Síntesis informativa - 6 de febrero 2019
THE NEW YORK TIMES
Trump Asks for Unity, but Presses Hard Line on Immigration
WASHINGTON — President Trump delivered a message of bipartisan unity on Tuesday night in his first address to Congress in the new era of divided government, but signaled that he would continue to wage war for the hard-line immigration policies that have polarized the capital and the nation.
In a nationally televised speech that toggled between conciliation and confrontation, Mr. Trump presented himself as a leader who could work across party lines even as he pressed lawmakers to build a wall along the nation’s southwestern border that leaders of the newly empowered congressional Democrats have adamantly rejected.
How a Name Change Opened the Door to NATO for Macedonia
The days of the Republic of Macedonia are numbered.
On Wednesday, the small southeast European nation was formally invited to join NATO. To enter the military alliance, the country, at the insistence of its neighbor Greece, agreed to change its name to the Republic of North Macedonia.
While the modification may seem minor, it followed years of confrontations between Macedonia and Greece, a NATO member that had used its veto power to keep its northern neighbor from joining the alliance. Greece, which has a northern territory also called Macedonia, saw the country’s use of the name as a historical affront.
Macedonia’s path toward NATO is a setback for Russia, which has tried to assert itself after having lost sway in Eastern and Central Europe following the fall of Communism. The Kremlin is especially concerned about the Balkans, a region it still considers within its historical sphere of influence.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/06/world/europe/macedonia-nato.html
In Moscow, Afghan Peace Talks Without the Afghan Government
MOSCOW — Thirty years after the last Soviet troops retreated from Afghanistan, Russia on Tuesday reasserted itself as a player in the region, hosting talks between the Taliban and senior Afghan politicians aimed at speeding the exit of another superpower — this time the United States.
The talks, held in Moscow’s President Hotel, which is owned by the Kremlin, offered a clearer view of how the Taliban see an end to the 18-year war. In a room dripping with chandeliers, more than 50 delegates — many in flowing robes, some in Western suits and ties, and nearly all old and sometimes violent rivals — faced each other across a large, circular conference table.
While the Afghan politicians, part of a delegation led by former President Hamid Karzai, spoke of protecting the hard gains of the past two decades, the Taliban denounced a new Afghan Constitution that lays out a system of governance built at enormous cost.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/04/world/asia/afghanistan-taliban-russia-talks-russia.html
U.S. Military Commander Warns That Islamic State May Quickly Regroup
WASHINGTON — The Islamic State could stage a resurgence in Syria once the Pentagon withdraws its troops, the head of the United States Central Command told a Senate panel on Tuesday in a bleak warning that President Trump’s assertions of victory may be fleeting.
The commander, Gen. Joseph L. Votel, who oversees military operations in the Middle East, also told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the Islamic State still controlled around 20 square miles of territory in Syria. That is a steep drop from the group’s pinnacle of 34,000 square miles in 2014 and has been used by the president to bolster his case that American troops and their allies have largely defeated the militant Sunni extremist group.
Mr. Trump has indicated that he is ready to declare victory in Syria, a war that was featured in his State of the Union address on Tuesday night.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/05/world/middleeast/isis-pentagon.html
THE GUARDIAN
State of the Union: Donald Trump attacks Mueller and Democrats in divisive speech
In wide-ranging remarks to a joint chamber of Congress on Tuesday night that lasted more than 80 minutes, Trump appealed to two areas of his base supporters by reasserting his vow to build a wall on the southern US border with Mexico, and urging lawmakers to ban late-term abortions.
Trump’s speech came at a critical moment. Halfway into his term, having just suffered serious losses in November’s congressional elections and after prompting the longest government shutdown in US history, Trump had hoped to strike a new tone with his calls on Congress to come together over infrastructure projects and his trade deal with Canada and Mexico.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/feb/05/donald-trump-state-of-the-union-bipartisan-unity
Russia plans land-based intermediate missiles in two years
In instructions to his ministry on Tuesday, Sergei Shoigu called on the military to adapt existing technology to develop a land-based cruise missile and hypersonic missile that would previously have been banned by the intermediate-range nuclear forces (INF) treaty.
Shoigu on Tuesday told his ministry to develop the new weapons by adapting existing missiles to be launched from land. The INF specifically limited land-based missiles, a condition that Russia has claimed was advantageous to the United States.
“Ground-launched modifications of sea- and air-launched missiles will significantly cut the production period of new missile systems and reduce the production budget,” Shoigu said, according to remarks carried by Russian state news agencies.
