Showing posts with label Cameron. Show all posts

Sunday, 7 September 2014

The NATO conference in Wales

NATO was expecting to be able to use a supposed victory over the Novorussia militias by Ukrainian forces to dictate terms to Putin. Instead the tables have turned and Ukraine is facing ignominious defeat as well as certain economic and political collapse.

I am sure there was an atmosphere of shock at the NATO conference.

Wait for more sanctions early next week

‘Expansionism and destabilization’: Russia lashes out over NATO spearhead force in E. Europe

Moscow has accused NATO of using the Ukrainian crisis as a “pretext” to “push its military presence closer to Russia’s borders,” and says that plans for a new rapid response force will sabotage the peace process in eastern Ukraine

RT,

5 September, 2014

“The [expansion] plans have been harbored by NATO for a long time, and recent events have served as a pretext to put them into action,” said a statement published on the Russian Foreign Ministry’s website, following the wrapping up of the NATO summit in Wales.

“Together with the rhetoric at the summit, and the planned military exercises before the end of the year, this will increase tension, destabilization the nascent peace process, and further widen the division in Ukraine,” the ministry’s statement said.

“The above is also testament to NATO’s unconditional support for the extremists and neo-fascists in Kiev, including the Right Sector political movement,” it stressed.

During the two-day summit, the 28 NATO member states instituted the creation of a rapid response unit numbering at least 4,000. It could be deployed in Eastern Europe – where it will be based – in less than 48 hours.

The primary stated reason for the initiative is “Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.”

Russia’s NATO envoy, Aleksandr Grushko, also denounced NATO’s policy, suggesting that the alliance was engaged in “Cold War thinking,” and risked undermining the landmark 1997 treaty in which Moscow and Brussels officially proclaimed that they were no longer “adversaries.”

In a TV interview, Grushko said that NATO was “flexing its muscles,” and pointed out that an increased presence of NATO vessels in the Baltic and Black Sea would destroy the recently built-up level of trust in what were once the potential flashpoints in the standoff.

Grushko also called the planned NATO-Ukraine exercises a “provocation” because “foreign troops will appear in a country that is fighting its own people.”

“NATO must play no role in the Ukrainian conflict,” the official told Rossiya-24 network.

He also accused the US of “trying to unload the financial burden of maintaining NATO onto its allies.”

Despite the harsh rhetoric, Moscow left room for potential cooperation with NATO through the NATO-Russia Council, which the foreign ministry said is an “efficient mechanism for consultation and developing common approaches.”

“We will continue to cooperate with the alliance, providing it takes our national interests into account,” Grushko stressed.

NATO cooperation with Russia has been suspended since March, following the ascension of Crimea to the Russian Federation.

This is Obama at the NATO Conference

And war monger #1, Cameron

From the Ministry of Truth

State Dept's Harf accuses AP's Matt Lee of 'buying into Russian propaganda'

State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf talked about NATO's decision to create spearhead forces at a daily briefing on Friday. Answering questions from AP journalist Matthew Lee, she expressed her irritation at Matthew's tone and suggested he was buying into Russian propaganda.

NATO stages massive military drills in Latvia

As seven-day NATO military exercises continue to take place in Latvia, the organization says the drills are aimed at showing its commitment to Baltic member states in the face of an “assertive” Russia.

RT,

5 September, 2014

Exercise Steadfast Javelin 2, which kicked off on September 2, simulates the deployment of NATO soldiers and equipment during a crisis situation. A total of around 2,000 soldiers from nine different countries are taking part in the maneuvers, which will carry on until Monday.

On Friday night, around 500 paratroopers landed at Lielvarde airport, located about 60 km from Latvia’s capital, Riga.

“We want to assure our people that we are able to protect them. Certainly on top of this we send a clear message to everyone who wants to threaten NATO, that it’s not a thing you should do. NATO will always defend and protect its people,” General Hans-Lothar Domrose, commander of the NATO military command in Brunssum, Netherlands, told reporters.

U.S.173 airborne brigade soldiers leave a C-17 aircraft during the "Steadfast Javelin II" military exercise in the Lielvarde air base, September 6, 2014. (Reuters / Ints Kalnins)

The exercises in Latvia will be followed by other drills in Germany, Norway, Ukraine, and Poland later this autumn.

