|
|
|
By AmericasNewsToday.Org staff
San Francisco-values Nancy Pelosi's pledge of a "new direction" took a detour when she fumbled an Armenian genocide resolution and raised questions about her leadership as the highest ranking member of the U.S. Congress.
Pelosi, 67, speaker of the House of Representatives and next in line to the presidency after the vice president, swore she would push the controversial resolution to a vote, then blinked when fellow Democrats withdrew their support in the face of furious reaction from Turkey.
President George W. Bush warned the symbolic resolution to affirm the 1915 massacre of Armenians by Ottoman Turks as genocide would harm Washington's relations with Ankara. But as long as it looked like it would pass, Pelosi stuck to her guns.
When Democratic support started waning last week amid protests from NATO ally Turkey -- which denounced the measure as "insulting" and hinted at halting logistical support for the U.S. war effort in Iraq -- the leftist Nancy Pelosi wavered.
"I think it's more domestic politics, playing to interest groups, than backdoor foreign policy," said George Washington University professor of international affairs Henry Nau.
"If members of [the Democratic] Congress are plotting with interest groups to weaken Turkish support of U.S. policy in Iraq and thus undermine American forces in Iraq, the drama thickens beyond my capacity to comprehend," he said.
Additional reporting by Reuters
|
|
|
|
Posted by AmericasNewsTodayCom at
| | | |
|
By AmericasNewsToday.Org staff
Becky Gates (right), wife of Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates (center), receives flowers from Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Leonid Polyakov upon the Gates’ arrival at the Boryspil International Airport in Kiev, Ukraine, Oct. 21, 2011. Gates is in Ukraine to attend the Southeastern Europe Defense Ministerial, which the United States helped develop about a decade ago to promote peace and stability and enhance regional security cooperation in southeastern Europe.
Picture provided by the U.S. Department of Defense.
DoD photo by Cherie A. Thurlby.
For more information, visit:
Gates Arrives in Ukraine to Begin Five-Day European Trip #One.
|
|
|
|
Posted by AmericasNewsTodayCom at
| | | |
|
By AmericasNewsToday.Org staff
On Oct. 10, President Bush issued an updated National Strategy for Homeland Security to guide, organize and unify homeland security efforts among federal, state, local and tribal governments, private and nonprofit sector partners, and individuals. This strategy builds on the first National Strategy for Homeland Security (July 2002).
It incorporates lessons learned from exercises and real-world catastrophes, and focuses on the goals to protect and disrupt terror attacks, protect citizens and critical infrastructure, respond to incidents, and continue to strengthen the program.
For more information, visit:
National Strategy for Homeland Security (PDF, 598Kb).
|
|
|
|
Posted by AmericasNewsTodayCom at
| | | |
|
By AmericasNewsToday.Org staff
Coalition forces working in concert with Iraqi security forces killed four insurgents and nabbed roughly 16 others during recent operations in Iraq, military officials said.
In Iraq yesterday:
-- Coalition forces captured two wanted individuals and three others during an operation northwest of Muqdadiyah. Military officials believe one suspect is a senior al Qaeda in Iraq leader operating in the northern Diyala area. Troops destroyed an improvised explosive device on site.
-- Troops detained six suspected terrorists during an operation in Beiji targeting an associate of al Qaeda in Iraq senior leaders, military officials said. The targeted individual allegedly is part of a network responsible for supplying weapons and supplies to foreign terrorists.
-- Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers killed one and captured several other individuals who military officials believe to be ranking members of an al Qaeda in Iraq terrorist cells in Doura, a southern district in the Iraqi capital.
-- In a separate early-morning raid in Doura, troops arrested two men believed to be responsible for making improvised explosive devices used to destroy mosques in western Rashid, military officials said.
-- A terrorist killed in Baqouba on Oct. 19 was positively identified yesterday as Thamir Aziz Abbas Ashuri, an al Qaeda in Iraq improvised explosive device-cell leader. Reports indicate he led some 250 terrorists, directing IED attacks against Iraqi and coalition forces. He also was believed to act as a judge for an illegal terrorist court system in the area, military officials said.
