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Missile-shield pledge backfires for proposed US ambassador to Russia
http://rt.com/news/prime-time/us-ambassador-russia-scandal-807/
Published: 14 December, 2011, 21:18
Edited: 14 December, 2011, 21:18
Russia may be left without a US ambassador in the New Year, as the Senate has once again failed to approve Michael McFaul's appointment.
This time round, McFaul, known as the architect of the US – Russia reset, worried senators with his promise to share information about Washington's European missile defense shield, the Kommersant newspaper reports.
Senator Mark Kirk claimed that McFaul was planning to reveal important data on SM-3 intercept missiles, namely the speed they develop in the final stage of flight. The decision, he added, was supported by Ellen Tauscher, under-secretary for Arms Control and International Security, and Patrick O'Reilly, director of the Missile Defense Agency.
Responding to Kirk’s letter, McFaul admitted that that the White House was indeed considering the option of revealing some information on the missiles, but regarding their telemetry. This information, McFaul stressed, was intended to persuade Russian authorities that the European missiles are not aimed at Moscow, thus dissolving the atmosphere of mistrust between the two countries.
Taking McFaul’s response as a confirmation of secret negotiations, Senator Kirk, alongside with eight colleagues, called on the US president to delay McFaul’s appointment and reconsider the initiative of disclosing the classified data to the Russian authorities.
This is not the first time that the US Senate has refused to approve an ambassador to Russia. McFaul’s appointment has already been delayed twice, as the Republicans demanded a tougher stand on human rights abuse in Russia and its support of Iran, Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
President Obama has the right to bypass the Senate’s veto if he appoints McFaul in December, when the Senators are on vacation.
America’s unwillingness to reveal information on its European missile defense has recently complicated the country’s relations with Russia. Despite claims that its missiles are not directed against Moscow, US authorities are refusing to sign any documents confirming its “peaceful intentions.”
“McFaul’s case could be the usual bargaining between Republicans and Democrats,” Kirill Koktysh from the Moscow State University of International Relations told RT. “Another reason is the American system would like to wait for the recent developments in Moscow, just to make sure what it is going for, because the ambassador should reflect the American position.”
11:28 15/12/2011ALL NEWS
Russia to deliver first three Mi-17 helicopters to Afghanistan |
http://www.itar-tass.com/en/c154/297896.html
MOSCOW, December 15 (Itar-Tass) —— Russia will deliver the first three military transport Mi-17V5 helicopters to Afghanistan in the next few days and send nine more to the customer until the end of this year, an official participating in the supply contract implementation told Itar-Tass on Thursday.
The cost of the Russian -American contract for the supplies of helicopters to Afghan security forces amounts to dlrs 375.05 million. The deal envisages that the Kazan-based plant will make 21 helicopters and they will be delivered to the country in 2011-12.
The aircraft will be added to the Russian-made Mi-17s Afghanistan's security forces already have.
The contract stipulates that spare parts and ground service equipment will be supplied together with the aircraft and technical maintenance will be provided.
There is an option to purchase 12 helicopters more.
Mi-17V5s are ordered by the U.S. ground troops for Afghanistan. The Russian helicopters will be equipped with sets of 12 instruments made by an American company. They are integrated into the on-board equipment and adjusted to the cabin light technical system.
01:01 15/12/2011ALL NEWS
Russia supporting Abkhazia, S Ossetia on delimitating border with Georgia |
http://www.itar-tass.com/en/c154/297651.html
GENEVA, December 15 (Itar-Tass) — Russia supports the willingness of two young South Caucasian countries, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, to delimitate their borders with their former metropolitan country, Georgia, a high-rank Russian diplomat said here upon the completion of the 18th round of discussions on stability and security in South Caucasus.
The consultations bring together the delegations of the Republic of Abkhazia, the Republic of South Ossetia, Georgia, Russia, and the U.S. They are held under the auspices of the UN, the EU and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe /OSCE/.
The issue of delimitation of the borders was raised by the Abkhazian and South Ossetian delegations, said the high-ranking Russian diplomat, Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karassin.
“The logic standing behind the proposal is that incidents and all sorts of serious misunderstandings are possible in the absence of clearly delimitated borders,” he said. “This is happening already, and especially in Abkhazia’s Gal district.”
“That’s why the importance of delimitation is only too obvious and the sides should consider the ways of demarcating the borderline,” Karassin said.
“For Russia, the issue has special importance, as our border guards are deployed there, and that’s why we support the insistence of our /Abkhazian and South Ossetian counterparts/ that the delimitation should take place in reality,” he said.
“This should be done under any circumstances because the only alternative to the delimitation is conflicts,” Karassin indicated.
Georgia hopes to sign an agreement on non-use of force on next negotiations in Geneva format
http://en.trend.az/regions/scaucasus/georgia/1969294.html
15 December 2011, 09:21 (GMT+04:00)
Georgia, Tbilisi, Dec.15 / Trend N. Kirtskhalia/
The co-developed by the Geneva talks on prevention of tension in the Caucasus document contains proposals on how to reach an agreement, under which all parties, including Russia, agreed to sign an agreement on the non-use of force, told Georgian journalists after the 18th meeting in Geneva, the head of Georgian delegation, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergi Kapanadze.
"We hope that at the next round Russia will be able to issue such a document and confirm, that will not use force against Georgia," - said Kapanadze and stressed that despite the "aggressive rhetoric" sounded in recent years against Georgia from the lips of senior officials of the Russian Federation, such an obligation on the part of Moscow is needed.
Kapanadze in this connection pointed to the words of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who on December 8, expressed his disapproval of the rapprochement of Georgia with NATO, as well as the statement of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, Nikolai Patrushev, who in an interview with the "Arguments and Facts" newspaper December 14, accused Georgia of "training people on its territory for terrorist acts in Russia."
Kapanadze called Patrushev's statement "absolutely baseless" and said that such rhetoric from Moscow is "very worrying".
Military actions were launched in the Georgian territory, South Ossetia on Aug.8 in 2008. Later the Russian troops occupied the Tskhinvali city and drove the Georgian military back. Russia recognized the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in late August. In response, Tbilisi broke off diplomatic relations with Moscow and announced two unrecognized republics as the occupied territories.
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