BlueHummingbird News - Archive

Archived News Articles: NMD and Foreign Policy

10/26/2001  from USA Today and The New York Times:

                        http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20011026/3572171s.htm
                        Missile-defense tests altered to stay within treaty
                        Ship-based radars won't be used as U.S., Russia pursue 'breakthrough'
                        By Andrea Stone, USA TODAY
                         
                        WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration, in a major policy
                        shift, said Thursday that it will delay parts of two
                        missile-defense tests that would violate the 1972
                        Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and provoke sharp protests
                        from Russia. ...
                         
                        Rumsfeld said the two tests were to have used
                        sophisticated ship-based Aegis radars for the first time
                        to track long-range ballistic missiles. Now the tests
                        will be conducted without the Aegis system. That's
                        because Pentagon lawyers have concluded that tests using
                        Aegis radars, which Navy cruisers and destroyers now use
                        to track aircraft and short-range missiles, would
                        violate the ABM Treaty. ...


                        http://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/26/international/26MISS.html
                        U.S., Awaiting Putin, Delays Missile Tests
                        By THOM SHANKER and DAVID E. SANGER


10/27/2001  Published Saturday, Oct. 27, 2001, in the
                        San Jose Mercury News
                        http://www0.mercurycenter.com/premium/nation/docs/missiles27.htm
                        U.S. affirms commitment to missile plan
                        BY JIM PUZZANGHERA
                        Mercury News Washington Bureau
                         
                        WASHINGTON -- The announcement of a decision to delay
                        missile-defense tests this week has led to speculation
                        that the Bush administration is backing off from its
                        plan to quickly build a national missile shield. But
                        senior administration officials insist that they still
                        intend to scrap the treaty with Russia that prohibits
                        such a shield. ...


10/27/2001  from MSNBC:
                        http://www.msnbc.com/news/631870.asp
                        Armed Pakistanis head for "jihad"
                        At least 5,000 bound for Afghan border on Saturday
                        MSNBC NEWS SERVICES
                         
                        TEMERGARAH, Pakistan, Oct. 27 -   In buses and trucks,
                        pickups and vans, more than 5,000 people rolled out of a
                        northeastern Pakistan village Saturday morning, bound
                        for the Afghan border and vowing to fight a "holy war"
                        against the United States. Meanwhile, a call from
                        hard-line Pakistani Islamic groups for a "million man
                        march" in Karachi to protest U.S. raids on Afghanistan
                        failed to materialize on Friday as about 15,000
                        supporters showed up.
                               THE PAKISTANI MEN who headed for Afghanistan
                        Saturday had massed in Temergarah on Friday night with
                        assault rifles, machine guns, even rocket launchers. A
                        few even carried axes and swords. Their mission, they
                        said: to enter Afghanistan's Kunar province and help the
                        country's ruling Taliban defend against any ground
                        incursions by American troops. ...
                               Organizers said similar-sized groups were massing
                        in other towns across North West Frontier province, an
                        enclave of ethnic Pashtuns with deep ties to neighboring
                        Afghanistan. ...


10/28/2001  from The New York Times:
                        http://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/28/international/28MISS.html
                        Bush Adviser Says Russia Is Warming to U.S. ABM Tests
                        By DAVID E. SANGER and THOM SHANKER
                        October 28, 2001
                         
                        WASHINGTON, Oct. 27 - President Bush's national security
                        adviser, Condoleezza Rice, says Russia's leaders are
                        becoming persuaded that the administration's plans to
                        test a missile defense system are "not actually a
                        threat" to Moscow. ...


10/30/2001  from AP:
                        http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20011029/wl/russia_us_5.html
                        Russia Hints at Missile Talks
                        Monday October 29 6:06 PM ET
                         
                        MOSCOW (AP) - Russia hinted again on Monday it might be
                        ready to discuss changes in the key Anti-Ballistic
                        Missile Treaty which bans the Bush administration's
                        plans to build a defense shield against incoming
                        missiles. ..
                         