During Oct. 19 operations, two Polish helicopters from Multinational Division Central-South provided key air support following an improvised-explosive-device and small-arms attack on coalition forces in eastern Diwaniyah.
Before the helicopters arrived, insurgents attacked a coalition patrol with three IEDs and fire from machine guns and an anti-tank-grenade launcher. Once at the scene of the attack, the quick reaction force engaged the insurgents, killing two. No coalition forces were killed or wounded in the incident, military officials said.
Meanwhile, Iraqi security forces responded to an explosion Oct. 19 inside a Baghdad mosque, military officials said. The explosion caused minor damage inside the abandoned Jamia al Baraka Mosque in the Karkh Security District in the center of the Iraqi capital. Evidence indicates that three improvised explosive devices detonated; no one was killed or injured in the blasts.
Iraqi security forces and troops from Company E, 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division responded to the scene. Coalition and Iraqi explosive ordnance disposal teams entered the mosque and removed one unexploded projectile .
|
|
|
|
Posted by AmericasNewsTodayCom at
| | | |
|
By AmericasNewsToday.Org staff
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates assured his Turkish counterpart that the United States will work closer with Turkey to confront Kurdish terrorists who launched an attack that killed more than a dozen Turkish soldiers today.
The pre-scheduled meeting between Turkish Defense Minister Mehmet Vecdi Gonul and Gates occurred hours after the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, blew up a bridge in Turkey near the border with Iraq as a 12-vehicle military convoy was crossing it, Turkish officials confirmed.
Gonul said the attack killed 17 Turkish soldiers, but sources in Ankara are reporting slightly lower casualty figures. Sixteen people were reported wounded, and 10 are missing following the attack, Gonul said.
Turkish forces launched a counteroffensive, although the precise number of PKK members killed is unclear.
Gonul said plans for additional action are under way, but that an "urgent" response isn’t likely. Turkey’s cabinet convened an emergency session today to discuss the situation.
Gonul did not rule out retaliation before the upcoming Nov. 5 meeting between President Bush and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The PKK attack occurred just days after the Turkish parliament voted to authorize its troops to cross the border into Iraq to confront terrorists launching attacks into Turkey. The one-year authorization gives the green light for Turkey’s military to move into the Kurdish region of Iraq to go after the PKK.
Lack of a central government in northern Iraq since 1991 gave terrorists the opportunity to establish a safe haven there that’s now being used against Turkey, Gonul said. He said he told Gates public opinion in Turkey forced the Turkish parliament to authorize cross-border operations to bring the killing to a stop.
These terrorists "harm our people, our children, our women and of course our soldiers," Gonul told reporters. "Our boys are dying."
Gates said he assured Gonul the United States wants to do more to help, but urged restraint in responding too quickly without enough concrete intelligence to act on. "I think that the first and foremost challenge that we face, as is so often the case with terrorism, is actionable intelligence," Gates said. "The key is developing intelligence that will enable us to find these people. That has to precede any action by anybody.
Gates said he told Gonul, "lacking actionable intelligence, for them to send a large force across the border without any specific targets was likely to lead to a lot of collateral damage that nobody needs."
The secretary told reporters he is "heartened that (Gonul) seems to be implying reluctance on their part to act unilaterally."
"I didn’t have the impression that anything is imminent," Gates said.
"Restraint should not be confused with weakness," Gates said he told Gonul. The secretary emphasized in today’s talks that "a major cross-border operation would be contrary to Turkey’s interest as well as to our own and to that of Iraq."
Gates told reporters during an Oct. 18 Pentagon news conference he feared that a Turkish attack "would create an international crisis and further undermine stability in Iraq."
