Karzai, Petraeus Visit South Afghanistan

Gen. David Petraeus, left, the top commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, and U.S. Ambassador Karl Eikenberry listen to Afghan President Hamid Karzai as he talks to Afghans in Argandab district of Kandahar province, south of Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, Oct. 9, 2010. (GettyImages)

 

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October 09, 2010 (KATAKAMI) — Afghan President Hamid Karzai and top U.S. General David Petraeus are visiting the southern province of Kandahar, where coalition forces are engaged in a major operation against the Taliban.

U.S. Ambassador Karl Eikenberry also is accompanying the Afghan president, who is expected to meet with tribal elders Saturday to rally support for his government and for international forces.

NATO and Afghan troops are trying to drive the Taliban out of its southern stronghold with a military offensive called Operation Dragon Strike.

In another development, the British Foreign Ministry says a British aid worker kidnapped in Afghanistan was killed by her captors during a rescue attempt.  Linda Norgrove and three Afghan colleagues were abducted September 26 in the eastern province of Kunar.

Foreign Secretary William Hague expressed “deep sadness” in a statement Saturday confirming Norgrove’s death.

Also, a spokesman for Italy’s Defense Ministry, General Massimo Fogari, says four Italian troops were killed and another was wounded in an attack in western Afghanistan.  He said the soldiers’ convoy was first struck by a roadside bomb, before insurgents attacked with gunfire.

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said he was saddened by the “tragic ambush.”

Italy has about 3,400 soldiers in Afghanistan, deployed mostly in the west.

On Friday, a bomb blast at a mosque in northern Afghanistan killed 13 people, including the governor of Kunduz, Mohammad Omar, who frequently spoke out against the Taliban and had escaped at least two previous attempts on his life.

VOICE OF AMERICA (VOA)

Indonesian Playboy editor arrested to serve sentence

 

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October 09, 2010 (KATAKAMI) — The former editor of Indonesian Playboy, Erwin Arnada, has been arrested on the island of Bali.

Police had been looking for Mr Arnada, who ignored orders to surrender after being sentenced to two years in jail for indecency in August.

He had first been tried in 2007 and cleared of all charges.

Islamist groups forced Indonesian Playboy to close down after only a few issues in 2006.

The Islamist Defenders Front (FPI), a hardline Muslim group in Indonesia, had said Mr Arnada was a “moral terrorist”, and the group criticised the authorities for failing to track him down.

South Jakarta chief prosecutor Mohammed Yusuf said Mr Arnada had ignored three orders to turn himself in.

“We picked him up from Bali today to fly him to Jakarta”, Mr Yusuf said on Saturday.

Mr Arnada’s acquittal in 2007 was seen as a victory of freedom of the press in Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation where Islamist extremists launched violent protests when the magazine appeared in 2006.

But the FPI and other Islamist groups lodged an appeal with the Supreme Court, which found him guilty of public indecency after publishing a handful of issues of Indonesian Playboy, which contained no nudity.
“We are being forced to act by the FPI as a plaintiff in this case”, Mr Yusuf said on Saturday.
The Indonesian parliament passed a controversial anti-pornography law in 2008, which was backed by Islamist groups.

But the law also prompted protests across Indonesia, particularly on the predominantly Hindu island of Bali – a favourite destination for tourists.

BBC

President Obama’s Weekly Address: Strengthening Education, Not Cutting It

President Barack Obama ( White House Photo, Samantha Appleton, 10/8/10)

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October 09, 2010 (KATAKAMI / WHITE HOUSE.GOV) — The other day, I was talking about education with some folks in the backyard of an Albuquerque home, and someone asked a question that’s stayed with me. He asked, if we don’t have homes to go to, what good is an education? It was a heartfelt question, one that could be asked by anyone who’s lost a home or a job in this recession.

Because if you’re out of work or facing foreclosure, all that really matters is a new job. All that really matters is a roof over your head. All that really matters is getting back on your feet. That’s why I’m fighting each and every day to jumpstart job-creation in the private sector; to help our small business owners grow and hire; to rebuild our economy so it lifts up a middle class that’s been battered for so long.

