Síntesis informativa - 8 de octubre 2019
THE NEW YORK TIMES
Top Secret Russian Unit Seeks to Destabilize Europe, Security Officials Say
First came a destabilization campaign in Moldova, followed by the poisoning of an arms dealer in Bulgaria and then a thwarted coup in Montenegro. Last year, there was an attempt to assassinate a former Russian spy in Britain using a nerve agent. Though the operations bore the fingerprints of Russia’s intelligence services, the authorities initially saw them as isolated, unconnected attacks.
Western security officials have now concluded that these operations, and potentially many others, are part of a coordinated and ongoing campaign to destabilize Europe, executed by an elite unit inside the Russian intelligence system skilled in subversion, sabotage and assassination.
When ‘Get Out’ Is a President’s National Security Strategy
WASHINGTON — President Trump is once again pursuing a national security strategy at odds with the official position of his government, ordering a pullback of American forces just inside the Syrian border. It is a move that his own senior advisers have warned would risk new chaos throughout the region.
Syrian Rebels See Chance for New Life With Turkish Troops
GAZIANTEP, Turkey — Amid the criticism over President Trump’s Syria policy, there is one former American ally that has welcomed his decision to pull back Kurdish-led forces and allow Turkish troops to create a safe zone in northern Syria: the rebel Free Syrian Army.
Ensconced in several small enclaves of Syria near the Turkey border that are protected by Turkish forces, the Free Syrian Army (now named the National Army) is ready to deploy 14,000 soldiers as ground troops for Turkey in such an operation, Yousuf Hammoud, a spokesman, said on Monday.
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THE GUARDIAN
Trump's shock Syria retreat reverberates as Turkish troops mass
Kurdish forces in Syria have said the fate of tens of thousands of suspected Islamic State fighters and their families is uncertain, after US forces began a sudden withdrawal from the Turkish-Syrian border, leaving their Kurdish allies to face the prospect of a Turkish invasion alone.
The threat of a Turkish offensive marks the end of a US-Turkish arrangement established in August that saw troops from both countries carrying out joint patrols in a ‘safe zone’ along the border keeping Turkish and Kurdish forces apart. That scheme was under strain however, as Turkey wanted to establish military outposts deeper inside Syria and resettle non-Kurdish Syrian refugees in the designated safe zone. Those demands were opposed by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
After a furious political backlash from US conservatives, in which Trump was accused of betraying the Kurdish fighters who look the lead in defeating Isis, the Trump administration insisted that the US had not endorsed a Turkish offensive.
During the campaign against Isis, the SDF did the bulk of the ground fighting to defeat Isis in Syria, losing 11,000 troops in the grinding battle. The senior ranks of the organisation are dominated by members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has fought a four-decade guerilla war against the Turkish government.
US blacklists 28 Chinese companies and government agencies over Uighur repression
The US Commerce Department said on Monday it was putting 28 Chinese public security bureaus and companies – including video surveillance company Hikvision – on a US trade blacklist over Beijing’s treatment of Uighur Muslims and other predominantly Muslim ethnic minorities.
Those added to the so-called “Entity List” include the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region People’s Government Public Security Bureau, 19 subordinate government agencies and eight commercial firms, according to a Commerce Department filing. The companies include Zhejiang Dahua Technology, IFLYTEK Co, Xiamen Meiya Pico Information Co and Yixin Science and Technology Co.
Brazil’s uncontacted tribes face 'genocide' under Bolsonaro, experts warn
The alert came after one of the country’s leading experts on isolated and recently contacted indigenous people was abruptly dismissed from Brazil’s indigenous affairs agency, with no reason given.
Bruno Pereira, who this year successfully led the biggest expedition in decades to contact a voluntarily isolated indigenous tribe, was fired last week. No reason was given, but the move has been interpreted as another step in Bolsonaro’s campaign to strip back protections from the country’s indigenous people.
Experts say that under Bolsonaro, violent land invasions have increased significantly. According to a recent report by Brazil’s Indigenous Missionary Council, 153 indigenous territories had been invaded since January – compared with 76 last year.
Last week, Bolsonaro’s mining minister, Bento Albuquerque, announced that draft legislation to allow mining and agriculture on indigenous lands should be ready later this month.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/oct/07/brazil-bolsonaro-tribes-genocide-expert-warning
Ecuador: indigenous protesters paralyze roads in fifth day of anti-austerity unrest
The umbrella indigenous organization Conaie said demonstrations would continue until President Lenín Moreno withdraws last week’s measure to eliminate fuel subsidies.
“More than 20,000 of us will be arriving in Quito to demand that the government overturn the decree,” the Conaie president, Jaime Vargas, told a news conference, saying that mobilization would coincide with a national strike planned for Wednesday.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/oct/07/ecuador-anti-austerity-protests
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XINHUA
China urges U.S. to stop interfering in internal affairs
BEIJING, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- A Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Tuesday urged the U.S. side to stop interfering in China's internal affairs, after the U.S. Department of Commerce announced that it would add 28 Chinese organizations to its entity list.
"Xinjiang affairs are purely China's internal affairs and brook no interference from any country," spokesperson Geng Shuang said at a press briefing. Geng said that the United States' actions of adding 28 Chinese governmental and commercial organizations to the Entity List and constricting the export of items severely violate the basic norms governing international relations, interfere in China's internal affairs and undermine China's interests.
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-10/08/c_138456303.htm
Syria rejects Turkish military offensive in north region
DAMASCUS, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Syria's Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad said Tuesday that the Syrian government will defend all Syrian areas and will not accept any form of occupation by foreign forces. Mekdad made the remarks in reference to the Turkish military campaign against the Kurdish forces in Kurdish-controlled areas in northern and northeastern Syria, said pro-government al-Watan news website on Tuesday.