They include a nuclear-capable cruise missile called Kalibr, which Russia has launched in repeated naval strikes at Syria since 2015. The missile, which has an estimated range of at least 2,500km (1,550 miles), could reach most of continental Europe and the UK if stationed in western Russia or the Kaliningrad region. Russian news agencies have reported that the country is working on an extended-range version that could travel 4,500km (2,800 miles).
DEUTSCHE WELLE
Letonia busca un tratado internacional tras fin del pacto INF
El ministro de Relaciones exteriores de Letonia pidió este martes (06.02.2019) acciones diplomáticas a largo plazo para alcanzar un nuevo acuerdo sobre misiles de alcance medio, tras el fin del histórico tratado INF entre Rusia y Estados Unidos.
El país aliado de la OTAN apoyó la decisión de Estados Unidos de abandonar el acuerdo sobre las fuerzas nucleares de alcance intermedio (INF, Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces) heredado de la Guerra Fría, estimando, como Washington, que un nuevo sistema ruso de misiles violaba el pacto de 1987, pero pidió un nuevo tratado en su lugar.
https://www.dw.com/es/letonia-busca-un-tratado-internacional-tras-fin-del-pacto-inf/a-47377866
Macedonia firma el protocolo de adhesión a la OTAN
De esta forma, el país balcánico se encamina a convertirse en el socio número 30 de la organización. El protocolo deberá ser ratificado por los parlamentos nacionales de los Estados miembro.
Macedonia firmó este miércoles (06.02.2019) el protocolo de adhesión a la OTAN, un paso clave en el camino hacia la adhesión a la organización tras resolver su disputa con Grecia sobre el nombre del país.
El canciller macedonio, Nikola Dimitrov, y los representantes de todos los países miembros firmaron este protocolo en la sede de la OTAN en Bruselas.
https://www.dw.com/es/macedonia-firma-el-protocolo-de-adhesión-a-la-otan/a-47387379
UAE siphoning Western arms to Yemen militias accused of war crimes: Amnesty
Amnesty International has accused the UAE of providing Western arms to militias accused of committing rights abuses. Several European countries are accused of violating their own laws on arms exports
The United Arab Emirates is diverting arms supplied by Western countries to "unaccountable militias accused of war crimes" in Yemen, Amnesty International said Wednesday.
"Emirati forces receive billions of dollars' worth of arms from Western states and others, only to siphon them off to militias in Yemen that answer to no-one and are known to be committing war crimes," Amnesty said in releasing (https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2019/02/yemen-uae-recklessly-supplying-militias-with-windfall-of-western-arms/)
Since 2015, Western states have supplied the UAE with at least $3.5 billion (€3 billion) worth of arms.
Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Czechia, France, Germany, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the UK and the USA are among countries that have recently sold weapons to the UAE, according to Amnesty.
XINHUA
Canciller ruso insta a diálogo entre Gobierno y oposición de Venezuela
DUSHAMBE, 5 feb (Xinhua) -- Moscú considera que sólo las conversaciones directas entre el Gobierno y la oposición de Venezuela pueden preparar el camino para lograr una solución a la crisis en el país, dijo hoy el ministro de Relaciones Exteriores de Rusia, Sergei Lavrov.
"De otra manera, habrá otro cambio de régimen, como muchos en los que Occidente ha intervenido. No ha habido un solo país que se haya beneficiado del cambio de régimen", sostuvo Lavrov ante estudiantes universitarios en Dushambé, capital de Tayikistán.
http://spanish.xinhuanet.com/2019-02/05/c_137801102.htm
Ocurren dos explosiones en Lanao del Norte, Filipinas
MANILA, 5 feb (Xinhua) -- Dos explosiones ocurrieron hoy en poblados en Lanao Del Norte, sur de Filipinas, en la víspera de un segundo plebiscito para ratificar una ley de autonomía en algunas partes de Mindanao, indicó el ejército.
El coronel Alex Aduca, vocero de la brigada del ejército en la provincia, dijo que no se ha reportado ningún herido a causa de las explosiones en los poblados de Lala y Kauwagan.
El 21 de enero, moros y no moros del sur de Filipinas votaron a favor de ratificar la BOL, una ley que allana el camino para la creación de la región autónoma Bangsamoro en Mindanao Musulmana, una región autónoma más extensa para la minoría musulmana y que se espera ponga fin a casi medio siglo de luchas en Mindanao que han causado la muerte a entre 120.000 y 150.000 personas.
http://spanish.xinhuanet.com/2019-02/06/c_137801139.htm
Netanyahu se reunirá con Putin para discutir Irán y Siria
JERUSALEN, 5 feb (Xinhua) -- El primer ministro de Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, dijo hoy que se reunirá con el presidente ruso Vladimir Putin este mes en Moscú para conversar más sobre Siria y la presencia de Irán en el país.