But even as we focus on doing all that; even as we focus on speeding up our economic recovery; we also know that when it comes to jobs, opportunity, and prosperity in the 21st century, nothing is more important than the quality of your education. At a time when most of the new jobs being created will require some kind of higher education; when countries that out-educate us today will outcompete us tomorrow, giving our kids the best education possible is an economic imperative.

That’s why, from the start of my administration, we’ve been fighting to offer every child in this country a world-class education – from the cradle to the classroom, from college through a career. Earlier this week, I announced a new Skills for America’s Future initiative that will help community colleges and employers match what’s taught in the classroom with what’s needed in the private sector, so we can connect students looking for jobs with businesses looking to hire.

We’re eliminating tens of billions of dollars in wasteful subsidies for banks to administer student loans, and using that money to make college more affordable for millions of students. And we’ve launched a Race to the Top in our states to make sure our students, all of them, are graduating from high school ready for college – so we can meet our goal of graduating a higher proportion of students from college than any other country in the world by 2020.

And yet, if Republicans in Congress had their way, we’d have a harder time meeting that goal. We’d have a harder time offering our kids the best education possible. Because they’d have us cut education by 20 percent – cuts that would reduce financial aid for eight million students; cuts that would leave our great and undervalued community colleges without the resources they need to prepare our graduates for the jobs of the future.

Now, it is true that when it comes to our budget, we have real challenges to meet. And if we’re serious about getting our fiscal house in order, we’ll need to make some tough choices. I’m prepared to make those choices. But what I’m not prepared to do is shortchange our children’s education. What I’m not prepared to do is undercut their economic future, your economic future, or the economic future of the United States of America.

Nothing would be more detrimental to our prospects for success than cutting back on education. It would consign America to second place in our fiercely competitive global economy. But China and India aren’t playing for second. South Korea and Germany aren’t playing for second. They’re playing for first – and so should America.

Instead of being shortsighted and shortchanging our kids, we should be doubling down on them. We should be giving every child in America a chance to make the most of their lives; to fulfill their God-given potential. We should be fighting to lead the global economy in this century, just like we did in the last. And that’s what I’ll continue fighting to do in the months and years ahead. Thanks, everybody, and have a nice weekend.

To restart peace talks, Israeli, Arab leaders look for compromise

Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas (left) listens to Qatari foreign minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani during a meeting of the Arab League yesterday. Photograph: Khaled Desouki/AFP/Getty Images

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October 09, 2010 (KATAKAMI) — Israeli and Arab leaders Friday continued to search for a compromise that would allow peace talks to continue this weekend, but both sides acknowledged that the current negotiations were making no progress.

As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought consensus within his Cabinet, possibly for a brief extension to the expired settlements freeze, the Arab League announced it was drafting alternative plans for continuing the peace talks.

“We will meet to formulate the beginning of alternatives within the framework that the negotiations are not bearing fruit,” said Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa, after a meeting Friday in Libya.

Anonymous officials quoted in the Arab news media said Arab countries would allow up to one month to search for alternatives, effectively delaying a decision amid international pressure for the peace talks to press forward.

The Arab League had been expected to vote on the position of Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas to suspend the talks until Israel agreed to freeze all construction in the West Bank settlements.

Egypt and Jordan had already decided to back Abbas’ position, but Moussa said the Arab League would take more time to continue to find compromises.

“There are no talks at the moment because the position of the Israelis is very, very negative. They are not cooperating in the negotiations,” Moussa said.

The apparent decision by the Arab League represents a small victory for U.S. Mideast peace envoy George Mitchell – buying him time to try to find a way for the direct talks to continue.

Israel’s most recent, 10-month freeze on settlements expired Sept. 26. For much of that time, Israeli and Palestinian leaders held indirect “proximity” talks, mediated by Mitchell.

President Mahmoud Abbas & PM Netanyahu in Washington (September 2, 2010)

Israeli and Palestinian leadership had agreed to start direct negotiations with great fanfare at the White House on Sept. 2.

