Wednesday, May 20, 2009

[RED DEMOCRATICA] CFR.org Daily News Brief, May 20, 2009



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May 20, 2009

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

- Iran test fires mid-range missile.
- Pakistan's military struggling in Buner.
- Biden travels to the Balkans.
- Lavrov speaks on potential arms reduction treaty.

Top of the Agenda: Iran Missile Launch

Iran's president today announced the successful launch of a surface-to-surface Sajjil-2 missile (PressTV). http://m1e.net/c?101077382-1YcRUGBV.jguk%404263090-1zwxgemjkGCP%2e The BBC says the test, which mirrors a similar missile test Tehran carried out last year, could stoke tensions between Iran and some of its adversaries. http://m1e.net/c?101077382-o/pFFD7ZNg1es%404263091-MdckakO130Sfs The Sajjil-2 is a mid-range weapon capable of striking Israel or U.S. military bases in the Persian Gulf, though Iran said last year that it was testing the weapon for defensive uses (AP). http://m1e.net/c?101077382-IMXCLxiqMvYOI%404263092-VIGZDWEKeJW3Y The test marked an important technological advancement for Iran because the missile used solid fuel--which makes for a more accurate weapon than missiles using liquid fuel, which currently account for much of Iran's arsenal.

The test launch follows diplomatic talks between Israeli and U.S. officials focusing squarely on Iran. U.S. President Barack Obama said in meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he would reassess his policy of trying to engage Iran at the end of the year, depending how negotiations go between now and then. And U.S. CIA Chief Leon Panetta, in a syndicated interview conducted with a political quarterly, cautioned Israel against attacking Iran unilaterally, saying it would "mean big trouble" for Israeli security. http://m1e.net/c?101077382-zUYTh9HpWcrNs%404263093-qVQ8x.ooTaPnM

Background:

- In a recent interview with CFR, Linton Brooks, a senior adviser at CSIS, says Iran poses the most difficult challenge to forging a working international nonproliferation regime. http://m1e.net/c?101077382-vnAEEL3kIbhp6%404263094-S4JHt/msbIOQo

- The BBC has a piece outlining the "slow but sure" advance of Iran's missile program. http://m1e.net/c?101077382-4K3yVsSGTMCIo%404263095-tt/7Mx92UCvr6

MIDDLE EAST: Palestinian Negotiations

In unity government talks between Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah in Egypt, Hamas officials denounced Fatah's current hold on the Palestinian Authority government and said the appointment of a new government in the West Bank could "sabotage" unity talks (al-Jazeera). http://m1e.net/c?101077382-IPtL8Yxcy.Of2%404263096-Pv8.SBfFyldXU

A recent article in Egypt's al-Ahram looks at the same issue, saying Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is in a desperate bid to retain his political viability but that Fatah officials have "failed to cite convincing reasons justifying the need for a new government." http://m1e.net/c?101077382-fzI8K0WlLrbVo%404263097-SAfBbEJmjr6Dg

SAUDI: The Arab News reports Riyadh more than doubled its expenditures on infrastructure for development projects in the first quarter of 2009. http://m1e.net/c?101077382-ydKnHrBdQpEaM%404263098-vAILqFmxEWvDk

PACIFIC RIM: China-EU Talks

Xinhua previews the upcoming China-EU summit in Prague, which was delayed from December following a spat over France hosting the Dalai Lama. http://m1e.net/c?101077382-wg96mU8yJ/VXw%404263099-aKVrk8mq8sHQU

KAESONG: Yonhap reports a senior South Korean lawmaker urged Seoul to pull out of the Kaesong industrial complex project jointly run with North Korea, further complicating South Korean diplomacy following North Korea's recent threats to abandon the project. http://m1e.net/c?101077382-TzAoxzEt40fOo%404263100-0Af4/1L1jU0RY

SOUTH & CENTRAL ASIA: Pakistan's Military

The BBC reports Pakistan's military is struggling to assert control in the district of Buner, despite a massive offensive against Taliban militants there. http://m1e.net/c?101077382-rToEF4Y7/qcHQ%404263101-HAH.FHjyjNWTw

AFGHANISTAN: The New York Times reports U.S.-funded arms may be falling into the hands of the Taliban in Afghanistan. http://m1e.net/c?101077382-Czj8pDlygC/EI%404263102-BZwGJJvEeCRyM

AFRICA: South African Business

Business Day reports a new survey of South African businesses finds that although the global economic climate improved over the last quarter for the first time since 2007, the South African outlook remains gloomy for the near future. http://m1e.net/c?101077382-vgenQJlJAi4NA%404263103-g1l91f3FgRcU%2e

COMOROS: Citizens of the Comoros have voted in a referendum to scale down the country's govnerment and extend the president's tenure (IRIN). http://m1e.net/c?101077382-hRr/SDfS/coVY%404263104-vFaMObpsQVc.o

AMERICAS: Guantanamo Pressure

The U.S. Senate is demanding an action plan for closing the Guantanamo Bay detention facility (WashPost). http://m1e.net/c?101077382-Gwsl52NQQ/Aj.%404263105-nlWjxvE6HF.wk

COLOMBIA: The Colombian senate overwhelmingly voted to hold a referendum for people to decide whether to change the constitution and let President Alvaro Uribe seek a third term (Miami Herald). http://m1e.net/c?101077382-0oN2CLc0rHrAM%404263106-5h1iyIO4lYilI

EUROPE: Biden in Balkans

RFE/RL previews U.S. Vice President Joe Biden's two-day trip to the Balkans, alongside EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, saying Solana hopes it will help reaffirm the European Union's leadership role in the region. http://m1e.net/c?101077382-kH/sDIIKucwvU%404263107-65NtSzp1Zgvzc

ARMS: Russian Foreign Minisetr Sergei Lavrov said any new strategic arms reduction treaty between Russia and the United States would need to be grounded in the principle of creating equal security for both countries (Ria Novosti). http://m1e.net/c?101077382-vP.7404nLXxYI%404263108-pniMGCYhDoMCg

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