Steadfast Javelin 2 was reinforced by a NATO summit in Wales, where the bloc officially announced it was creating a new rapid reaction force. The spearhead of any such force would consist of 4,000-5,000 troops who would be able to deploy to any NATO member country within 48 hours.

“It needs to be a relatively light force. It needs to be a force that succeeds, builds upon intelligence and agility, and precision as opposed to weight of military force. It is an agile, precise, intelligence-led rapidly deployable force,” Lieutenant General Ed Davis, NATO deputy land commander, told Reuters.

After 10 years of placing emphasis on military activity in Afghanistan, the alliance is now refocusing on what it refers to as the defense of its members.

U.S.173 airborne brigade soldiers arrive in armoured personal carrier "Stryker" for the "Steadfast Javelin II" military exercise in the Lielvarde air base, September 6, 2014. (Reuters / Ints Kalnins)U.S.173 airborne brigade soldiers arrive in armoured personal carrier "Stryker" for the "Steadfast Javelin II" military exercise in the Lielvarde air base, September 6, 2014. (Reuters / Ints Kalnins)

The UK has agreed to provide up to 1,000 personnel in the multi-national force, which will be based in Eastern Europe. There are already 1,500 British troops involved in exercises in Baltic countries and an extra 2,000 will be deployed over the next two years.

Baltic states have been seeking backup from NATO, claiming they fear that Russia could use the same rationale as it did in Crimea to justify an attack on them. Large Russian speaking minorities live in Baltic the region – in Latvia, for instance, they account for some 26 percent (over 520,000 people) of the total population.

U.S. second cavalry regiment soldiers stand with armoured personal carriers during the "Steadfast Javelin II" military exercise in the Lielvarde air base, September 6, 2014. (Reuters / Ints Kalnins)U.S. second cavalry regiment soldiers stand with armoured personal carriers during the "Steadfast Javelin II" military exercise in the Lielvarde air base, September 6, 2014. (Reuters / Ints Kalnins)

The announcement was met with dismay in Moscow, which said that NATO was using the crisis in Ukraine to push its military presence closer to Russia's borders.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said the new force would sabotage the fragile peace process in eastern Ukraine.

As tensions remain high in Ukraine, a US Navy destroyer, a Canadian fregate and, reportedly, a French frigate have entered the Black Sea. A Spanish warship is reportedly on its way there as well.

U.S.173 airborne brigade soldiers arrive in armoured personal carrier "Stryker" for the "Steadfast Javelin II" military exercise in the Lielvarde air base, September 6, 2014. (Reuters / Ints Kalnins)

U.S. second cavalry regiment soldiers stand with armoured personal carriers during the "Steadfast Javelin II" military exercise in the Lielvarde air base, September 6, 2014. (Reuters / Ints Kalnins)

The announcement was met with dismay in Moscow, which said that NATO was using the crisis in Ukraine to push its military presence closer to Russia's borders.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said the new force would sabotage the fragile peace process in eastern Ukraine.

As tensions remain high in Ukraine, a US Navy destroyer, a Canadian fregate and, reportedly, a French frigate have entered the Black Sea. A Spanish warship is reportedly on its way there as well.

U.S.173 airborne brigade soldiers climb onto armoured personal carrier "Stryker" during the "Steadfast Javelin II" military exercise in the Lielvarde air base, September 6, 2014. (Reuters / Ints Kalnins)

Saturday, 24 November 2012

EU talks collapse

EU summit: budget talks collapse as David Cameron says 'non' to Brussels

Talks on a new European Union budget have collapsed as David Cameron accused Brussels of 'living in a parallel universe' and said there could not be a 'deal at any cost.'

the Telegraph,,

23 November, 2012

Talks on a new European Union budget have collapsed after David Cameron won German support in a row with France about his demands for more cuts in spending.

The Prime Minister accused Brussels of 'living in a parallel universe' and said there could not be a 'deal at any cost.'

Speaking at the end of the failed summit Mr Cameron said: "We're not going to be tough on budgets at home just to come here and sign up to an increase.

"Frankly the deal on the table was just not good enough. It wasn't good enough for Britain and neither was it good enough for a number of countries.

"In the UK we are cutting admin budgets by as much as a third, civil service staff by 10 per cent in two years. None of this has been easy. Meanwhile Brussels continues to exist as if it is in a parallel universe."