But the looming end to the settlement freeze cast a shadow over the talks before they got under way. As settlers celebrated the end of the freeze by launching hundreds of building projects in the West Bank, Palestinians confirmed that they would not begin to meet to talk peace until that building stopped.

Settlements have long been a major stumbling block in peace negotiations.

Palestinians see them as a land grab by Israel. Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat has stated repeatedly that it is “pointless” for Palestinians to continue negotiations while settlements continue to expand on land earmarked for a future Palestinian state.

Israel, meanwhile, remains torn on the settlements with a recent poll by the Israeli company Dahaf finding that 54 percent of Israelis support their continued growth. Netanyahu, meanwhile, heads a largely right-wing coalition that is close to the settler movement.

While a number of Israeli lawmakers have spoken out in support of the settlements, few within Netanyahu’s inner Cabinet have agreed to speak publically about the behind-the-scenes negotiations to reach a compromise.

Israeli news media reported that the White House was putting “significant” pressure on Netanyahu, and had offered him a package that would include key security promises in exchange for extending a freeze on the settlements.

“We are considering a number of options at the moment, and are in daily communication with both the U.S. and other parties who want to be involved in the peace process,” said one Israeli official, who spoke anonymously because he was not authorized to discuss the negotiations.

He confirmed that several compromises had been suggested that would institute some form of a freeze on settlement construction for “a limited time.” Abbas has said that a “three- to four-month” freeze would be necessary to “give peace a chance.”

KANSASCITY.COM

Obama signs defense trade deals with UK, Australia

U.S. President Barack Obama speaks during an East Room event October 8, 2010 at the White House in Washington, DC. (Getty Images)

 

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(KATAKAMI / Reuters) – President Barack Obama signed defense industry trade agreements on Friday with close allies Britain and Australia, the White House said.

The pacts, designed to remove bureaucratic barriers and export license requirements between the nations’ defense industries, had been held up in the U.S. Senate after being agreed to by then-President George W. Bush in 2007.

Obama assured British Prime Minister David Cameron during a White House visit in July that he was working hard with the Senate to get the treaty passed, which he said would be good for workers and troops in both countries. The Senate approved the pacts late last month.

Obama calls on China to free Nobel laureate Liu

President Barack Obama (Getty Images)

 

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October 08, 2010 WASHINGTON (KATAKAMI / THE NEWS TRIBUNE) – President Barack Obama is calling on China to quickly release Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo.

Hours after Liu was awarded the prize Friday, Obama said in a statement that Liu “has sacrificed his freedom for his beliefs.” He called Liu “an eloquent and courageous spokesman for the advance of universal values through peaceful and nonviolent means.”

Last year China sentenced Liu to 11 years in prison on subversion charges after he co-authored a document calling for greater freedom.

Obama says China has made dramatic progress on economic reform, but “this award reminds us that political reform has not kept pace.”

Obama, who received the peace prize last year, said many of the recipients over the years have “sacrificed so much more” than himself.

Obama's National Security Adviser Stepping Down

 

 

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WASHINGTON (Oct. 8) — Gen. James Jones, President Barack Obama’s national security adviser, is stepping down and will be replaced by his top deputy Tom Donilon, two senior administration officials told The Associated Press on Friday.

Obama will announce the change in a Rose Garden ceremony on Friday with both men. Jones’ resignation will take effect in two weeks.

The move, though expected, is the latest high-profile departure among Obama’s leadership team. Chief of staff Rahm Emanuel left just last week, and the president is expected to see more change at the top as Obama’s tenure nears the two-year mark and the grinding pace of the White House takes a toll.

Jones, who retired from active duty in February 2007 after more than 40 years of uniformed service, had planned all along to leave the national security adviser’s post within two years, said one official. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the president had not yet announced the decisions.

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Dalai Lama congratulates fellow Nobel laureate

The Dalai Lama waves after his arrival in Passau September 21, 2010  (Reuters/Michael Dalder)

 

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October 08, 2010. (KATAKAMI / Reuters) – Exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama offered his congratulations to Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo for winning the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, calling on the government to release him and other jailed activists.