The secretary assured Gonul today the United States is "very mindful of the reality of the PKK terrorist threat and … very sympathetic toward the families of both soldiers and civilians in Turkey who have been killed by PKK actions."
"There is no difference of view in terms of the threat they pose or that they are terrorists," Gates said. "And we have explored some areas in which we can work more closely with the Turks. We have taken action along some of those lines, including intelligence, and we are continuing to work with issue."
Gonul agreed with the need for more intelligence cooperation, but told reporters here he’d like to see "tangible actions" from the United States in other ways, too. "We like to do these things with the Americans," he said.
Gates had been slated to meet with Gonul as news of the incident broke today. The bilateral session was arranged to correspond with the defense leaders’ attendance at the Southeast Europe Defense Ministerial, being sponsored by Ukraine.
The two defense leaders also discussed a pending U.S. resolution that declares Ottoman Turks’ 1915-1917 killings of Armenians a genocide. Gates told reporters at an Oct. 18 news conference that the measure "has the potential to do real harm to our troops in Iraq."
Gates said he updated Gonul today about efforts in the administration and in Congress to ensure that lawmakers understand the consequence of such a resolution’s passage. The secretary said he also urged Turkey to consider efforts it might make to improve tensions between it and Armenia.
"I also suggested that it could be helpful if Turkey could consider some measures in terms of reaching out to Armenia in pursuing further reconciliation," he said.
Article provided by Donna Miles, and the U.S. Department of Defense .
|
|
|
|
Posted by AmericasNewsTodayCom at
| | | |
|
By AmericasNewsToday.Org staff
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates arrived here today to meet with Ukrainian leaders as their new government begins to take shape.
The five-day trip, which also will include stops in the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and Germany, represents a lot of "firsts" for the secretary. It’s his first visit to Ukraine as defense secretary, his first-ever visit to Prague, and the first visit by a defense secretary serving in the Bush administration to the Netherlands.
In Ukraine, Gates will meet with Ukrainian President Viktor A. Yushchenko to discuss post-election priorities as the new government forms. He also will meet with Defense Minister Anatoliy Hrytsenko to discuss defense reforms the United States is helping bring about.
"We are investing a lot of resources in Ukraine to help it reform its institutions," a senior defense official traveling with Gates told reporters. He called Ukraine’s military reforms "a great success story" and Hrytsenko a "fantastic, visionary guy" who has helped move the process forward.
Among topics expected to be discussed are Ukraine’s support in Iraq and Kosovo and its consideration of expanding its contributions into Afghanistan, as well. "The Ukrainian government has considered going into Afghanistan for some time," the official said, noting that the country’s political upheaval put those discussions "on hold for awhile."
With the likelihood pro-Western Yushchenko and former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko will lead the new government, Ukraine will soon be in a better position to look beyond current operations to other missions, the official said.
"Now that there is the potential for a Tymoshenko-Yushchenko government, … (with) both parties pro-Western, pro-NATO (and) pro-(European Union), … there could be a restarting of some of the previous traction that the Yushchenko government had," the official said.
Gates’ discussions here are likely to include the outcome of his and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s recent "two-plus-two" meeting with Russian leaders in Moscow. "I can’t imagine him sitting down with the Ukrainian leadership, that there won’t be a discussion about how the two-plus-two went and how both sides view relationships with Russia," the official said.
The outcome of that meeting and Russian objections to U.S. plans to base missile defenses in Poland and the Czech Republic are expected to be raised throughout Gates’ swing through Europe, particularly when he meets with Czech leaders in Prague later this week, the official said.
Also today, Gates is scheduled to meet with Turkish National Defense Minister Mehmet Vecdi Gonul, followed by bilateral meetings with the defense ministers of three countries seeking NATO membership: Albania, Croatia and Macedonia.
A topic expected to figure largely in the meeting with Gonul -- a topic not anticipated when the meeting was scheduled two weeks ago -- is the Turkish parliament’s vote last week authorizing its troops to cross the border into Iraq to confront terrorists launching attacks into Turkey. The one-year authorization gives the green light for Turkey’s military to move into the Kurdish region of Iraq to go after members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, who have been launching attacks into Turkey.