The Prime Minister blamed the European Commission for the break-down, accusing the commission of “insulting” taxpayers by refusing to accept cuts in its budget or make reductions in staff pay or perks

Mr Cameron strongly criticised the commission and its president, Jose Manuel Barroso, accusing them of refusing all moves to cut administrative spending

“The EU institutions simply have got to adjust to the real world,” the Prime Minister said. “The commission did not offer a single euro in savings, not one euro – insulting to European taxpayers. I do not think that is good enough.”

Mr Cameron complained that 200 staff earned more than he did. He called for a 10 per cent cut to the overall pay bill in Brussels.

"The EU institution has got to adjust to the real world. There cannot be a deal at any cost. The British people would expect us to fight hard for the best deal for them and that is what I will continue to do."

The Prime Minister was accused of “blackmailing” other European Union leaders as talks on the EU budget broke up.

The EU summit in Brussels ended without a deal, forcing EU leaders to plan new talks on the budget for the seven years from 2014.

The summit was effectively deadlocked by a dispute between net contributors to the budget – including Britain and Germany – and those who get more from the EU than they pay into it.

France, a net contributor, had also opposed cuts in the Common Agricultural Policy of farm subsidies, and pushed for cuts in the British rebate.

But fatally for the French position, Germany’s Angela Merkel refused to back President Francois Hollande, instead siding with Mr Cameron over the need to make cuts in EU bureaucracy.

Amid continued divisions between the big European powers, Herman van Rompuy, the EU president, abandoned talks on the second afternoon of the summit.

Mr Cameron had demanded deep cuts in the EU’s administrative budget, calling for European Commission officials to lose billions of pounds worth of generous perks.

However, Mr van Rompuy’s latest proposed budget would still have increased spending on administration.

British sources expressed irritation that Jose Manuel Barroso, the Commission president, had strongly opposed any cuts in his budget. They also criticised Mr van Rumpoy for letting Mr Barroso sit in on his meetings with leaders to discuss the budget plans.

Mr Cameron’s insistence on cuts was criticised by senior members of the European Parliament.

Hannes Swoboda, the president of the Socialists and Democrats group in the European Parliament, said the summit had been “disastrous” and blamed Mr Cameron

"Regarding the additional cuts, it is unacceptable that the majority of member countries are letting themselves be blackmailed by David Cameron who is permanently threatening to block progress in the EU,” he said.

"The British prime minister, who is considering leading the UK out of the EU, is having more impact on the future of the EU than those who are committed to strengthening the EU and fulfilling their obligations."

Guy Verhofstadt, a Liberal MEP and former Belgian prime minister, also attacked Mr Cameron over his negotiating tactics.

Mr Verhofstadt, a political ally of Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said: "It's not necessary to isolate Cameron. He isolates himself."

However, British sources insisted that many of Mr Cameron's arguments had been supported by countries including Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden.

Speaking at the end of the summit Mr Van Rompuy said he was hopeful there was enough 'convergence' between leaders that they could come to an agreement in the early part of next year.

Some European politicians have suggested that uncertainty about Britain’s future membership of the EU should reduce Britain’s influence in budget talks.

Mr Cameron insisted that he did not want Britain to leave the EU, but repeated his demand for a “new settlement” loosening ties with Brussels.

“I support our membership of the EU, but I don’t support the status quo,” he said.

Agreeing a suitable budget deal is part of demonstrating that it is “still worthwhile being a member of the EU,” he said.

A Disappointed Van Rompuy Releases Statement Following EU Budget Talks Collapse

Zero Hedge,

23 November, 2012

The borderline incomprehensible gibberish is highlighted by us.

Remarks by President Herman Van Rompuy following the European Council (pdf)

The European Council gives its President the mandate together with the President of the European Commission to continue the work and pursue consultations in the coming weeks to find a consensus among the 27 over the Union's Multiannual Financial Framework for the period 2014-2020.

The bilateral talks yesterday and the constructive discussion within the European Council show a sufficient degree of potential convergence to make an agreement possible in the beginning of next year.

We should be able to bridge existing divergences of views. A European budget is important for the cohesion of the Union and for jobs and growth in all our countries.

