Síntesis informativa - 7 de febrero 2019
THE NEW YORK TIMES
Trump Seeks to Reassure Allies on ISIS Fight as Syria Withdrawal Looms
WASHINGTON — President Trump sought to reassure nervous allies on Wednesday that his administration would continue an unrelenting hunt for Islamic State fighters “for many years to come,” even as the United States prepares to withdraw troops from the war zones of Syria and Afghanistan.
Mr. Trump, speaking to international diplomats at the State Department, said he expected to soon announce that the United States and its partners, including Syrian Arab and Kurdish allies, will have reclaimed the last slivers of territory that Islamic State fighters control in Syria.
But the president acknowledged that even after that happens, militants will go underground and continue to pose a serious threat wherever the extremist group operates.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/06/world/middleeast/trump-allies-isis-syria.html
A Desperate Exodus From ISIS’ Final Village
DEIR AL-ZOUR PROVINCE, Syria — The men who emerge from the Islamic State’s last sliver of land are ordered to sit behind one of two orange lines spray-painted on the rocky desert floor: Syrians behind one and Iraqis behind the other.
The women, wearing face-covering veils and clutching toddlers, huddle in a different spot, also separated by nationality.
Several of the escapees are so badly wounded from incoming fire that they have to be carried to this open vista on mattresses to surrender to the American-backed coalition.
By midmorning, United States Special Operations Forces arrive in a convoy of armored vehicles. The men suspected of being Islamic State fighters are ordered to approach in single file, their arms outstretched, as they are searched by troops and a sniffer dog. Then they are fingerprinted, photographed and interviewed.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/06/world/middleeast/isis-baghuz.html
Brazil’s ‘Lula’ Convicted Again of Corruption, Clouding His Political Future
SÃO PAULO, Brazil — Former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil, who was jailed last April on a corruption conviction, was sentenced on Wednesday to nearly 13 more years in a new graft case, making it increasingly unlikely that a man once considered the lion of Latin America’s left would ever recover his political clout.
Mr. da Silva, a two-time president who left office in 2011 with a record-high approval rating, was leading in the polls last year to win another term even after he went to jail. But less than a month before the vote, electoral authorities barred him from running because of the corruption conviction.
In his absence, Jair Bolsonaro, a far-right candidate who vowed to eradicate a culture of corruption that he blamed on Mr. da Silva and his Workers’ Party, surged ahead. He was sworn in on Jan. 1.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/06/world/americas/brazil-lula-convict-corruption.html
Taliban Peace Talks in Moscow End With Hope the U.S. Exits, if Not Too Quickly
MOSCOW — After two days of talks in Moscow, the Taliban and prominent Afghan politicians, many of them former enemies, said on Wednesday that they had charted a broad road map for ending the war in Afghanistan, which is in its 18th year. It is structured around the withdrawal of American forces from the country and the Taliban’s commitment to citizens’ fundamental rights.
Hamid Karzai, the former president of Afghanistan and the leader of the politicians’ delegation, declared the talks a “big achievement” that would help push toward “peace, stability and an Afghanistan free of foreign forces.”
The meeting, at the Kremlin-owned President Hotel, was the first significant public contact between the Taliban and prominent Afghans in years, with the Islamist insurgents presenting more detail on some of their positions, including on women’s rights.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/06/world/asia/taliban-afghanistan-peace-talks-moscow.html
THE GUARDIAN
France recalls Rome ambassador after worst verbal onslaught 'since the war
France blamed what it called called baseless verbal attacks from Italy’s political leaders, which it said were “without precedent since world war two”. In a statement, the French foreign office said: “For several months, France has been the target of repeated, baseless attacks and outrageous statements.”
This week Di Maio met leaders of the gilets jaunes and said: “The wind of change has crossed the Alps.” France said the comment was an unacceptable “provocation”.