“Awarding the Peace Prize to him is the international community’s recognition of the increasing voices among the Chinese people in pushing China towards political, legal and constitutional reforms,” the Dalai Lama said in a statement on his website (www.dalailama.com).

“I have been personally moved as well as encouraged by the efforts of hundreds of Chinese intellectuals and concerned citizens, including Mr. Liu Xiaobo in signing the Charter 08, which calls for democracy and freedom in China.”

Liu helped organise the “Charter 08” petition which called for sweeping political reforms and was modelled on the Charter 77 petition which became the rallying call for the human rights movement in communist Czechoslovakia in 1977.

“I believe in the years ahead, future generations of Chinese will be able to enjoy the fruits of the efforts that the current Chinese citizens are making towards responsible governance,” the Dalai Lama added.

“I would like to take this opportunity to renew my call to the government of China to release Mr. Liu Xiaobo and other prisoners of conscience who have been imprisoned for exercising their freedom of expression,” he said.

Beijing was furious when the Dalai Lama won his Peace Prize in 1989, the year of the Tiananmen Square crackdown on pro-democracy protesters by Chinese authorities.

China accuses the Dalai Lama of fanning a violent campaign for separatism. He denies China’s charges against him, and says he only seeks more meaningful autonomy for Tibet through purely peaceful means.
Chinese Communist troops marched into Tibet in 1950. The Dalai Lama fled in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule, and has since campaigned for self-rule from exile.

 

Russia to Refund Iran for Canceled Missile Deal

Cypriot President Dimitris Christofias (R) welcomes Russia’s President Dmitry Medvedev during their meeting in Presidential palace in divided capital Nicosia, Cyprus, on 07 Oct 2010 (Getty Images)

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October 08, 2010 (KATAKAMI / VOA) – Russian officials say the country plans to reimburse Iran, after Moscow canceled the sale of an air defense missile system to Tehran. The announcement comes as the Russian president is on a one-day state visit to Cyprus.

In the scope of a $800 million contract brokered in 2005, Russia was obliged to send Iran at least five S-300 missile systems.

But last month, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev banned the sale of the missile systems following United Nations sanctions against such arms sales.

The U.N. imposed the sanctions in June for Iran’s refusal to stop enriching uranium.

Mr. Medvedev also outlawed the sale of tanks, aircraft and sea vessels to Iran.

The proposed deal caused alarm in the United States and Israel as the S-300 can track 100 targets at once and fire on aircraft up to 75 miles away.

Possession of S-300 systems would have also boosted Iran’s defense of its nuclear facilities against attack from the air.

The news comes on the heels of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s first ever state visit by a Russian leader to the Republic of Cyprus.

Security was high in the capital, as the Cypriot government views this visit of crucial importance and a chance to display their strong ties with a superpower.

Government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou told VOA News that Russia and Cyprus will sign fifteen agreements during the visit ranging from a tax treaty to healthcare and tourism deals.

“It is very significant; I would say its very historic official visit. Russia is a very significant country in the world; it’s a permanent member of the Security Council and very important country for Cyprus regarding the political and economic aspect of our relations,” he said.

Ties between the two countries are strong with more than 10,000 people of Russian origin living and working in Cyprus. The island is one of the largest foreign investors in the Russian economy.

“The Soviet Union at that time was one of the first countries that recognized the Cyprus republic, and since then the bilateral relations between the two countries are at a very good level,” said Stefanou.

Thousands of offshore companies registered on the island are Russian, which re-invest profits, taxed at a lower rate in Cyprus, back into Russia.

Cyprus is also a big foreign destination for Russian money, receiving $16.6 billion since 1991.

“The investments of Russians in our country are very high, so the financial aspect of the visit is very significant as well. So, and politically and financially the official visit of Mr Medvedev is very important for our country,” Stefanou added.

The Russian president, who is accompanied by a multi-party delegation, leaves the island Thursday night.