La reunión se llevará a cabo el 21 de febrero, dijo Netanyahu luego de reunirse con el presidente de Austria Alexander Van der Bellen de visita en el país.
De acuerdo con Netanyahu, la reunión será una continuación de las conversaciones entabladas con Putin en París hace tres meses y de una serie de conversaciones telefónicas entre ambos líderes.
http://spanish.xinhuanet.com/2019-02/06/c_137801198.htm
Trump afirma que se reunirá con máximo líder de la RPDC el 27 y 28 de febrero en Vietnam
WASHINGTON, 5 feb (Xinhua) -- El presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, dijo este martes en su discurso sobre el Estado de la Unión que se reunirá con el máximo líder de la República Popular Democrática de Corea (RPDC), Kim Jong Un, los días 27 y 28 de febrero en Vietnam.
Al dirigirse a una sesión conjunta del Congreso celebrada en la Cámara de Representantes, Trump dijo que "como parte de una nueva diplomacia audaz, continuamos nuestro impulso histórico por la paz en la península coreana".
"Queda mucho trabajo por hacer, pero mi relación con Kim Jong Un es buena. El líder Kim y yo nos reuniremos de nuevo el 27 y 28 de febrero en Vietnam", añadió.
El Departamento de Estado de EEUU anunció a primeras horas del lunes que el enviado especial de EEUU sobre asuntos relacionados con la RPDC, Stephen Biegun, viajará a Pyongyang el miércoles para reunirse con su homólogo de la RPDC, Kim Hyok Chol.
http://spanish.xinhuanet.com/2019-02/06/c_137802379.htm
AL JAZEERA
State of the Union: What Trump said on wall, economy, Venezuela
At a critical moment in his two-year presidency, Trump delivers prime-time address calling for cross-party cooperation.
Despite Trump's comments, recent statistics show that irregular immigration has dropped to a 20-year low and that many drug shipments are likely smuggled through official ports of entry.
He also alleged that countless Americans were killed by "criminal illegal aliens", although several studies show that both documented and undocumented immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than US-born individuals.
In a much-anticipated announcement, Trump said he would hold a two-day summit with the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on February 27-28 in Vietnam to try to convince him to give up his nuclear weapons programme.
He also expressed his continued support for Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, who last month declared himself interim president. President Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela has accused Guaido and his allies of staging a coup. Maduro also says the US and other foreign powers are waging an "economic war" aimed at removing him from power.
Also on the foreign policy front, Trump briefly spoke about his plans to withdraw troops from both Syria and Afghanistan and called out Iran for threats against Israel.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/02/state-union-2019-trump-190206033346292.html
US Senate approves anti-BDS bill, slowdown of Syria withdrawal
Senate vote sends the legislation to the House of Representatives where it will likely face renewed debate.
William Roberts.- The legislation authorises $3.3bn a year for 10 years in US military aid to Israel, reauthorises the US-Jordan Defense Cooperation Act and imposes financial sanctions on the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad or companies and banks that do business with Damascus.
The anti-BDS measure "is designed to see that the BDS activity is tamped down and that it is not appropriate to use against our friend, Israel", Risch said.
Critics decried the measure as contrary to the free speech rights of Americans under the First Amendment of the Constitution, which in US jurisprudence has provided protection for people participating in boycotts as a form of political protest.
In addition to supporting Israel, the legislation signals strong sentiment among politicians for continuing the limited US military engagement in Syria. Senior Republican leaders and a number of key Democrats said they want a delay and reevaluation of Trump's order to withdraw US special forces from Syria.
Why turbulent Greek-Turkish ties are likely to worsen
Greece PM Tsipras's visit to Ankara receives criticism at home amid worsening of ties between the two countries.
John Psaropoulos.- In 1923, both Greece and Turkey maintained territorial waters of three nautical miles in the Aegean Sea. Greece extended that to six nautical miles in 1936 and Turkey followed suit in 1964.
As a signatory to the International Law of the Sea, Greece claims the right to extend its territorial waters to 12 nautical miles but has not done so yet.
Because Greece owns thousands of islands, extending its territorial waters would give it possession of almost three-quarters of the Aegean. Turkey has threatened to go to war if that happens.
"The potential for oil under the Aegean in the 1970s led Turkey to dispute the continental shelf of the Aegean and following that, almost all the entire legal regime of the Aegean," said Syrigos.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/02/greek-turkish-turbulent-ties-worsen-190206060438274.html
Iran warns Israel of 'firm' response to air raids in Syria
Israel, which views Iran as its biggest security threat, has repeatedly attacked Iranian targets in Syria.
