Zone 3- Euro-Americas Summary Week # 109

Week # 109 - Dated 28 February- 6 March, 2010
WESTERN EUROPE
The U.S. and Europe say they share U.N. fears that Tehran may be secretly working on developing nuclear missiles, expressing support last week for new sanctions if Tehran continues to defy Security Council demands. Their comments reflected the International Atomic Energy Agency's change in tone under new director-general Yukiya Amano in its assessment of Iran's nuclear ambitions.
Dutch anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders returned to Britain last week, seizing the media spotlight and stirring up protest after winning a local election in the Netherlands. Wilders flew in to London to show his anti-Islam film "Fitna," a 15-minute short which associates the Muslim holy book, the Quran, with Islamist terror.
Two women who refused to go through a full-body scanner citing religious reservations were barred from boarding a flight at Manchester Airport.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said last week that he would block private groups from launching war crimes prosecutions against visiting foreign dignitaries, following a controversy inflamed by an arrest warrant for former Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni. Meanwhile at an Iraq inquiry Brown stated that Britain's backing for the US-led invasion of Iraq was "the right decision... for the right reasons,". He faced a backlash over his testimony to the public inquiry as ex-military chiefs questioned his claims that the army was adequately funded.
Meanwhile NATO's chief said that Afghanistan will serve as a prototype for future civil-military cooperation in handling crises in other weak or failing nations.
Greece announced painful new austerity measures last week, winning approval from the European Union as it tries to snuff out a financial crisis that threatens Europe's economy.

SOUTH-EAST EUROPE
According to media reports authorities have complained to the European Commission (EC) about an influx of Albanians from Macedonia and southern Serbia.
Albania’s Opposition Socialist Party (SP) leader Edi Rama said Friday (February 26th) that his party is again leaving parliament and threatened large public protests unless Prime Minister Sali Berisha agrees to open the ballot boxes of the June 2009 general elections.
About 500 people protested in front of a Romanian government building last week, demanding the resignation of Foreign Minister Teodor Baconschi. In public remarks on February 11th, he connected the ethnic minority to crime, on the basis of physiology.
European Parliament (EP) President Jerzy Buzek on Wednesday (March 3rd) backed Bulgaria's efforts to join the Schengen area and the Eurozone.
RUSSIA & THE BALKANS
As the NORDSTREAM Gas Pipeline project being built under the Baltic Ocean to carry gas directly from Russia to Germany has been modified at Poland's request so that it does not endanger shipping in the region.
Slovakia has adopted a law to crack down on income from crime and corruption, a frequent feature of Slovak politics, ahead of a June election.
Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych met with his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev last week. One issue on the agenda included convincing Russian authorities to lower gas prices for Ukraine in exchange for a gas transit association consisting of Ukraine, Moscow and European member states. Around 80 percent of the Russian gas bound for Europe runs through Soviet-era pipelines in Ukraine currently.
A Latvian hacker, by the name Neo, has issued a call for rebellion against “fat cat” officials after stealing millions of Latvian government tax records to expose the salaries of several senior bureaucrats.
During a meeting between French and Russian Premiers last week some agreements have been reached including the sale of four French Amphibious Assault Ships to Russia, the largest-ever arms sale by a NATO member to Russia, and a massive contract of Russian natural gas to France. Meanwhile in a sign of strain Russian pilots working in Iran have been asked to leave the country as their services are no longer required.
According to the Federal Customs Service, Russia's foreign trade surplus rose to $15.7 billion in January from $9.1 billion in the same period a year ago. Meanwhile the government last week unveiled a plan to invest almost 20 billion dollars over the next decade to transform the embattled Russian car industry into a major global player. Some 584 billion rubles (19.6 billion dollars) of state funds will be invested in the car industry to 2020.
U.S., British and French soldiers will march on Moscow’s Red Square to commemorate the defeat of Nazi Germany 65 years ago. Russia’s Western allies against Adolf Hitler in World War II have confirmed their participation in the annual May 9 parade. Meanwhile Human rights activists and allies of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin have attacked plans by the city of Moscow to allow portraits of Soviet leader Josef Stalin to be displayed during the commemorations.
US/CANADA
President Obama, beginning his final push for a health care overhaul, called last week for Congress to allow an “up or down vote” on the measure, and sketched out an ambitious timetable for his party to pass a bill on its own within weeks.
The US Army chief of staff, General George Casey, told lawmakers last week that it was time to review the rules that bar women from ground combat in light of how women have served in the two wars. His comments came as the military unveiled plans to lift the ban on women serving in submarines, an all-male bastion that navy officers once insisted could never change.
A small group of U.S. lawmakers unveiled legislation last week to withdraw from the North American Free Trade Agreement in the latest sign of congressional disillusionment with free-trade deals.
Turkey says it is recalling its ambassador to the U.S. for consultations following a resolution declaring the killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks around the time of World War I genocide.
LATIN AMERICA
Argentina received unprecedented support from Latin America in condemning Britain for exploring oil near the disputed Falkland Islands, which could give the South American nation a boost as it presses the issue with the United Nations. Meanwhile Argentine President Cristina Fernandez is trying to use billions of dollars in foreign reserves to help pay debt this year, but a court decision last week upheld a freeze on Fernandez's bid to transfer some $6.6 billion from the country's foreign reserves into a fund managed by the Treasury.
The Spanish government last week gave the green light for the extradition to Argentina of a former senior police officer on charges of human rights violations during the Latin American country's 1976-83 military dictatorship.
Argentine Foreign Secretary Victorio Taccetti in a meeting with Federal Minister for Environment Hameed Ullah Jan Afridi has reaffirmed hopes of strengthening good relations between the two nations.
Mexico and Brazil are set to begin formal talks over a possible free trade agreement between Latin America's two biggest economies. Meanwhile Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva during a trip Haiti has called all creditor countries and agencies to write off the nation’s external debt hence allowing new loans to finance its post quake reconstruction. Later Da Silva also made an unexpected trip to Chili in a show of solidarity with the nation.
Hillary Clinton visited Brazil last week. Clinton's visit is a preparation for the first visit of President Barack Obama to Brazil, which is expected to occur in the second half of this year.
Meanwhile some 90 million people in Brazil are to be vaccinated against A/H1N1 flu in a nationwide campaign to start later this month.
Americans have been advised against traveling to Mexico where shootouts have left slain 19 people over three days.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said last week that he is willing to hold talks with his Colombian counterpart, Alvaro Uribe, on easing tensions between the South American neighbors.
Meanwhile according to a statement by the Spanish foreign minister, Venezuela has pledged to cooperate with a Spanish court that accuses the South American nation's government of collaborating with Basque separatist militants and Colombian rebels.
AUSTRALASIA
According to a recent poll Australia's Labor government has lost the lead it has held over the conservative opposition since coming to power in 2007.
Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said last week that some of the recent attacks against Indian students in Australia were "racist" and that the country would have to work hard to repair its image. Meanwhile according to officials Australian school children will now learn more about the country's Aboriginal history and relations with Asia in the country's first national curriculum. §

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