Tag Archives: US
13 September 2013
Wang Guanzhong, Deputy Chief of General Staff of China’s People’s Liberation Army, said during talks with US colleagues on the topic of the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu islands in the East China Sea that ‘This issue should not become a problem between China and the United States, and China hopes that the United States does not become a third party in this issue.’ He further stated that ‘The United States should maintain a consistent stance and policy, not send wrong signals nor support and connive with the relevant country to do as they please.’
Source: Reuters | China military tells U.S. not to encourage Japan over isles
9 September 2013
US Secretary of State John Kerry called on the European Union to suspend its restrictions on financial assistance to Israeli institutions in territories occupied by Israel after the 1967 war. Kerry argued that suspending the restrictions would show the Israeli public the benefit of pursuing a peace agreement with the Palestinians.
A contrary opinion was expressed by Alon Liel, former high ranking official at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and former ambassador in South-Africa, who wrote in the Dutch newspaper Trouw that the EU guidelines should be kept in place, so as to maintain pressure on Israel.
Source: The New York Times | Kerry Asks European Union to Halt Ban on Aid to Israeli Institutions
Source: Trouw | Europa, zet Israël flink onder druk, dat is in Israëls belang (in Dutch)
29 August 2013
The BBC reported that the United Kingdom is going to present a resolution to the UN Security Council that would authorise ‘all necessary measures to protect civilians’ in Syria. Foreign Policy reported that the British move, unlikely to win support in the Security Council, is a diplomatic move intended to define the coalition of states that would be willing to strike against Syria.
The move comes after NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told reporters that those responsible for chemical weapons use must be held accountable and that NATO would keep the Syrian situation under close review. According to the NYT, the United States is considering a range of actions against Syria, including missile strikes, designed to ‘deter and degrade’ the ability of the Assad regime to use chemical weapons.
Source: BBC | Syria crisis: UK puts forward UN proposal
Source: Foreign Policy | Morning Brief: UK Goes to Security Council for Syria Resolution
Source: The New York Times | Obama Weighs ‘Limited’ Strikes Against Syrian Forces
Source: Al Jazeera | NATO vows to 'answer' alleged Syria attack
28 August 2013
Foreign Policy reported on recently declassified CIA files that reveal that the United States provided assistance to Iraq in the Iran-Iraq war despite having knowledge of chemical weapons use by Saddam Hussein’s military.
According to the report, the CIA documents and former US intelligence officials confirm that the US had firm evidence of chemical weapons attacks beginning in 1983, but the Reagan administration nevertheless continued to provide assistance, including satellite imagery, to Iraq. Previous reports had indicated that the US had suspected the use of chemical weapons, but the declassified documents reveal that US officials were regularly informed on the scale of nerve gas attacks, which according to the FP report, amounts to American complicity in Saddam Hussein’s chemical weapons attacks.
The US has denied acquiescing to Iraq’s chemical weapons attacks, and the CIA declined to comment for the FP report.
Source: Foreign Policy | Exclusive: CIA Files Prove America Helped Saddam as He Gassed Iran
19 August 2013
An Op-ed published in The New York Times argues that General Abdul-Fattah el-Sisi, the military ruler of Egypt, was ‘actively seeking the help of Western diplomats as well as the Persian Gulf sheikdoms that largely financed his coup’. It also critiques the idea that Washington’s influence is not that decisive with the Egyptian generals and notes that: ‘America had influence and still does. It was an American official, not an Egyptian one, who informed President Morsi’s staff of the finality of the coup decision.’
The opinion is written by Amr Darrag, a member of the executive board of the Freedom and Justice Party, which is affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood. Mr. Darrag was Egypt’s minister of planning and international cooperation under President Morsi.
Source: The New York Times | Egypt’s Blood, America’s Complicity