Israel has sought to avoid direct involvement in the conflict in war-torn Syria, but has acknowledged carrying out dozens of attacks to stop what it says are deliveries of advanced weaponry to its Lebanese enemy Hezbollah.
It has also pledged to prevent its regional rival Iran from entrenching itself militarily in Syria, and a series of attacks that have killed Iranians in Syria have been blamed on Israel.
Saudi Arabia, UAE gave US arms to al-Qaeda-linked groups: Report
CNN says Saudi Arabia and UAE transferred US-made weapons to militias designated by the US as terrorist groups.
Corroborating an earlier report by Al Jazeera, the CNN investigation said that the weapons had also made their way into the hands of Houthi rebels who are battling against the coalition for control of the country.
But according to CNN, the coalition was using US-manufactured weapons "as a form of currency to buy the loyalties of militias or tribes, bolster chosen armed actors, and influence the complex political landscape," local commanders and analysts said.
Abu al-Abbas, the militia's founder, was sanctioned by the US in 2017 for allegedly financing al-Qaeda and the Yemeni chapter of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group.
According to CNN, his group still enjoyed support from the Saudi-led coalition and was absorbed into the coalition-supported 35th Brigade of the Yemeni army.
RT
Venezuela to redirect US oil exports to Europe & Asia
Caracas will do everything possible to minimize effects of US sanctions against Venezuelan energy giant PDVSA on the global oil market, the technical adviser for the state-run firm, Ronny Romero, said.
“Yes, we are facing new illegal sanctions from the US. We were exporting about 500,000 bpd to the US. PDVSA will redirect exports to other customers in Europe and Asia,” he told Sputnik.
Romero, who is Venezuela’s National Representative to OPEC, explained that European and Asian customers should not be afraid to buy oil from the country because Washington’s sanctions apply only to US entities.
https://www.rt.com/business/450787-venezuela-pdvsa-exports-redirect/
Venezuela seizes ‘US weapons shipment’ as Trump vows to support ‘noble quest for freedom’
Donald Trump has expressed full support for the Venezuelan opposition to oust President Nicolas Maduro from power, just as the country’s authorities announced they’d seized a cache of weapons, allegedly delivered from the US.
The US-made weapons were discovered at the storage yard of Arturo Michelena International Airport in the Venezuelan city of Valencia, the Interior Ministry said Tuesday. The stash included at least 19 rifles and 118 magazines, high-caliber ammunition, as well as 90 radios and six mobile phones – and was likely sent from Miami, Florida on Sunday, authorities believe. An investigation to determine the intended recipient of the shipment has been launched.
https://www.rt.com/news/450751-trump-venezuela-weapons-freedom/
Iran vows ‘crushing’ response to Israeli strikes in Syria
Tehran has warned of a “crushing and proportional response” unless Israel stops its bombing campaign in Syria, which, according to Tel Aviv, is aimed only at curbing Iranian influence in the region and its borders in particular.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have been waging an active campaign against alleged Iranian and Hezbollah targets in Syria for years, claiming complete intel and air superiority and full right to protect its national security. Despite “thousands”of Israeli strikes, which a former IDF chief of staff admitted to in December, Iran has yet to openly retaliate – but is open to any options.
“In case of continued acts, the measures foreseen for deterrence and for a crushing and proportional response will be activated to give a lesson to the liar and criminal Israeli rulers,” the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani told Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al Muallem in Tehran on Tuesday.
https://www.rt.com/news/450747-iran-israel-syria-crushing-response/
AL MAYADEEN
Fuerzas yemenitas capturan varias zonas en región de la montaña Al-Qais, en Jizan
Según el ala oficial de los medios de comunicación de las fuerzas hutíes, sus tropas lograron apoderarse de varios sitios dentro de la región de la montaña Al-Qais de la provincia de Jizan, lo que obligó a los efectivos de la coalición saudita a retirarse para evitar ser invadidos.
En este contexto, trascendió un informe exclusivo de CNN que revela que Arabia Saudita y los Emiratos Árabes Unidos supuestamente usaron las armas que les proporcionaron los Estados Unidos como moneda para comprar mercenarios y facciones en el conflicto yemenita.
Ejército sirio intensifica los ataques en el sur de Idleb
Una fuente del Ejército Árabe Sirio dijo que su ataque de este martes se realizó en respuesta a un intento de infiltración durante la noche por Jaysh Al-Izza cerca de la ciudad de Sukeek.
Asimismo, agregó que las fuerzas sirias lograron frustrar el intento de infiltración de Jaysh Al-Izza. En la acción mataron e hirieron a la mayoría de los terroristas que pretendían la infiltración.