                        ``The situation in the world is changing, and our
                        relations with the United States are changing. In the
                        framework of these changes we are ready to discuss new
                        parameters of strategic cooperation,'' Russian news
                        agencies quoted Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov as saying
                        late Monday night. ...
                         
                        ``While this discussion is happening, we believe that
                        the ABM treaty should continue fulfilling the important
                        mission that it has been fulfilling until now,'' the
                        ITAR-Tass and Interfax agencies quoted him as saying
                        after a meeting with Spanish Foreign Minister Josep
                        Pique. ...
                         
                        Ivanov's remarks came after U.S. defense officials said
                        Thursday they were delaying three missile tracking tests
                        that might have been interpreted as violating the
                        treaty, the first time Washington has allowed concerns
                        about the accord to slow its missile defense project. ...


11/4/2001  at the Salt Lake Tribune:
                        http://www.sltrib.com/11042001/nation_w/145940.htm
                        Russian Agrees ABM Pact Is 'Relic of the Cold War'
                        BY DAVE MONTGOMERY
                        KNIGHT RIDDER NEWS SERVICE 
                         
                            MOSCOW -- Russia displayed flexibility toward the
                        United States' position on missile defense Saturday as
                        Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov acknowledged that
                        the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty is a "relic of
                        the Cold War." ...
                         
                            Rumsfeld and the Russian officials said they were
                        not ready to announce a pre-summit agreement. But Ivanov
                        said for the first time that Russia finds some common
                        ground with the United States in viewing the treaty as
                        obsolete.
                            "We often hear that the treaty is hopelessly
                        outdated, a relic of the Cold War. Partially -- I stress
                        partially -- I agree," Ivanov said. "All the fundamental
                        Russian or Soviet-U.S. accords are relics, to some
                        extent."
                            Ivanov also said NATO is "in many ways, a relic."
                            "Russia and the United States now have mutual
                        understanding and the desire to look to the future
                        together," he said.
                            But he added the two countries must "create
                        something different" before scrapping the ABM treaty.
                        Russia has maintained the treaty is the cornerstone of
                        nuclear stability.
                            "Since we are no longer enemies but partners, we
                        should trust each other," Ivanov said. "There are good
                        prospects -- we can move forward faster in such issues
                        as the struggle against terrorism and the reduction of
                        weapons of mass destruction." ...


11/4/2001  from AP at the Lincoln Journal Star:
                        http://www.journalstar.com/nation?story_id=6525&date=20011104&past
                        U.S., Russia hint at arms deal
                        BY JUDITH INGRAM The Associated Press
                         
                        MOSCOW - Top U.S. and Russian defense officials
                        indicated progress Saturday in one area of their talks
                        on arms control - weapons reductions - but signaled no
                        breakthrough on U.S. plans to build a new missile
                        shield.
                         
                        With 10 days to go before a key U.S.-Russian
                        presidential summit, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld
                        met in Moscow with his counterpart Sergei Ivanov and
                        also conferred with President Vladimir Putin.
                         
                        Although a deal on the missile issue appears unlikely,
                        the two ministers stressed the points they have in
                        common and tried to gloss over lingering differences.
                         
                        "Neither Russia nor the United States wants to put too
                        much emphasis on the contradictions between them, and
                        are trying to work where there is agreement," Ivanov
                        told reporters in the Kremlin. ...
                         
                        "The United States wants to move beyond the ABM treaty
                        and establish a new framework for the 21st century,"
                        Rumsfeld said. "We had good discussions as to how we go
                        about doing that." ...
                         
                        "Russia and the United States both understand that we
                        should look into the future together," Ivanov said.
                         
                        While Russia recognizes the United States' right to drop
                        out of the agreement, he said, "we believe it is better
                        to do so when something new is already in place." ...
                         
                        "Today's talks with Putin and Rumsfeld showed we have .
                        . . good prospects here to move forward quickly," Ivanov
                        said.
                         
