Friday, January 09, 2009





Así lo reflejan documentos divulgados este miércoles en la página de Internet de National Security Archive, una organización sin fines de lucro de la Universidad de George Washington

Efe


La CIA y diplomáticos de alto rango de EE.UU. sabían, incluso desde 1994, que las fuerzas de seguridad de Colombia, apoyadas por Washington, utilizaban tácticas de "escuadrones de la muerte" y tenían nexos con los paramilitares.

Así lo reflejan documentos divulgados este miércoles en la página de Internet de National Security Archive, una organización sin fines de lucro de la Universidad de George Washington.

Según el grupo, las fuerzas de seguridad de Colombia cooperaban con grupos paramilitares que a su vez estaban vinculados con el narcotráfico, y que además alentaron la táctica de inflar el "conteo de cuerpos" matando civiles.

La idea era ocasionar el mayor número de bajas a la guerrilla en ese país, según los documentos diplomáticos, militares y de inteligencia recientemente desclasificados por Estados Unidos.

Así, la práctica de "falsos positivos" -o muerte ilegal de civiles que luego son presentados como guerrilleros muertos en combate- es una vieja práctica del Ejército colombiano, agregó Michael Evans, analista del grupo en Washington, en un comunicado sobre los documentos.

Esos documentos "arrojan luz sobre una política -examinada recientemente en un informe del Ejército colombiano aún no publicado- que influyó en la conducta de oficiales militares colombianos durante años, que conllevó a ejecuciones extrajudiciales y colaboración con paramilitares narcotraficantes", dijo el grupo.

Ese informe secreto, agregó, ha contribuido al despido de 30 oficiales del Ejército y a la renuncia del general Mario Montoya como comandante en jefe del Ejército colombiano.

Entre los puntos más destacados por National Security Archive figura el hecho de que, en un cable de 1994, el entonces embajador estadounidense en Colombia, Myles Frechette, ya había condenado la "mentalidad de conteo de cuerpos" que prevalecía entre los oficiales militares.

Frechette dijo entonces, que los oficiales de campo que no podían demostrar logros tangibles en contra de la guerrilla -actividades en las que se registraban la mayoría de los abusos de derechos humanos- "sufrían desventajas a la hora de los ascensos".

En ese mismo año, un informe de la CIA determinó que las fuerzas de seguridad colombianas utilizaban "tácticas de escuadrones de la muerte en su campaña contrainsurgente".

Los oficiales tenían además, según ese informe, un historial de "asesinato de civiles de izquierda en áreas de control guerrillero, colaboración con paramilitares vinculados con el narcotráfico en ataques contra presuntos simpatizantes de la guerrilla, y el asesinato de combatientes capturados".

Según Evans, los documentos divulgados hoy reflejan que el "conteo de bajas" y los "falsos positivos" tienen una historia institucional dentro de las fuerzas de seguridad y, aunque el Gobierno del presidente Álvaro Uribe ha tomado medidas para depurar a las filas militares de oficiales corruptos, claramente no son suficientes.

Agregó que es necesario que el Ejército colombiano haga público su informe sobre el escándalo de los "falsos positivos", como primer paso para promover una mayor transparencia y justicia en Colombia.
National Security Archive divulgó los documentos desclasificados seis días antes de que Uribe reciba, de manos del presidente de EE.UU., George W. Bush, la Medalla Presidencial de la Libertad.

Acusa Marcos a Calderón de pactar con los capos de la droga


ISAíN MANDUJANO


SAN CRISTÓBAL DE LAS CASAS, Chis., 02 de enero (apro).- El subcomandante Marcos, líder del Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional (EZLN), criticó la lucha del combate al narcotráfico que ha emprendido el gobierno de Felipe Calderón, pues asegura que la usa como una estratagema para ocultar el fracaso de sus políticas públicas económicas.

"En el marco del combate al narcotráfico Calderón decidió, apoyado en un bando de narcotraficantes, emprender la guerra contra el otro bando. Violando la Constitución sacó al Ejército a cumplir labores de policía, de Ministerios Públicos, de Juzgado, de carceleros y ejecutor. Pero esa guerra la está perdiendo y lo sabe, cualquiera lo sabe", dijo el subcomandante Marcos al leer su documento "Los Siete vientos en los calendarios de la geografía de abajo".

