bloquée
Par Marc Henry Mis à jour le 03/10/2011
▻http://www.lefigaro.fr/international/2011/10/02/01003-20111002ARTFIG00229-l-aide-americaine-aux-palestiniens-bloquee.php

Une partie du Congrès américain semble décidée à faire payer cher aux Palestiniens leur campagne pour l’adhésion de leur État à l’ONU. À titre d’avertissement, les élus américains ont bloqué le versement d’une tranche de 200 millions de dollars d’aide destinée à l’Autorité palestinienne. Le pactole correspond à un tiers de l’aide annuelle versée par les États-Unis. Cette sanction a été prise contre l’avis de Barack Obama par des membres du Congrès surtout républicains à l’approche de l’élection présidentielle de l’an prochain.

Le Washington Post nous avait déjà rapporté, en janvier 2016, cette parole de Moshe Yaalon (ministre de la Défense israélien) selon laquelle s’il avait à choisir entre Da’ich et Assad, il choisirait Da’ich : ►https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/01/19/israeli-defense-minister-if-i-had-to-choose-between-iran-and-isis-id-choose-isis/?tid=sm_tw

Speaking at the Institute for National Security Studies’ (INSS) conference in Tel Aviv on Jan. 19, Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon made a bold statement: If he had to choose between Iran and the Islamic State, he told the audience, he’d “choose ISIS.”

Pour confirmer, Michael Oren, ex-ambassadeur aux USA et associé à l’actuelle coalition au pouvoir en Israel nous a fait un remake, rapporté dans le Wall Street Journal ce 17 mars :
▻http://www.wsj.com/articles/israels-main-concern-in-syria-iran-not-isis-1458207000

“If we have to choose between ISIS and Assad, we’ll take ISIS. ISIS has flatbed trucks and machine guns. Assad represents the strategic arch from Tehran to Beirut, 130,000 rockets in the hands of Hezbollah, and the Iranian nuclear program,” said Michael Oren, a prominent lawmaker from Israel’s governing coalition and a former ambassador to Washington.

Parce que comme l’explique Dore Gold, du ministère des affaires étrangères :

Asked in an interview to state Israel’s main objective in Syria, Dore Gold, the director-general of the foreign ministry, said: “At the end of the day, when some kind of modus vivendi is reached inside of Syria, it is critical from the Israeli standpoint that Syria does not emerge as an Iranian satellite incorporated fully into the Iranian strategic system.”

Mongolia officially pays off its 3.8 million USD debt to Russia | The UB Post
▻http://ubpost.mongolnews.mn/?p=18637

Prime Minister Ch.Saikhanbileg received Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to Mongolia Iskander Kubarovich Azizov on Monday to present confirmation of the payment of 3,832,515 USD in Mongolian debt owed to Russia.
During the meeting Ch.Saikhanbileg noted, “We promised to pay off the remainder of the great debt to Russia in February. In this regard, I am handing over a receipt for a transaction of 3,832,515 USD from Mongol Bank to the Russian Finance Ministry.” Emphasizing that this day marked a historic event in relations between the two countries, he noted that new economic opportunities are being opened for the future by paying off the remainder of Mongolia’s financial obligations. At the end of their meeting, the Prime Minister conveyed his gratitude to the authorities who were involved in forgiving Mongolia’s debt, on behalf of Mongolia’s leaders.
During the meeting Ambassador Azizov stressed, “All the financial obligations of Mongolia to the former Soviet Union, the current Russian Federation, have now ended. New opportunities are now open to develop bilateral financial and economic relations,” highlighting that he believes a new door has opened for Mongolia to enter the international financial market.

Indonesia blows up illegal toothfish ship sought by Interpol | Daily Mail Online
▻http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/article-3491116/Indonesia-bombs-illegal-toothfish-ship-sought-Interpol.html

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/03/14/article-urn:publicid:ap.org:0d39a2f2466f4a66bf7dc33488cea4d5-yX2ksJ6U58d1c3e7cad5465ef58-176_634x422.jpg

Indonesian authorities on Monday bombed the last major ship internationally wanted for years of illegally taking toothfish from southern waters, reiterating a strong message to would-be poachers who enter the country’s waters.

The navy seized the Nigeria-flagged Viking on Feb. 25 operating in waters off Tanjung Berakit in Riau Islands province south of Singapore. It was one of the half dozen ships dubbed the “Bandit 6” by the nonprofit Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, which hunted the boats and was among those who alerted Indonesian officials when the Viking entered the country’s waters.

“This is to serve as a deterrent to others,” Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti told reporters. She posed on the beach with a group of navy officials, their fists raised in the air with the smoking boat behind them. “You may go freely in the rest of the world, but once entering Indonesia, this is the consequence.”

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/03/14/article-urn:publicid:ap.org:0d39a2f2466f4a66bf7dc33488cea4d5-38GQ2j1Ekn5115a3097964ff76ed-686_634x422.jpg

The Viking’s Chilean captain and crew members have been detained in Indonesia. Interpol went after the ship in 2013 following a complaint from Norwegian authorities about illegal fishing in that country’s waters.
“This is just a first step,” said Stig Traavik, Norway ambassador to Indonesia who witnessed the bombing. “In the future, it will be much more difficult to do illegal fishing, and the fish catch for local fishermen will go up.”