This stance comes as Syria's national TV said Monday evening that Turkish forces targeted positions of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northern and northeastern Syria.A day earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Ankara was ready to launch military operations against the People's Protection Unit (YPG) and its allies of the SDF in the east of the Euphrates in northern Syria "at any moment."
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-10/08/c_138456321.htm
Chinese envoy calls for advancement of Belt and Road Initiative
UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Monday called for the joint advancement of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) for sustainable development."We should advance together the building of the Belt and Road (Initiative) to achieve high-quality development," said Wu Haitao, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations.
The Belt and Road Initiative focuses on development, emphasizes the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, pursuits open, green and clean cooperation, and commits to high-standard cooperation to improve people's lives and promote sustainable development, he told a meeting of the Second Committee of the UN General Assembly, which is responsible for economic and financial affairs.
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-10/08/c_138454761.htm
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AL JAZEERA
Turkey-Syria border: All the latest updates
Turkey readies for push against Kurdish-led forces in northeastern Syria after the US pulls troops from the region.
The Turkish military is preparing to launch a long-threatened incursion into northeastern Syria to remove Kurdish-led forces from the border area and create a "safe zone" to return some 3.6 million Syrian refugees living in Turkey..
The SDF, led by the Kurdish People's Protection Group (YPG) militia, has denounced Washington's move as a "stab in the back".
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/10/turkey-syria-border-latest-updates-191008131745495.html
Iraq protests: All the latest updates
Iraq must enact reforms after deadly crackdown on mass protest movement, President Barham Salih says.
Iraq has been rocked by days of protests, as thousands of mostly young men have been demonstrating in different parts of the country against corruption, unemployment and poor public services.
Iraqi authorities reopened Baghdad's fortified Green Zone which houses key government offices and foreign embassies.
The zone was reopened after "successful negotiations" between the prime minister's office and protesters, in which promises were made to fulfill demonstrators' demands, the Iraqi News Agency reported.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/10/iraq-protests-latest-updates-191004085506824.html
Uighur rights: US blacklists Hikvision, China security bureaus
China is urging the US to 'correct its mistakes', saying it will continue to protect its sovereignty and security.
The United States government has expanded its trade blacklist to include some of China's top artificial intelligence startups, punishing Beijing for its treatment of Uighur Muslims and other predominantly Muslim ethnic minorities and ratcheting up tensions ahead of high-level trade talks in Washington this week.
The move by the US Commerce Department targets 20 Chinese public security bureaus and eight companies, including video surveillance firm Hikvision, as well as leaders in facial recognition technology SenseTime Group Ltd and Megvii Technology Ltd.
Being added to the "Entity List" bars companies or other entities from buying parts and components from US companies without approval from Washington.
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AL MAYADEEN
Ecuador: Lenín Moreno traslada sede de gobierno a Guayaquil, en las calles siguen las protestas (+Fotos)
El presidente de Ecuador, Lenín Moreno, decidió trasladar la sede del gobierno de Quito a Guayaquil, donde también se llevan a cabo marchas desde el pasado 3 de octubre, cuando entró en vigencia, por decreto, la eliminación del subsidio a la gasolina extra y el diésel, una de las medidas más rechazadas por las actuales protestas populares en el país.
Cuando se cumplen seis días de movilizaciones, varias ciudades del país sudamericano viven momentos de tensión porque en las calles se exige el fin de las reformas tributarias y laborales consideradas neoliberales, mientras el ejecutivo insiste en que no habrá marcha atrás en las disposiciones.
El Estado de Excepción, declarado por el mandatario por 60 días y limitado a 30 por la Corte Constitucional, cuando los movilizados insisten en permanecer en las calles hasta la derogación de la disposición de liberar los precios de los combustibles, que ya provocó alzas en las tarifas del transporte público y en alimentos de la canasta básica.
Estados Unidos considera retirarse del Tratado de Cielos Abiertos
“Este tratado ha proporcionado una importante transparencia militar para sus 34 países firmantes desde que entró en vigor en el 2002. La retirada estadounidense solo beneficiaría a Rusia y sería perjudicial para los intereses de seguridad nacional de nuestros aliados y socios”, se lee en la carta, cuyo texto fue publicado por la oficina de Engel.
“El Tratado de Cielos Abiertos permite a Estados Unidos y nuestros aliados y socios en Europa monitorear los despliegues militares rusos. Los vuelos de observación en virtud del Tratado han generado información adicional sobre la acción militar rusa en Ucrania”, comentó.
Trump amenaza con destruir la economía de Turquía si excede los límites permitidos en el norte de Siria
El presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, anunció que le dijo a Turquía que enfrentará una devastación de su economía si hace algo inhumano en el norte de Siria, y anunció en un discurso que él fue elegido como presidente sobre la base de su deseo de devolver a los soldados estadounidenses a casa y negarse a permanecer en guerras interminables.
Por su parte, el Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Turquía, en un comunicado, dijo que Ankara está decidida a limpiar el este del Éufrates de "terroristas" y el establecimiento del "área segura" para proteger su presencia garantizar la seguridad, la paz y la estabilidad de Siria.
Un alto funcionario estadounidense en la Casa Blanca anunció que la decisión del presidente Donald Trump de retirar las tropas estadounidenses estacionadas en Siria cerca de la frontera turca incluye solo a unos 100 soldados de las fuerzas especiales "que serán transferidos a otras bases" dentro de Siria.