Al participar en eL Primer Festival Mundial de la Digna Rabia, el líder político-militar del EZLN, señaló que en su guerra contra el narco, "las fuerzas de Calderón tienen el asesinato en su haber de no pocas personas que nada debían, de niños y no natos".

"Con Calderón al frente el gobierno de México va un paso adelante del de Estados Unidos o Israel: él los mata desde que están en el vientre materno", agregó.

Marcos recordó que el presidente Felipe Calderón prometió que iba a utilizar la fuerza de Estado para combatir al crimen organizado pero que cada vez es más evidente que "es el crimen organizado el que dirige la fuerza del Estado".

"Aunque tal vez todo se trate de una inteligente estratagema de Calderón cuyo objetivo sea distraer la atención de la gente ocupada como está el público de la sangrienta guerra contra el narcotráfico puede que no se de cuenta del fracaso de Calderón en sus políticas públicas económicas", atajó el hombre de la pipa y la capucha.

Así como es público el fracaso de la guerra contra el narcotráfico, todo mundo sabe "que la muerte de su pareja sentimental fue un asesinato", dijo en referencia a la muerte de su Secretario de Gobernación, Juan Camilo Mouriño.

Ante unos dos mil 500 asistentes a las mesas de discusión y análisis sobre política en la tercera y últimas parte del Primer Festival Mundial de la Digna Rabia, Marcos criticó la guerra de Isarael contra Gaza y el apoyo de Bush.


Sectarismo


JOSé GIL OLMOS


MEXICO, D.F., 7 de enero (apro).- Un año tardó el subcomandante Marcos en salir de la Selva Lacandona para participar en un acto público, y el día que lo hizo fue para, según él, criticar el sectarismo de Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Nada más paradójico para el dirigente del EZLN, pues una de las críticas que se le ha hecho es precisamente a su intolerancia, la cual ha traído enormes consecuencias negativas al movimiento indígena zapatista.

Los primeros días de enero de 1994, cuando hizo su aparición el Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional en cinco municipios de Chiapas, la figura de Marcos comenzó a destacar de una manera casi natural hasta convertirse en el principal centro de atracción.

Acostumbrados al caudillismo, a su alrededor acudieron muchas figuras de la lucha social, política, académica y religiosa identificadas con la izquierda, buscando revitalizar su discurso con las causas indígenas, una población que hasta entonces estaba marginada no sólo del discurso oficial, sino de la opinión pública y hasta de los programas de acción de la izquierda.

La figura del líder rebelde creció mediáticamente como no se había visto en muchos años a nivel nacional e internacional. Las comparaciones con personajes históricos no se hicieron pasar y Marcos aprovecho el momento para atraer los reflectores. Lo malo es que lo hizo para si mismo y no para el movimiento indígena, el cual quedó supeditado al discurso marquista que se solazaba en si mismo en muchos de sus famosos comunicados.

Así, al mismo tiempo que crecía la figura de Marcos, también comenzó a incrementarse la intolerancia y el sectarismo entre los zapatistas, sobre todo en Marcos y sus seguidores, quienes establecieron aquella vieja consigna "si no estas conmigo, estás en mi contra" aplicándola a rajatabla contra todo aquel que se atrevía a disentir.

La critica surgida al interior del zapatismo contra el protagonismo de Marcos y a su falta de palabra para seguir su propia regla de "mandar obedeciendo", hizo que algunos de sus principales asesores abandonaran el movimiento y que se les acusara de traición. En algunos medios como el diario La Jornada era prácticamente imposible publicar una nota, un reportaje o una crónica donde se informara del disentimiento interno en el EZLN. Las propuestas de información se tomaban como un intento del gobierno por dividir el movimiento.

Pero de esto se aprovecharon precisamente los detractores del movimiento para calificarlo de radical y sectario, mientras que a Marcos lo tildaron de protagonista, autoritario e intolerante. Lamentablemente razones no les faltaron pues, a pesar de que en noviembre de 94, al cumplirse un aniversario del EZLN, el subcomandante Marcos intentó hacer una autocrítica lamentando su protagonismo, en los hechos hizo todo lo contrario.

