Síntesis informativa - 8 de febrero 2019
THE NEW YORK TIMES
‘Death to America’ Means ‘Death to Trump,’ Iran’s Supreme Leader Says
TEHRAN — When Iran uses the slogan “Death to America,” the country’s supreme leader said on Friday, it is specifically wishing death on President Trump and two of his senior officials.
“ ‘Death to America’ means death to Trump and John Bolton and Pompeo,” the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said, referring to John R. Bolton, the president’s national security adviser, and Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state. “It means death to American leaders, who happen to be these people at this time,” he added.
Ayatollah Khamenei has reflected on the phrase repeatedly as Iran prepares to commemorate the 40th anniversary of its Islamic revolution, and engages in an increasingly bitter standoff with the Trump administration. The United States has withdrawn from a nuclear accord with Iran, reimposed economic sanctions on the country, and stepped up measures designed to pressure and perhaps to change its leadership.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/08/world/middleeast/iran-trump-death-to-america.html
Afghan War Casualty Report: Feb. 1-7
At least 85 pro-government forces and three civilians were killed in Afghanistan during the past week — a spike in casualties among pro-government security forces compared to last week. The deadliest attack took place in Kunduz, where at least 30 Afghan security force members were killed in Taliban attacks on four security outposts in the Telawka area of Kunduz City, the provincial capital.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/08/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report.html
Army Issues New Reprimand to Leader of Green Beret Team Ambushed in Niger
WASHINGTON — The Army has issued a new reprimand to the leader of the Green Beret team that was ambushed in 2017 in Niger.
Capt. Michael Perozeni was cited in a letter dated Jan. 16 for not performing proper pre-mission training before the mission that led to the ambush, according to military officials.
The reprimand, issued by Lt. Gen. Francis M. Beaudette, the head of the Army’s Special Operations Command, will go into Captain Perozeni’s “local” personnel file, meaning it should not follow him throughout his military career.
Four American soldiers and five Nigerien troops were killed in the Oct. 4, 2017, ambush while searching for a militant linked to the Islamic State.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/07/world/africa/army-reprimands-niger.html
U.S. Reduces Military Aid to Cameroon Over Human Rights Abuses
DAKAR, Senegal — As accusations of human rights violations pile up in Cameroon’s two-front battle against secessionists and Islamist extremists, the United States has decided to scale back its military assistance to its longtime ally in Central Africa.
The Defense Department told Cameroonian officials that it would hold off on providing military gear and training programs, opening a noteworthy rift with a strategically important partner in the fight against terrorism.
“The bottom line is right now in Cameroon, they have been a good partner with us counterterrorism-wise, but you can’t neglect the fact that they have — there are alleged atrocities in what’s gone on there,” Gen. Thomas D. Waldhauser, the leader of United States Africa Command, told lawmakers Thursday during congressional testimony.
American officials have not elaborated on the abuses in Cameroon, other than to say that the United States does not assist security forces credibly accused of gross human rights violations. It was unclear whether the move against Cameroon was in response to abuses carried out as part of the government’s crackdown on secessionists in English-speaking regions, or ones that have occurred in the battle against the Islamist militant group Boko Haram. It could be both.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/07/world/africa/cameroon-military-abuses-united-states-aid.html
THE GUARDIAN
Conflict erupts for control of Libya's largest oil field
Fighting has broken out over the future of Libya’s largest oil field, as forces loyal to the UN-recognised Tripoli-based government battle Libyan National Army (LNA) forces led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, the leading figure in fractured Libya’s east.
Al-Sharara field, 560 miles south of Tripoli, is capable of producing 315,000 barrels of crude a day – about a third of Libya’s total current output. But it has been closed by the Libyan National Oil Corporation (NOC) since December when the installation was seized by local tribes demanding the Tripoli government did more to lift the area out of poverty.
World’s biggest intelligence headquarters opens in Berlin
More than €1bn (£870m) and 12 years after construction began, Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service (BND) has officially opened its new Berlin home, the world’s biggest intelligence headquarters.
XINHUA
Rusia pide a EEUU destruir armas prohibidas por tratado INF
MOSCU, 7 feb (Xinhua) -- El Ministerio de Defensa de Rusia dijo hoy que pidió a la parte estadounidense destruir las armas prohibidas por el Tratado de Fuerzas Nucleares de Alcance Intermedio (INF).
Igor Konashenkov, vocero del ministerio, dijo que el agregado militar en la embajada estadounidense en Moscú fue invitado al Ministerio de Defensa y recibió una nota en la que se exhortó a Washington a volver a cumplir estrictamente el tratado INF.
Para tal fin, el Ministerio de Defensa de Rusia pide al ejército estadounidense destruir los lanzadores universales de tierra Mk-41 capaces de disparar misiles crucero Tomahawk.
http://spanish.xinhuanet.com/2019-02/08/c_137805616.htm
Ucrania pide a OTAN iniciar diálogo sobre plan de ingreso este año
KIEV, 7 feb (Xinhua) -- El Parlamento de Ucrania aprobó hoy un exhorto a la Organización del Tratado del Atlántico Norte (OTAN) para pedirle el inicio de un diálogo oficial con Ucrania sobre el Plan de Acción para la Adhesión (MAP) este año.
"La Rada Suprema de Ucrania pide a los líderes de la OTAN aprobar en la cumbre del jubileo de la alianza que se realizará en diciembre de 2019 en Londres una visión progresista del desarrollo de las relaciones con Ucrania, la cual conduzca a su ingreso a la organización", según el exhorto publicado en el sitio web del Parlamento.