'A drastic step backwards': Guatemala considers amnesty for war crimes
Congress will vote this week to reform the national reconciliation law and give absolute impunity for crimes against humanity including genocide, rape and forced disappearance. The law currently exempts only political crimes and has been regarded as a beacon for postwar justice since coming into force alongside the 1996 peace accords.
The new initiative is backed by former army generals angered by a wave of prosecutions that has resulted in the convictions of at least 33 military officers and militia members since 2008. One former guerrilla leader has also been convicted of human rights abuses.
DEUTSCHE WELLE
Armas alemanas en la guerra de Yemen
Amnistía Internacional critica a los Emiratos Árabes Unidos por abastecer a las milicias yemeníes con armamento importado. Las armas proceden de Estados occidentales. También de Alemania.
La reciente visita del Papa Francisco transmitió a la opinión pública una imagen positiva de los Emiratos Árabes Unidos (EAU). Con la recepción del primer pontífice católico en suelo emiratí, los EAU quisieron mostrarse como una confederación de Estados tolerante y pacífica. Pero solo unos días después, la organización de derechos humanos Amnistía Internacional (AI) publicó un informe acusando a los Emiratos de "desviar” armas a las milicias en Yemen. La investigación de AI muestra "que los Emiratos Árabes Unidos están facilitando a las milicias yemeníes, sin ningún tipo de escrúpulos, tecnología armamentística moderna".
Desde el estallido del conflicto en Yemen, algunos Estados occidentales han vendido armas a los Emiratos por valor de al menos 3.500 millones de dólares. Desde marzo de 2015, Yemen está sumido en un conflicto bélico entre los sunitas, quienes reciben apoyo de Arabia Saudita y otros Estados árabes, y los rebeldes chiítas hutíes, apoyados por Irán.
https://www.dw.com/es/armas-alemanas-en-la-guerra-de-yemen/a-47395506
NBC: Veto al uso de la fuerza militar bloquearía apoyo a Guaidó en el Senado de EE. UU.
Según la cadena NBC, aún no habría acuerdo en el Senado de EE. UU. para apoyar a Guaidó debido a que los demócratas exigen prohibir el uso de la fuerza militar.
Los republicanos y los demócratas en el Senado de Estados Unidos no habrían logrado pactar una resolución en apoyo al autoproclamado presidente interino de Venezuela, Juan Guaidó, porque el consenso estaría encallado por el veto demócrata al empleo de fuerzas militares en el país caribeño, según informó este miércoles (6.02.2019) la cadena estadounidense NBC.
Senadores y asesores al tanto de su tramitación explicaron a NBC que la iniciativa en apoyo a Guaidó, de un gran consenso entre los dos partidos, difícilmente se llegará a presentar por la exigencia de los negociadores demócratas de que prohíba explícitamente el empleo de la fuerza militar.
XINHUA
Juncker dice a May que UE no reabrirá negociación sobre "brexit"
BRUSELAS, 7 feb (Xinhua) -- Las conversaciones con la primera ministra británica, Theresa May, han sido constructivas y sólidas, pero la Unión Europea (UE) no reabrirá la negociación sobre el "brexit", dijo hoy jueves en una declaración conjunta el presidente de la Comisión Europea, Jean-Claude Juncker.
Juncker subrayó que el Acuerdo de Retiro representa un compromiso cuidadosamente equilibrado entre la UE y Reino Unido, en el que ambas partes hicieron concesiones significativas para alcanzar un pacto, dice la declaración leída por el vocero en jefe de la Comisión Europea, Margaritis Schinas
http://spanish.xinhuanet.com/2019-02/07/c_137805227.htm
OTAN firma protocolo de acceso con Macedonia
KOPIE, 6 feb (Xinhua) -- La Organización del Tratado del Atlántico Norte (OTAN) dio la bienvenida a Macedonia y los países miembros firmaron el protocolo de acceso, lo que volvió al país seguro permanentemente, dijo hoy el primer ministro macedonio, Zoran Zaev, en redes sociales.