                        Neither he nor Rumsfeld offered any specifics. However,
                        a senior White House official told The Associated Press
                        earlier that an agreement providing arms cuts of about
                        two-thirds of the arsenal was on the negotiating table,
                        with each country limiting itself to no more than 1,750
                        to 2,250 warheads.
                        Rumsfeld expressed U.S. gratitude for Russia's "fine
                        cooperation" in the anti-terrorism campaign following
                        the Sept. 11 attacks. Ivanov said that he and Rumsfeld
                        had discussed additional, "concrete forms of
                        assistance." ...


11/4/2001  from The New York Times:
                        http://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/03/international/europe/03RUSS.html
                        Russian Seems to Rule Out Chance of Arms Pact at Summit Talks
                        By MICHAEL WINES
                         
                        MOSCOW, Nov. 2 - Russia's foreign minister appeared to
                        rule out today the prospect that President Bush and
                        President Vladimir V. Putin would sign a major
                        arms-control agreement when they meet this month at Mr.
                        Bush's ranch in Texas. ...
                         
                        "There are still many questions which have to be
                        resolved, so at the present moment, it would be
                        premature to say that any accords have been reached,"
                        Mr. Ivanov said. "Things have not yet reached the point
                        of concluding agreements, wide-ranging, large-scale
                        agreements in this sphere." ...
                         
                        Foreign Minister Ivanov, who was in Washington this
                        week, said on Wednesday that arms-control discussions
                        with Secretary of State Colin L. Powell had been "full
                        of content," and that Russia was satisfied with American
                        responses to its suggestions for cuts in nuclear
                        arsenals. ...


11/6/2001  from Reuters:                         http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20011106/wl/arms_russia_usa_dc_1.html
                        Putin Says Russia Flexible on ABM Treaty
                        Tuesday November 6 7:46 PM ET
                         
                        WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin said in
                        an interview released on Tuesday that cutting a deal
                        with the United States on the 1972 Anti-Ballistic
                        Missile treaty would require tough talks but Russia's
                        position was flexible.
                        His comments, due to be broadcast by ABC News on
                        Wednesday, were the latest sign the former Cold War foes
                        could be nearing a historic compromise over U.S. plans
                        for a missile defense and Russian support for the ABM
                        pact that stands in its way.
                        Putin was asked about the ABM treaty, which barred a
                        missile defense on grounds it could stimulate the arms
                        race, as he prepared for a summit with President Bush in
                        the United States Nov. 13-15.
                        ``Well, it's somewhat difficult for me to talk about
                        this with certainty, but I should say the compromise can
                        only be found as a result of very intense
                        negotiations,'' Putin said when asked about the ABM
                        treaty during an interview on ABC's ''20/20'' program.
                        His remarks were translated into English by a Russian
                        interpreter and distributed by ABC.
                        ``Anyway, our position in this is quite flexible. We
                        believe that the ABM Treaty of 1972 is important,
                        essential, effective and useful, but we have a
                        negotiating platform starting from which we could reach
                        agreements. At least I hope so.'' ...


11/6/2001  from Reuters:                         http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20011106/wl/attack_germany_military_dc_4.html
                        Germany Prepares 3,900 Troops for Afghan Campaign
                        By David Crossland
                        Tuesday November 6 2:19 PM ET
                         
                        BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany signaled its ambition to play
                        a more prominent role in world affairs on Tuesday by
                        agreeing to mobilize up to 3,900 troops to support the
                        U.S-led Afghan campaign. The decision, called historic
                        by Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, could lead to the first
                        deployment of German troops in a fighting role outside
                        Europe since World War Two. ...
                         
                        ``The government plans to accede to the request from the
                        United States,'' Schroeder told a news conference,
                        adding he expected parliament to give its approval to
                        make German troops available for one year to the U.S-led
                        campaign. ``The government is confident this package
                        will effectively support the fight against terrorism and
                        meet our alliance commitments,'' Schroeder said. ...
                         
                        Analysts say its conscript-based army, built to defend
                        German soil during the Cold War, is ill-equipped for
                        rapid deployment in foreign troublespots. But it has
                        several highly regarded military units and its
                        German-made Fuchs vehicles, manufactured by Rheinmetall
                        AG, are seen as the best in the world for detecting
                        nuclear, chemical and biological contamination. ...
                         