We discussed as I said the Multiannual Financial Framework. We must work on a moderation budget. The times call for it. Every euro must be carefully spent. That's why we foresee more scrutiny and reporting. There is a certain number of things we want the Union to do for our countries and citizens and it must be able to do them.

Everybody also agrees on another point: this must be a budget for growth. A budget that focuses on jobs, on innovation, on research. That's why in my proposal the spending on competitiveness and jobs is more than 50% higher than in the period 2007-2013. Here especially this budget is not a zero sum game. Growth in one country benefits all..

Last week I circulated my first draft proposal. Yesterday I carefully listened to all the colleagues, and I put a new proposal on the table.

Compared to the previous version, it keeps the budget's overall total at a stable level. It's 80 billion euro below the Commission proposal and a real cut compared to the 2007-2013 period. This is a first in EU budget talks.

My proposal, compared again to the previous version, includes increases in agriculture and cohesion funds, with total figures for these headings still lower than in the Commission proposal. It compensates these shifts with cuts in other areas.

We will need some more time to finalise this solution. This is the budget for the rest of the decade. And the next 7 years will be crucial, to put Europe back on the path of recovery and growth. So we must get it right.

There's no need to dramatise: these budget negotiations are so complex they generally take two goes.

Friday, 21 September 2012

UK out-maneouvred by Germany

Britain finds itself bollocks-free at last

If the Prime Minister doesn’t call a referendum on the EU now, he will become a laughing stock

the Slog,

20 September, 2012

While a thousand other more distracting things were going on, two days ago a meeting between 11 EU foreign ministers in Warsaw (not including the UK) demanded ‘ a new future for Europe’. The Ministers called for a single, elected head of state for Europe, and a new defence policy….under the control of a new pan-EU foreign ministry which “could eventually involve a European army”.

In a direct insult to Great Britain, the Group of 11 declared that, in order to “prevent one single member state from being able to obstruct initiatives”, it was essential to put an end to existing national vetos over foreign and defence policy. Be under no illusions: as Bruno Waterfield wrote in today’s Daily Telegraph, ‘this would give the EU the power to impose a decision on Britain if it was supported by a majority of other countries’.

The move was led via aggressive lobbying from Berlin.

The plan, which far beyond Germany has the strong support of France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Holland, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg and Portugal, means that a British referendum on EU membership must now be an inevitability.

“For Europe to be a truly strong actor and global leader it needs a strong institutional setup,” said Germany’s Herr Westerwelle, and Sikorski of Poland, “It needs a directly elected president who personally appoints the members of his ‘European government’.”

Or ‘hers’, of course.

The Gang of Eleven also insisted that changes to European treaties should in future be approved “by a super-qualified majority of the EU member states”.

In a statement reminiscent of the Roman pervert Caligula, a Foreign Office robot suggested that “this is one contribution to the debate, which is just starting. The United Kingdom will play a full and active role in that debate.” Except that the UK wasn’t at the meeting where all this insisting took place: it played an empty and inactive role in the insistence. Whatever a wrist can become when it is even more than limp, this FO response qualifies for the description. My God, what consistent plonkers they have been over the last 85 years.

What, we wonder, will Dave Cameo make of this? Very probably, nothing.

Britain is being frozen out of Europe, and must now therefore divorce Europe. We have little or nothing to fear from this move, beyond a relatively short period of difficult adjustment. But the current Prime Minister is not the man to lead us through that period, because he is a man of straw – a feeble apparatchik blowing helplessly in the piss and wind of the incompetent technocrats with which he surrounds himself….and whoever last gave him a large cheque.

Nor is the blond blunderbuss formerly known as Boris Johnson. He is a classicist thug with little or no awareness of what real Brits think, or indeed how the nature of exporting to Asia has changed since the Empire was lost, and Boxer rebellions were no more.

As for Ed Miliband, well: would you appoint the Deputy Head of the Languages Department as head of marketing for UKplc? No, and neither would I.

The sorrow and shame of all this is that – just as we need root-and-branch change in our political model – so too do we urgently require radical change in our export direction, and a complete restructuring of Britain’s manufacturing and agricultural balance.

I’m bound to observe that while you wouldn’t start from here, you also wouldn’t give the task to a useless bunch of onanistic coke-heads.

We are still by far the best and most dependable ally the US has. So tonight, America, you should be very afraid indeed.

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