En las elecciones presidenciales de ese mismo año el EZLN tomó la decisión de boicotear la votación en sus territorios. En una reunión con Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas, el subcomandante Marcos se manifestó en contra del PRD invitando a la población a no participar. El resultado fue todo lo contrario: la gente acudió a las urnas, emitió el llamado "voto del miedo" y ganó Ernesto Zedillo.

En las elecciones federales de 2000 y 2006, Marcos y el EZLN mantuvieron decisiones similares y dejaron en claro su rechazo a los procesos electorales criticando, al mismo tiempo, a todos los candidatos, especialmente a los del PRD: Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas y Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Esta decisión tuvo sus consecuencias, pues muchos de los simpatizantes zapatistas eran militantes del PRD, y al dejar de participar en los comicios provocaron un espacio que fue aprovechado por la derecha.

Con el paso del tiempo, la intolerancia de Marcos fue creciendo al grado de acusar a organizaciones nacionales e internacionales, que durante años le dieron su apoyo y su trabajo, de aprovecharse del zapatismo para su propio beneficio económico. El zapatismo chiapaneco empezó a quedarse solo.

El pasado sábado 3 de enero, el subcomandante Marcos volvió a criticar a López Obrador y al movimiento que se ha gestado a su alrededor; paradójicamente lo tildó de lo mismo que ha adolecido.

"Ningún movimiento en México ha exhibido tal grado de sectarismo, intolerancia e histeria como el hoy encabezado por López Obrador", dijo en el llamado Festival Mundial de la Digna Rabia.

Marcos y López Obrador, en un juego de espejo, sufren los mismos defectos de todos aquellos que caen en el caudillismo. Creen que tienen la verdad y no admiten la crítica. No escuchan otras voces más que las de ellos mismos y se pierden en la soledad de un poder que no llegan a tener de manera absoluta como quisieran.

Contrario a sus pretensiones, con su autoritarismo, intolerancia y sectarismo, con sus acciones voluntaristas, Marcos y López Obrador dañaron los movimientos que encabezaban porque los apartaron del resto de la sociedad, impidiendo que cobraran mayor fuerza al no integrarse a las acciones que otros grupos realizaban exigiendo las mismas demandas.

Hace unos años, allá por 1994, Marcos escribió un famoso comunicado donde, de una manera literaria, explicaba la intención de identificar el movimiento zapatista --cubierto con un pasamontañas-- con la mayoría del pueblo. "Todos somos Marcos", dijo, y muchos respondieron con simpatía.

Por su parte, hace dos años López Obrador encabezó las manifestaciones más grandes del país en protesta a la intención del entonces presidente Vicente Fox de evitar que participara en la elección presidencial de 2006. Muchos lo siguieron hasta que dejo de escuchar.

Hoy vemos que ambos personajes echaron por la borda toda esa fuerza social que en algún momento llegaron a aglutinar y que hoy tanta falta le hace al país para equilibrar el peso que ha ganado el PRI y el PAN y generar el cambio que se necesita.

Thursday, January 08, 2009

DEMOCRACY NOW!


Palestinian Toll Passes 700; Around One-Third Children
Tens of thousands of Palestinians have fled their homes in the southern town of Rafah as Israel intensifies its assault on the Gaza Strip. Palestinians reported dozens of Israeli air strikes overnight, with attacks hitting homes, mosques and tunnels. Earlier today, the UN said Israeli forces fired on one of its relief convoys trying to pick up supplies. Al Jazeera reports at least one Palestinian was killed and two others injured. At least twenty-nine Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks Wednesday, including a family of four traveling in their car in Beit Lahia. The Arabic news channel Al Jazeera reports the Palestinian death toll stands at more than 700 overall, including 219 children. More than 3,000 Palestinians have also been wounded. Ten Israelis have died over the same thirteen-day period, including seven soldiers, four of them by so-called friendly fire.

School Bombing Toll Reaches 46 as Israel Retracts Claim of Militant Fire
Another four Palestinians died Wednesday from injuries sustained in the Israeli bombing of a UN school sheltering Gaza civilians in Jabalya, bringing the death toll to forty-six. Another fifty-five were wounded. UN spokesperson Chris Gunness said Israeli officials have privately retracted their widely cited initial claim that Hamas militants were firing from the school.