                        Schroeder's announcement follows his pledge of
                        ``unlimited solidarity'' with the United States. ...
                         
                        Schroeder said the United States had made five requests.
                        It wanted Fuchs units, involving the deployment of up to
                        800 soldiers; 250 medical staff; 100 special forces
                        troops who could take part in ``hit and run'' actions;
                        transport aircraft with 500 personnel; and ships with
                        1,800 sailors to protect shipping. ...


11/6/2001  © 2001 The Washington Post Company
                        http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A27293-2001Nov1.html
                        A Veto Over Presidential Papers
                        Order Lets Sitting or Former President Block Release
                        By Mike Allen and George Lardner Jr.
                        Washington Post Staff Writers
                        Friday, November 2, 2001; Page A01
                         
                        President Bush signed an executive order last night
                        allowing either the White House or former presidents to
                        veto the release of their presidential papers, drawing
                        criticism from former president Bill Clinton and several
                        historians.
                         
                        The order reinterprets the Presidential Records Act of
                        1978, which put the papers of future presidents in the
                        public domain after a court fight over Richard M.
                        Nixon's papers. The act envisioned the release of most
                        sensitive records 12 years after a president had left
                        office.
                        Administration officials said Bush's order was prompted
                        in part by a request for 68,000 pages of records of
                        Ronald Reagan, the first former president whose records
                        are subject to the act. ...
                         
                        White House counsel Alberto R. Gonzales said any
                        decision to withhold documents could be challenged in
                        court, adding that the administration would lose if a
                        decision did not have solid constitutional grounding. He
                        acknowledged that the process could take years. ...
                         
                        Historians said vast troves of documents offering
                        insight into presidential decision-making could be lost.
                        The act applies to the papers of Clinton, Reagan and
                        Bush's father, George H.W. Bush.
                         
                        Many officials of the Reagan and first Bush
                        administrations are back in the White House, and critics
                        contend that the executive order may be motivated by a
                        desire to protect them. A House Government Reform
                        subcommittee headed by Rep. Stephen Horn (R-Calif.) will
                        hold a hearing on the dispute on Tuesday. ...


11/6/2001  from Reuters:
                        http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20011106/sc/un_population_dc_1.html
                        World Facing Disaster as Population Booms -- U.N.
                        By Jeremy Lovell
                        Tuesday November 6 9:15 PM ET
                         
                        LONDON (Reuters) - People are plundering the planet at
                        an unprecedented and unsustainable rate that needs to be
                        curbed quickly to avoid worldwide disaster, the United
                        Nations said Wednesday. ``More people are using more
                        resources with more intensity than at any point in human
                        history,'' the United Nations said in its annual world
                        population report for 2001. ...
                         
                        The report said water was being used and polluted at
                        catastrophic rates. ...
                         
                        Water is already being used at unsustainable rates in
                        many countries, with water tables under some Chinese,
                        Latin American and South Asian cities dropping by more
                        than 3 feet a year and water from seas and rivers being
                        diverted with occasionally disastrous results. ...
                         
                        Vital rain forests are being destroyed at the highest
                        rate in history, taking with them crucial sources of
                        biodiversity and contributing to climate warming,
                        thereby boosting already rising sea levels. ...


11/8/2001  from AP:
                        http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20011108/pl/us_russia_35.html
                        Rice Downplays Hope for Russia Pact
                        By BARRY SCHWEID, AP Diplomatic Writer
                        Thursday November 8 1:25 PM ET
                        WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush's national security
                        adviser, playing down prospects of a new arms control
                        agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin, said
                        Thursday that Bush would move independently to reduce
                        the U.S. nuclear weapons arsenal and to clear the way
                        for an anti-missile shield. ...


11/9/2001  from AP:
                        http://news.excite.com/news/ap/011109/13/-attacks-netherlands
                        Dutch to Contribute Troops
                        Updated: Fri, Nov 09 1:55 PM EST
                        AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) - The Netherlands will
                        contribute at least 1,200 troops to the war on
                        terrorism, the government said Friday, joining Germany
                        and Italy, who agreed this week to send forces. ...


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