Democratic.net: [RED DEMOCRATICA] CFR.org Daily Brief, September 15, 2009

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

[RED DEMOCRATICA] CFR.org Daily Brief, September 15, 2009

September 15, 2009

View this newsletter as a web page on CFR's website.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

- Iran to meet with world powers.
- President Obama extends Cuba embargo.
- Musharraf: U.S. military aid diverted to defense build up.
- WTO report says protectionism on the rise.

Top of the Agenda: Iran, World Powers to Meet

EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and chief Iranian nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili agreed to the terms of a meeting (Tehran Times) between Iran and the five UN Security Council permanent members plus Germany. The world powers will meet Iranian officials on October 1 to discuss Iran's nuclear program.

A spokeswoman for Solana said the meeting will not be a "formal negotiation," (WSJ) and will not have a set agenda or specific goals. Rather, it will be an opportunity to discuss a proposal Iran presented last week along with other security and development issues.

Solana said the talks would most likely take place in Turkey (Reuters). The predominantly Muslim NATO state has said it would like to help bridge the differences between Iran and the United States.

The United States plans to send Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs William Burns (VOA), the third-ranking diplomat to the meeting.

Analysis
In TIME, Tony Karon says Obama is under pressure to show that "engagement with Iran produces results," but says those results may not materialize this fall.

CFR's Ray Takeyh warns that no Iranian interlocutor would be "sincere and serious about solving the issues" on the table in talks due to the tense domestic political situation.

Background
Iran's nuclear program proposal can be read here.

The recently updated International Atomic Energy Agency report on Iran's nuclear safeguards is available here.

MIDEAST: Mitchell-Netanyahu Meeting

Israeli officials said a meeting today between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. special envoy George Mitchell failed to reach a compromise (Haaretz) on the settlements issue. The United States has pushed for a freeze on Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories as a prerequisite to restarting Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations.

PACIFIC RIM: CCP Leadership

The New York Times reports the governing Chinese Communist Party's next leader, to take power in 2012, may emerge today at an annual policy meeting.

Tibet: Valerie Jarrett, a senior adviser to U.S. President Barack Obama, met with the Dalai Lama (Phayul) in Dharamsala, in northern India. In the meeting, the Dalai Lama said he is committed to engaging China in dialogue (VOA), and does not seek independence for Tibet, according to a spokesman for the National Security Council.

SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA: Musharraf on U.S. Aid

Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf confirmed $10 billion in U.S. military aid to Pakistan during his rule was diverted toward bolstering defenses against India (BBC). The funding was supposed to be used to fight the Taliban.

Sri Lanka: UN Undersecretary-General for Political Affairs B. Lynn Pascoe will visit Sri Lanka for talks (UN News Centre). Pascoe is expected to urge the government to release the nearly 300,000 Tamil civilians who have been detained in camps since the country's twenty-five year civil war ended last May.

A CFR Backgrounder tracks the Sri Lankan conflict.

AFRICA: African Leaders to Meet with President Obama

President Obama will meet with sub-Saharan African leaders (AP) during next week's meeting of the UN General Assembly. The meeting will aim to promote social and economic development in the region, according to U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice.

A CFR Backgrounder looks at corruption in sub-Saharan Africa.

Somalia: A U.S. helicopter raid in southern Somalia reportedly killed Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan (al-Jazeera), a commander of the al-Shabaab militant group. Nabhan, born in Kenya, is believed to have been involved in the 2002 bombing of an Israeli-owned hotel in Kenya that killed fifteen people, and for a failed 2002 attack on an Israeli airplane leaving Mombasa airport.

A CFR Backgrounder profiles al-Shabaab.

AMERICAS: Cuban Embargo Extended

U.S. President Barack Obama extended the U.S. trade embargo (Latin American Herald Tribune) against Cuba for another year. The Trading with the Enemy Act bans U.S. companies from trading with Cuba.

Health Care and Immigration: The Washington Post reports on intensifying tensions on Capitol Hill as the battle surrounding health care reform has become tied to the debate over illegal immigration.

Venezuela: U.S. State Department spokesman Ian Kelly told reporters the United States is "concerned" about Venezuela's arms deal (Universal) with Russia and ties between Tehran and Caracas. Kelly called on Venezuela to be "transparent" and "clear about the purposes" of its weapons purchases.

EUROPE: Airplane Bomb Plotters Sentenced

A UK court sentenced three British Muslims with life in prison (Guardian) for their involvement in a 2006 plot to blow up transatlantic flights using liquid bombs. The men were convicted of planning to attack seven planes and kill more than 1,500 people.

Norway: Preliminary projections show Norway’s center-left Labor Party-led government will likely win in parliamentary elections (Reuters) held Monday. Final results are due today.

TRANSNATIONAL: WTO Report on Protectionism

A new World Trade Organization (WTO) report says there has been an increase in protectionist economic policies (WSJ) around the world. The WTO said member governments have broken pledges to abstain from protectionism.

The report is available here.

Non-proliferation: Ahead of next week's UN General Assembly meeting, the United States distributed a new draft resolution (Politico) on nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation to the permanent Security Council members, which includes a measure in which states with nuclear capabilities pledge not to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear states.

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