Ricciardone, ex-ambassadeur américain en Turquie jusqu’en juin 2015 a déclaré à des journalistes lors d’une rencontre avec la presse que les autorités turques ont soutenu directement al-Qaïda en Syrie (JAN), ainsi que des groupes salafistes tels Ahrar al-Cham. Bon, on s’en doutait un peu, hein, mais maintenant c’est quasi-officiel.
▻http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/turkey/11093478/Turkish-government-co-operated-with-al-Qaeda-in-Syria-says-former-US-am

Turkey has directly supported al-Qaeda’s wing in Syria in defiance of the United States, the former American ambassador to Ankara has said.
The Turkish authorities thought they could work with extremist Islamist groups in the Syrian civil war and at the same time push them to become more moderate, Francis Ricciardone, who was until late June the US ambassador to Ankara, told journalists in a briefing.
That led them to work with Jabhat al-Nusra, al-Qaeda’s branch, as well as hardline Salafi Islamist groups like Ahrar al-Sham. Mr Ricciardone said that he tried to persuade the Turkish government to close its borders to the groups, but to no avail. [...] But this is the first time a senior American official - albeit one no longer in service - has said openly that Turkey was working with al-Qaeda.

Pas de dates. Mais on peut supposer qu’il est question de la constitution de la coalition Jaysh al-Fatah début 2015, notamment quand l’ex-ambassadeur déclare - de manière un peu courte et qui aurait mérité quelques explications supplémentaires :

“We ultimately had no choice but to agree to disagree,” he said. “The Turks frankly worked with groups for a period, including al Nusra, whom we finally designated as we’re not willing to work with.”

Je me demande si cette l’euphémisation nécessaire et obligée de politiques assez choquantes d’un ex-employé ("we finally designated...") et si derrière cette formule bien tournée, « to agree to disagree », il n’y a pas une simplification qui permet d’éviter la question compliquée de l’incohérence de politiques contradictoires menées par plusieurs centres de pouvoirs au sein de l’Etat US, comme nous l’a dévoilé Sy Hersh...

The Angry Arab News Service/وكالة أنباء العربي الغاضب : Former British ambassador to Syria : We never saw a secular Arab regime that we didn’t want to overthrow
▻http://angryarab.blogspot.fr/2016/02/former-british-ambassador-to-syria-we.html

▻https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMZVKdWFJPk

Remarquable intervention de l’ex ambass de Sa Majesté à Damas (entre 2003 et 2006). En plus, c’est de l’anglais facile à comprendre !

#syrie

Bahrain denies ‘inaccurate’ Syria remarks | GulfNews.com
▻http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/bahrain/bahrain-denies-inaccurate-syria-remarks-1.1666836

The ambassador stressed that these remarks were inaccurate and reiterated the Kingdom of Bahrain’s commitment to fighting terrorism alongside its allies. Bahrain is ready to commit ground troops to Syria as part of a US-led coalition against Daesh, the country said on Friday, a day after its larger neighbour and close ally Saudi Arabia announced a similar pledge.

On Friday, Reuters published comments attributed to Shaikh Fawaz that Bahrain would commit troops to operate “in concert with the Saudis” under what he called a unified military command of Gulf Arab states.

According to the statement, he added that the UAE was also ready to commit troops, echoing an assertion made late last year by UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash.

Migration Scholars | La Turquie, porte d’entrée de l’Europe ?
▻http://asile.ch/2016/02/06/migration-scholars-la-turquie-porte-dentree-de-leurope

http://asile.ch/wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/MigrationScholars_Turquie.png

En réaction à la forte hausse de demandes d’asile, l’Union européenne et la Turquie ont convenu de laisser moins de réfugiés arriver en Europe à l’avenir. C’est à dire que la Turquie doit entre autre empêcher les réfugiés de quitter le territoire national turc. La Turquie doit en plus reprendre les personnes qui pouvaient trouver […]

Under pressure from Turkey, UN excludes PYD from Syria talks
▻http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2016/01/turkey-usa-syria-talks-ankara-won-batlle-against-pyd.html

That sentiment — that the United States sold out the Kurds — is not completely off-base. I arrived in Brussels on Jan. 25 to attend the European Parliament’s annual conference on the Kurds, organized by its leftist party bloc, which includes Nobel laureates Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Shirin Ebadi of Iran and Jose Ramos-Horta of East Timor, as well as controversial American scholar Noam Chomsky.

I was a speaker on a panel with Selahattin Demirtas, Turkey’s popular pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) chairman, and Peter Galbraith, a former American ambassador considered a close friend of the Kurds because of the role he played in the struggles of Iraqi Kurds.

PYD leader Salih Muslim was on the list of speakers for the second day of that conference. But when I arrived in Brussels, I was told Muslim had left for Geneva at the invitation of UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura. He would be back the next day and then would travel again to Geneva for the Geneva III talks, which were set for Jan. 29.

Thanks to my Kurdish sources, who were in constant communication with Muslim, I learned that Galbraith had come to Brussels from Geneva, where he also had met with American officials working on the Geneva III talks. He had been told that the United States was keen on seeing the PYD at the table during the talks.

On Jan. 26, before Muslim was back in Brussels, the news broke: De Mistura had issued invitation letters to the Arab members of the Syrian Democratic Council like Manna. It was assumed that Muslim would be returning to Brussels with his invitation letter in his bag.

Instead, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, who was in Strasbourg, Germany, said Turkey would boycott the Geneva talks if the PYD was involved.

Some hours earlier, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, in an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, had said Turkey objected to the PYD’s involvement because it is a terrorist organization, but would not object if it was included in the Syrian government’s delegation.

Galbraith was texting with Muslim, who informed him that de Mistura had not issued an official invitation to the PYD.

Manna announced that if their Kurdish allies would not be at the talks, the other members of the Syrian Democratic Council would not be participating, either.

The Kurdish sources in Brussels who were in constant contact with Muslim told me the morning of Jan. 27 that they had just spoken to Muslim, who was at that moment in a meeting with the Americans and that the PYD representation was still pending. He said everything would be clear by noon.

By evening, word came from Washington. US State Department deputy spokesman Mark Toner declared that the PYD will not be invited to Geneva.