Israel Signals Settlement Compromise to Save Talks

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a meeting at the city hall of Lod near Tel Aviv October 7, 2010. (Getty Images)

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Oct. 8 (KATAKAMI) — Israel signaled that a compromise may be reached in a dispute over settlement construction in the West Bank that threatens to derail U.S.-brokered peace talks with the Palestinians.

Incentives offered by the Obama administration to Israel may allow Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to push through his Cabinet a limited renewal of the 10-month freeze on West Bank settlement construction that expired last month, Israel’s ambassador to the U.S. said

“The U.S. has come back to Israel with a number of suggestions, incentives if you would, that enable the government to maybe pass a limited extension of two or three months,” Ambassador Michael Oren told the Washington Post.

The Palestinians have threatened to pull out of the peace talks if Israel continues to build in West Bank settlements. Netanyahu said on Oct. 4 that he was in “sensitive diplomatic contacts” with the U.S. administration to find a solution to the crisis that would let the talks continue. Israel’s partial halt of building in settlements expired Sept. 26.

The start of peace talks has seen an increase in violence. Israel said its army today killed two members of Hamas that it suspected of involvement in an attack near a West Bank settlement in August that left four Israelis dead. The military wing of Hamas, the Al-Qassam Brigades, vowed to avenge today’s killings “by all possible means.”

Temporary Extension

Palestinian leaders from President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah movement who are conducting the talks with Israel have indicated a willingness to accept a temporary extension of the building moratorium. Arab League chief Amre Moussa said in an interview that Arab foreign ministers will today renew a demand for a construction freeze.

Abbas remains adamant that the talks, which began on Sept. 2, can’t proceed while settlement construction continues, Moussa said. “This is everybody’s position,” he said. “We’re not against negotiations but we’re not just doing it for show.”

Abbas will brief Arab ministers today in the town of Sirte, Libya. The group will include representatives from Qatar, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.

“We want a freeze of all settlement activities and then we can get as quickly as possible to completing the first part of an agreement, on borders and security,” Palestinian negotiator Nabil Shaath said in a phone interview. Once agreement is reached on the borders of a future Palestinian state, it would “end the issue of settlements,” as Israel would then be able to build freely in all areas under its sovereignty, Shaath said.

‘Playing Games’

Shaath said Israel was currently “playing games” and “bargaining for goodies from the Americans.”

Netanyahu will bring a proposal to his Cabinet on Sunday to change the citizenship oath to include swearing allegiance to Israel as a Jewish, democratic state, an Israeli official said Oct. 6. The oath will only apply to non-Jews seeking citizenship.

The loyalty oath is a key demand of Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who leads Yisrael Beitenu, the second-biggest party in Netanyahu’s coalition, and has threatened to block a renewal of the freeze. Lieberman lives in a West Bank settlement.

The change is aimed at easing Lieberman’s opposition, said Uri Dromi, a government spokesman under the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.

“It is tactically good for Netanyahu to keep Lieberman in the coalition,” Dromi said. “In a cynical way, this thing, which is a major issue on a constitutional level and should have been discussed in the most serious way, is now rushed to the table to serve a political emergency.”

Lieberman Backing

Lieberman welcomed Netanyahu’s proposal, and said that stressing Israel’s Jewish and democratic nature was essential after incidents such as the participation of an Israeli Arab parliament member in a Gaza Strip-bound aid flotilla in May. The ships attempted to breach an Israeli blockade on the Hamas- controlled territory. Parliament’s House Committee has recommended lifting the lawmaker’s immunity from prosecution.

Eyal Gabbay, director general of Netanyahu’s office, said on Army Radio yesterday that there was “no connection” between the peace talks and the proposed change to the oath.

 

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Oprah Winfrey introduces her students to Obama

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London, Oct 08 (KATAKAMI) – Chat show queen Oprah Winfrey thrilled her students from her academy in South Africa when she introduced them to U.S President Barack Obama.
The talk show host launched the Leadership Academy for Girls near Johannesburg eight years ago to improve education for local youngsters.

And she has shown the project is still close to her heart by jetting a group of 63 students to the States to visit leading universities including Harvard and Stanford, reports the Daily star.