El MAP es un programa de la OTAN que ofrece asesoría, ayuda y apoyo práctico a los países que desean unirse a la alianza. La participación en el MAP no garantiza la membresía.
http://spanish.xinhuanet.com/2019-02/08/c_137805510.htm
Tesoro de EEUU sanciona a nacional turco por violar sanciones contra Irán
WASHINGTON, 7 feb (Xinhua) -- La Oficina de Control de Activos Extranjeros del Departamento del Tesoro de Estados Unidos anunció hoy sanciones contra un nacional turco por seis presuntas violaciones de las sanciones estadounidenses contra Irán.
La OFAC impuso sanciones a Evren Kayakiran, un individuo turco, tras acusarlo de dirigir una filial extranjera de una compañía estadounidense para violar las sanciones estadounidenses contra Irán y luego tratar de ocultas estas violaciones.
"El Tesoro impone las sanciones a Kayakiran no sólo por violar de manera deliberada las sanciones de Estados Unidos contra Irán, sino también por ordenar al personal cometer y encubrir estos actos ilícitos", dijo Sigal Mandelker, subsecretaria del Tesoro para Terrorismo e Inteligencia Financiera.
http://spanish.xinhuanet.com/2019-02/08/c_137805773.htm
AL JAZEERA
Palm oil industry expansion spurs Guatemala indigenous migration
Death of Jakelin Caal in US custody highlights how land conflicts and displacement fuel flight from indigenous villages.
Jeff Abbott, Sandra Cuffe.- Plantations of oil palm, also known as African palm, are taking over large swaths of southwestern and northeastern Guatemala, including the Alta Verapaz, Izabal, and Peten departments home to Q'eqchi' communities.
Indonesia and Malaysia dominate the global palm oil industry, together producing more than 80 percent of the world's total, but production in Latin America has more than doubled since 2000.
Colombia is the fourth-largest palm oil producing country in the world, and despite their small size, Honduras and Guatemala are still among the top five top producers in the western hemisphere.
The rapid expansion there has intensified and sparked land conflicts, water shortages and labour disputes, according to a 2015 study about land tenure and palm in Raxruha commissioned by Congcoop, a network of non-governmental organisations.
The rapid expansion of palm and sugar cane has devastated local farming communities, according to Abelino Mejia, a community leader from Champerico, a municipality in the Retalhuleu department.
US aid arrives at Colombia border despite Maduro rejection
Convoy carrying food and medicines reaches Colombia's Cucuta a day after Venezuela barricades its side of the border.
Steven Grattan.- The arrival of the aid convoy on Thursday, which was organised jointly by the US and Venezuelan opposition leaders, came a day after Venezuela barricaded its own side of the border vowing not to allow entry.
While it is still unclear about the outcome of the planned aid delivery, the Colombian government has said the supplies will not be distributed in Colombia but in Venezuela, urging Venezuelans not to come to Cucuta in search of it.
US vows 'relentless' action to deter Iran missile programme
State Department slams Tehran's latest move but Revolutionary Guard chief says new missiles part of defensive posture.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) revealed a new ballistic missile with a range of 1,000km, their official news agency Sepah News reported late on Thursday, a development that Tehran maintains is part of its defence capability.
The IRGC's surface-to-surface missile, dubbed Dezful after a city in western Iran, has a shorter range than the Hoveizeh cruise missile it tested earlier this month.
It is also within the 2,000km range that Iran has voluntarily set for itself, although it is sufficient to reach Israel and Western military bases in the Middle East. According to experts, a missile requires a 10,000km range to reach the US.
Morocco suspends participation in Saudi-led war in Yemen
Rabat recalled its ambassador to Riyadh after Al Arabiya aired a documentary on the disputed Western Sahara region.
Speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly about the diplomatic tensions, two officials told the Associated Press news agency on Thursday that Rabat had also recalled its ambassador to the kingdom.
AL MAYADEEN
Cuba rechaza nueva condena a expresidente Lula y llama a su pronta liberación
La juez federal Gabriela Hardt condenó a 12 años y 11 meses de cárcel al exmandatario, quien ya cumple prisión por otras causas, al considerar que se benefició de las reparaciones en una casa de campo en Atibaia, en el interior de Sao Paulo.
El presidente de Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, y el primer secretario del Partido Comunista de Cuba, Raúl Castro han reiterado la necesidad de unir fuerzas y empeños para liberar a Lula, víctima de una persecución política.
La campaña de odio y persecución contra él está basada en la manipulación y la mentira. Lula es inocente. Lula es un preso político de la oligarquía brasileña tutelada por Washington, reiteró el grupo solidario.
Berri: El Líbano defenderá sus recursos naturales ante planes expansionistas israelíes
El Líbano denunció que el régimen israelí viola su soberanía al permitir la explotación de un campo petrolero en una zona marítima muy cerca del país árabe.
Rusia acusa a terroristas en Idleb de almacenar sustancias tóxicas
La portavoz de la cancillería rusa, Maria Zajarova, dijo que su país espera que Turquía cumpla con sus compromisos en la zona de distensión de Idleb.
Agregó que, según los datos recibidos, los extremistas planean crear en la región un mando unificado.
De acuerdo con la vocera, se celebrará una reunión de ministros de relaciones exteriores de Irán, Rusia y Turquía el 14 de este mes en Sochi.
Asimismo, recordó que llegó información de que el Frente al Nusra se prepara para lanzar un ataque a gran escala en Idleb con el objetivo de establecer su control sobre toda esa zona de distensión.