Durante una reunión en la sede de la alianza en Bruselas, los representantes permanentes de los 29 países miembros de la OTAN firmaron el protocolo sobre el acceso de Macedonia en presencia del ministro de Relaciones Exteriores macedonio.
http://spanish.xinhuanet.com/2019-02/07/c_137803272.htm
Vicecanciller ruso desaconseja a EEUU uso de la fuerza en Venezuela
MOSCÚ, 7 feb (Xinhua) -- El viceministro de Relaciones Exteriores ruso, Sergei Ryabkov, desaconsejó hoy jueves a Estados Unidos usar la fuerza para derrocar al Gobierno legítimo de Venezuela.
"Sería un gran error por parte de Estados Unidos", dijo Ryabkov en una conferencia de prensa, y agregó que el uso de la fuerza provocaría más derramamiento de sangre y tendría repercusiones fuera de Venezuela.
Según el alto diplomático, Rusia defiende estrictamente que una injerencia exterior destructiva, especialmente la intervención armada en Venezuela, es el "peor escenario posible".
http://spanish.xinhuanet.com/2019-02/07/c_137805189.htm
Trump nomina a subsecretario Malpass para dirigir Banco Mundial
WASHINGTON, 6 feb (Xinhua) -- El presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, anunció hoy que eligió a David Malpass, subsecretario para Asuntos Internacionales del Departamento del Tesoro, como candidato estadounidense para el cargo de próximo presidente del Banco Mundial.
Trump describió a Malpass como un "hombre muy extraordinario" y dijo que la Casa Blanca emprendió una "amplia búsqueda del reemplazo" de Jim Yong Kim, ex presidente del Banco Mundial que anunció de forma repentina a inicios de enero su renuncia y que dejó el cargo el viernes.
http://spanish.xinhuanet.com/2019-02/07/c_137803537.htm
AL JAZEERA
Top Iraqi scholar rejects Trump's plan for 'US base' in Iraq
US president said this week American forces should stay at a military base in Iraq so Washington can 'watch Iran'.
Both Iraq's president and prime minister have hit back at Trump's statements to US media this week stating American forces should stay at a base in Iraq so Washington can "watch Iran".
Trump apparently was referring to the Al-Asad airbase in western Iraq, where he paid a brief visit to US troops in December. The base hosts American soldiers but belongs to the Iraqi army.
Germany to restrict Facebook's data gathering activities
Antitrust watchdog threatens to impose fines of up to 10 percent of social media giant's annual global revenues.
"In future, Facebook will no longer be allowed to force its users to agree to the practically unrestricted collection and assigning of non-Facebook data to their Facebook accounts," Federal Cartel Office chief Andreas Mundt said in the landmark order on Thursday.
The cartel office objected in particular to how Facebook pools data on people from third-party apps - including its own WhatsApp and Instagram services - and its online tracking of people who are not even members.
That includes tracking visitors to websites with an embedded Facebook 'like' or share button - and pages where it observes people even though there is no obvious sign the social network is present.
US blocks UN Security Council statement on Hebron monitors
Draft statement expressed regret at Israel's decision to end UN mission in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last week he would not renew the mandate of the Temporary International Presence in Hebron (TIPH), accusing the observers of unspecified anti-Israel activity.
The text warned Israel that it has an obligation under international law "to protect the Palestinian civilian population in Hebron" as well as the rest of the occupied territories.
The US, which has long accused the UN of anti-Israel bias and shields its ally from the council's action, moved quickly on Wednesday to block the proposed response.
RT
China races to equal US military might with 4 nuclear aircraft carriers by 2035 – experts
New nuclear aircraft carriers and state-of-the-art carrier-borne fighter jets will join China’s revamped navy by 2035, local military experts say. It’s part of an ambitious push to modernize and overtake the US in the Pacific.
The drive will see Beijing build at least six aircraft battlegroups that will be available for missions on the high seas by 2035. Four of these will be nuclear-powered, Chinese specialists familiar with the program told the South China Morning Post. The experts added that the carriers will also come equipped with electromagnetic catapults similar to the EMALS system used on their US counterparts. This will allow fighters to be launched faster than they were on older diesel-powered vessels.