Winfrey even used her influence to arrange a visit to the White House to meet the president before throwing a party for the group at her estate in Santa Barbara, California, according to the Montecito Journal.

 

 

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Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo wins 2010 Nobel Peace Prize

Imprisoned Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo has won the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize “for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China”

 

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Imprisoned Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo won the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday “for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China”, the Norwegian.
Nobel Committee said. Known for joining student protesters on hunger strike in 1989 only days before the army crushed the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy movement, Liu has frequently infuriated Chinese authorities with his criticisms of China’s one-party rule.

A former professor of literature, Liu received an eleven-year prison sentence in December 2009 for campaigning for political freedoms, including publishing online texts that were critical of China’s government. Liu’s was found guilty of “inciting subversion of state power.” The verdict was condemned by rights groups and the governments of the US and various European countries.

The dissident is well known for helping organise the Charter 08 petition, which demanded major reforms.  It was inspired by the Charter 77 petition that was a fundamental text in the human rights movement in communist Czechoslovakia in 1977. “The Chinese people have endured human rights disasters and uncountable struggles”, reads the Charter 08 text, which Liu was one of the first to sign.

A history of clashes with Chinese government

Liu has a history of clashing with the Chinese government. In 1989 he was fired from Beijing Normal University and served 20 months in prison following his participation in the Tiananmen protests. From 1996 to 1999, he spent three years in a “labour re-education” camp for having called for sweeping political reforms and the release of imprisoned Tiananmen protesters.

On June 3, 2008, the 19th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square events, Liu was interviewed by FRANCE 24. Following the interview, Liu said he was interrogated by Chinese police about the interview.

Liu was suggested for the prize by dissident playwright and former president of Czechoslovakia Vaclav Havel, and by the rights group International Pen.

Reacting to news of the prize on Friday, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Fu Ying warned that relations between China and Norway would be hurt by Liu’s prize.

Imprisoned Chinese dissident Hu Jia, also known for his political activism, was considered one of the favourites for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2008. In the end, it was former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari who received the prize.

Karzai Reaches Out to Taliban in New Afghan Peace Council

Afghan President Hamid Karzai, center, speaks during the inaugural session of Afghanistan’s new peace council in Kabul, Afghanistan, 7 Oct. 2010 (AP)

 

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October 08, 2010 (KATAKAMI) — Afghan President Hamid Karzai used the anniversary of the start of the war in Afghanistan to open the inaugural session of a peace council appointed to help reconcile with the Taliban and other militant groups.

President Karzai offered peace to the Taliban nine years to the day after U.S.-led forces began their effort to topple the group’s government in Kabul.

Mr. Karzai opened the 70-member council meeting.

The Afghan leader said he hoped the High Council for Peace will make the desire of peace and stability a reality for the nation. He said Afghanistan’s reconstruction and development are linked to peace and stability.
The council includes former Taliban officials as well as past Afghan presidents, civilian and religious leaders.
President Karzai made a special appeal to members of the Taliban in their main language, Pashto.

He called again on opposition forces, the Taliban and any Afghan citizen inside or outside of the country to use the opportunity to forge peace.

The U.S. government has expressed support for Mr. Karzai’s long-standing efforts to negotiate peace with the Taliban.

For months, there have been scattered reports that the Karzai administration has been involved in secret talks with the militant group. But the Taliban leadership officially has dismissed the possibility of reconciliation until foreign forces leave the country.

Afghan political analyst Wadir Sapai says he believes that the Taliban will accept a timeline for a coalition withdrawal only if the Afghan government meets its other basic demands, which include government recognition of the Taliban as a legitimate political group with sovereignty within its regional strongholds.
Sapai says the Taliban inadvertently finds itself with allies in the current Afghan government, who are echoing its call for changes to the country’s constitution.

“Even the opposition of the present government also wants this amendment, which would be a parliamentary regime with a prime minister and limited authorities for the president,” he said.

Sapai says that a lack of trust in the Afghan government contributes to the belief that Afghanistan has lost more than it has gained after nine years of war.