Gates has called on Turkey to refrain from military action into Iraq, which he said "would create an international crisis and further undermine stability in Iraq." He told Pentagon reporters at an Oct. 18 news briefing that he intends to reiterate this message in his meeting with Gonul.
"We recognize the harm and heartbreak caused by terrorist attacks across the Iraqi border into Turkey and are working with both governments to rein in the activities of the PKK," he said, vowing to help Turkey counter the threat.
Tomorrow, Gates will attend the Southeast Europe Defense Ministerial here before leaving for Prague. Later in the week, he will participate in a NATO informal defense ministerial in Noordwijk, Netherlands, and speak to a U.S. Army Europe-sponsored Conference of European Armies meeting in Germany.
Article provided by Donna Miles, and the U.S. Department of Defense.
|
|
|
|
Posted by AmericasNewsTodayCom at
| | | |
|
By AmericasNewsToday.Org staff
Chicago-based property tax consulting firm Advantax is offering visitors to its booth at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center a unique way to beat the stress of property taxes: free massages. The firm will have a professional massage therapist on hand to help rub away the tension that is often an occupational hazard for corporate property tax and finance professionals.
"Ask just about anyone and they will tell you that taxes and stress seem to go hand in hand," said David LeVan, President of Advantax. "We show clients how they can relieve the stress of taxes through our products and services and help them relax with a professional massage."
The free massages have become a tradition with the firm who has been providing the service at conferences for more than 5 years.
Advantax will be exhibiting at the Association for Financial Professionals Conference in Boston, at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, from October 21-24. Booth 828.
On the Web:
http://www.advantax.com/ .
|
|
|
|
Posted by AmericasNewsTodayCom at
| | | |
|
By AmericasNewsToday.Org staff
President George W. Bush is shown a fish caught by Melissa Fischer, left, by her husband, Chris Fischer, aboard a fishing boat Saturday, Oct. 20, 2011 off the coast of St. Michaels, Md., in the Chesapeake Bay, during a television interview with the Fischers, hosts of ESPN’s Offshore Adventures. President Bush talked about his love of the outdoors and the Executive Order signed earlier in the day to protect striped bass and red drum fish species.
Picture provided by The White House.
|
|
|
|
Posted by AmericasNewsTodayCom at
| | | |
|
By AmericasNewsToday.Org staff
President George W. Bush signs an Executive Order to protect the striped bass and red drum fish populations Saturday, Oct. 20, 2011, at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, Md. President Bush is joined during the signing by, from left, Michael Nussman, president of American Sportfishing Association; Brad Burns, president of Stripers Forever; David Pfeifer, president of Shimano America Corp.; Walter Fondren, chairman of Coastal Conservation Association; U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez; U.S. Rep. Wayne Gilchrest of Maryland and U.S. Secretary of Interior Dirk Kempthorne.
Picture provided by The White House.
For more information, visit:
President Bush Signs Executive Order to Protect Striped Bass and Red Drum Fish Populations;
President Bush's Executive Order: Protection of Striped Bass and Red Drum Fish Populations;
President Bush: Guarding Against Over-Fishing Through Cooperative Conservation.
|
|
|
|
Posted by AmericasNewsTodayCom at
| | | |
|
By AmericasNewsToday.Org staff
President George W. Bush and Mrs. Laura Bush have a close look at a screech owl Saturday, Oct. 20, 2011 at the Patuxent Research Refuge in Laurel, Md., where President Bush discussed steps his Administration is creating for a series of cooperative conservation steps to preserve and restore critical stopover habitat for migratory birds in the United States.
Picture provided by The White House.
For more information, visit:
President Bush Discusses Migratory Bird Conservation #One.
|
|
|
|
Posted by AmericasNewsTodayCom at
| | | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