At present, the Chinese Navy operates only one diesel-powered aircraft carrier, the ‘Liaoning.’ Commissioned in 2012, this was originally purchased half-built from Ukraine following the collapse of the Soviet Union.
https://www.rt.com/news/450875-china-nuclear-aircraft-carriers/
DC hawks, US defense giants race to score profits from INF demise
After the US withdrawal from the milestone Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, military industry giants are already lining up to show their offerings to the Pentagon as top DC officials praise “the beauty of our weapons.”
The US chose to bury the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) which banned the entire class of short- to medium-range nuclear-capable missiles. Russia says the international community has much to lose from ditching the landmark accord, but who would be the winner of a potential arms race?
Top Pentagon officials say they now feel free to develop and test the weapons the treaty had prohibited, and companies like Lockheed Martin and Raytheon apparently have a lot to offer. Meanwhile, some in the US establishment are openly cheering a new arms race, being “guided by the beauty of our weapons.”
https://www.rt.com/news/450874-inf-defense-industry-profits/
Trump vows to defeat all of ISIS ‘next week’… but generals say the fight isn’t over
US Middle East policy is becoming increasingly confusing, as Donald Trump assured his coalition allies that “100 percent” of Islamic State will be defeated “next week.” However, the military has warned it remains a real danger.
Representatives of a 79-member, US-led coalition fighting Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) gathered in Washington on Wednesday, eager to hear Donald Trump’s vision of combating terrorism in the Middle East. The president lavished praise on US troops, but coalition members heard almost nothing that was new.
Further into his speech, Trump claimed that “our coalition partners and the Syrian Democratic Forces have liberated virtually all of the territory previously held by ISIS in Syria and Iraq.” What he forgot to explain, however, is that the predominantly Kurdish SDF is controlling parts of northern Syria – but not the rest of the country.
https://www.rt.com/usa/450863-trump-isis-coalition-syria/
‘Weaponized disinformation’: Pentagon craves new ‘influencing tools’ against ‘enemy propaganda’
US Defense Department officials are pushing for an escalation of “information warfare,” urging the military to think outside the box of traditional conflicts as hysteria over adversaries’ “influence operations” persists.
“Our adversaries have weaponized disinformation and propaganda to their advantage,” warned Andrew Knaggs, deputy assistant secretary of defense for Special Operations and Combating Terrorism, speaking to the National Defense Industrial Association’s Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict symposium.
He emphasized the importance of “controlled messaging and other influencing tools” over the counter-terrorism missions that have been the Pentagon’s bread and butter for the past 17 years, spilling over from one country into the next to the point that the US now has “counterterrorism” missions in 40 percent of the world’s countries.
https://www.rt.com/usa/450852-pentagon-propaganda-irregular-warfare/
AL MAYADEEN
EE.UU. desesperado por robarle el petróleo a Venezuela, afirma Nicolás Maduro
Durante el relanzamiento de la Gran Misión Transporte en Caracas, la capital, expresó que el gobierno está “construyendo 15 barcos, para el transporte fluvial con tecnología y mano de obra venezolana”.
El camino es la independencia tecnológica y la producción nacional, dijo Maduro, cuando subrayó que “Venezuela tiene cómo, y no hay imperio que nos pueda amedrentar en el camino”.
Las perspectivas de una escalada entre Irán y EE.UU.
En algún momento habrá una crisis internacional no creada por Trump, tal vez ahora venga en Ucrania, quizás en El Líbano o de alguna manera incluya a Irán. Jarrett Blanc, miembro del equipo de negociación estadounidense con Irán sobre el acuerdo nuclear durante el gobierno de Obama, expresa a Al Mayadeen su preocupación por el hecho de que la administración de Trump no haya mejorado su capacidad de formulación de políticas y haya respondido a este tipo de crisis.