“Afghanistan has lost in the security sphere, in the economic sphere, in the political sphere and also in the nation building,” he added. “Afghanistan has not gained anything for society, nothing for the peace [and] nothing for the region.”

This year has been the deadliest of the war, with more than 560 foreign troops killed. More than 2,000 foreign troops have died since 2001. As coalition and Afghan forces push deeper into Taliban-controlled territory in the south, analysts warn that the number of causalities will increase.

VOA

US, South Korean Diplomats Discuss Power Shift in North

US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell, right, speaks to the media after meeting with South Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Jae-shin, left, in Seoul, 7 Oct. 2010.

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October 07, 2010 (KATAKAMI) — A top-ranking U.S. diplomat says Washington and Seoul need to “remain in lockstep” to respond to any developments on the Korean peninsula. Kurt Campbell’s meetings with South Korean officials come as Pyongyang shows signs that preparations for a power transfer are under way.

Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell repeated the U.S. position that Pyongyang needs to improve relations with Seoul before international talks about dismantling North Korea’s nuclear weapons programs can resume.

“The first step, as we’ve said, has to be re-engagement between North Korea and South Korea, Campbell said. “I think we’re also looking for a clear and demonstrable commitment on the part of the North Koreans to fulfill their commitments that they have made on denuclearization in 2005.”

North Korea has recently suggested several levels of talks with South Korea.

Campbell spoke Thursday following talks with South Korean diplomats that he says focused on last week’s party congress in North Korea. The rare conference gave powerful posts to Kim Jong Un, the youngest son of absolute leader Kim Jong Il. The posts apparently are to prepare him to succeed his father.

Official North Korean media Thursday reported the younger Kim attended a concert with his father. It is the second reported public appearance this week for the young man, who until recently was almost never seen.

South Korea’s Unification Minister says the move toward a power succession in Pyongyang adds to uncertainties about what is happening in North Korea.

Earlier this week, a South Korean presidential security advisor termed the nuclear threat from the North to be at an “alarming level.”

Recent satellite photos suggest North Korea may be preparing to restore some operations at its Yongbyon nuclear complex.

The reactor, which produced weapons-grade plutonium, was shuttered three years ago under an international agreement. North Korea has since renounced the deal and threatened to resume operations. Last year, the reclusive impoverished country said its uranium enrichment experiments were in the final stages. Enriched uranium is used for weapons.

There have been on and off negotiations, involving both Koreas, China, the United States, Japan and Russia, since 2003 concerning the North’s nuclear weapons programs.

The two Koreas remain technically at war since their civil war halted in 1953 without a peace treaty.

Relations between the two governments have been tense for more than a year. They worsened further in late March when a South Korean naval vessel exploded and sank. An international investigation blamed a North Korean torpedo. Pyongyang denies any responsibility and rejects Seoul’s repeated demand it apologize for the sinking as a prelude to improving ties.

VOA

Photostream : Russian President Dmitry Medvedev meets Cypriot President Dimitris Christofias

Cypriot President Demetris Christofias (2nd L) walks with his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev at the presidential palace in Nicosia October 7, 2010. (Getty Images)

Russia’s President Dmitry Medvedev, left, looks on as Cypriot President Dimitris Christofias, second left, shakes hands with Russia Foreign minister Sergey Lavrov, right, after a review of the military guard of honor before their talks at Presidential palace in divided capital Nicosia, Cyprus, Thursday, Oct. 7, 2010. Medvedev is in Cyprus for a two-day official visit. (Getty Images)

Cyprus’ President Dimitris Christofias (R) welcomes his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev at the presidential palace in Nicosia October 7, 2010. Medvedev arrived in Cyprus on Thursday for a day long visit expected to highlight growing business ties with the Mediterranean island, already one of Russia’s most important investment partners. (Getty Images)

 

Cyprus‘ President Dimitris Christofias (R) meets his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev at the presidential palace in Nicosia October 7, 2010. Medvedev arrived in Cyprus on Thursday for a day long visit expected to highlight growing business ties with the Mediterranean island, already one of Russia’s most important investment partners. (Getty Images)

 

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