UNRWA spokesperson Chris Gunness: “I’ve been authorized to say that the Israeli army, in private briefings with diplomats, is admitting that the firing that came out of Jabalya yesterday, the militant fire, was not from within the UNRWA school compound, it was from outside the UNRWA school compound. This is a crucial distinction, because serious allegations have been made against UNRWA that the militants were firing from within. In fact, those allegations are baseless. It, as far as we’re concerned, illustrates the need for a full and independent investigation. It’s been shown that these allegations against us are completely baseless."

The UN is calling for an independent investigation into the school bombing as a possible war crime.

Red Cross Condemns Israel for Blocking Access to Bombing Site
The International Committee of the Red Cross, meanwhile, has issued a rare condemnation of the Israeli government for blocking it from the site of a deadly bombing of Palestinian civilians. The Red Cross says Israel barred aid workers for four days from reaching victims in the neighborhood of Zeitoun. Israeli soldiers reportedly tried to chase the rescue workers away. When they finally arrived, the workers found fifteen bodies, along with several children still barely alive. The children were lying next to their dead mothers. In a statement, the Red Cross said the Israeli military has “failed to meet its obligation under international humanitarian law to care for and evacuate the wounded,” calling the episode “unacceptable.” Other sources have reported a higher death toll in the Zeitoun attack. The Daily Telegraph of London reports the bombing could have killed between sixty to seventy members of the same family.

Lebanese Militants Fire at Northern Israel
Meanwhile, militants in southern Lebanon have opened fire on Israel, with three rockets hitting the northern town of Nahariya earlier today. Israel responded with mortar fire into Lebanon. No one has claimed responsibility for the firing from Lebanon.

Fighting Suspended for 3-Hour Aid Delivery
Aid workers were given a three-hour halt to the fighting Wednesday to try to deliver desperately needed supplies. But European Commission official Simon Horner said the brief lull doesn’t even meet the bare requirement for delivering aid.

Scott Horner: “Yes, three hours is a bit of a help, but it’s really not even the bare minimum. It’s just a slight assistance that allows inhabitants of Gaza to get out to reach supplies where they’re available inside the Strip, but an awful lot more needs to be done. And ultimately, of course, what we want is a sustained ceasefire, followed up hopefully by a political solution, in order to ensure that the humanitarian needs are addressed as quickly as possible.”

The UN says more than one million Gazans are without electricity or running water.

EU Backs Egyptian Ceasefire Proposal
Israel has continued the Gaza assault despite claiming it’s in “fundamental agreement” with an Egyptian and French ceasefire proposal. The plan calls for an end to the fighting, followed by talks on lifting the economic blockade of Gaza and securing its borders. Israeli officials are expected to travel to Egypt today.

European Union policy chief Javier Solana: “The initiative of President Mubarak, we welcome it and we support it. We were working with him last night and had been well received by Prime Minister Olmert, by leaders of the region, and I hope very much that that will be the stone upon which we can construct a ceasefire that I hope will be coming very soon.”

UN General Assembly to Meet on Gaza Attack
Meanwhile, the United Nations General Assembly will begin a two-day emergency session today over the Gaza attack. General Assembly president and former Nicaraguan foreign minister Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann called the session in response to his reported opposition to the US refusal to authorize a Security Council-backed ceasefire.

Palestinian, Israeli Protesters Condemn Attack on Gaza
Protests continue against the Gaza attack. On Wednesday, more than 1,000 Palestinians gathered in the West Bank city of Hebron. And in Israel, hundreds of Israelis demonstrated in Tel Aviv.

Israeli protester: “I came to protest against what my government is doing in Gaza: killing civilians, children, women, that are stranded in their houses with nowhere to go, with no fuel, no electricity, no water. This is absolutely violation of human rights.”

Jewish Canadian Women Occupy Toronto Israeli Consulate
Meanwhile, in Canada, a group of eight Jewish women were arrested Thursday after staging a sit-in at the Israeli consulate in Toronto. The women were handcuffed, arrested and detained in a police wagon before they were released. The group included the Canadian journalist and activist Judy Rebick. A spokesperson said, “Israel purports to represent all Jews worldwide, and these atrocities are not being committed in our name.”

Senate Dems Reverse Opposition to Burris
On Capitol Hill, Democratic leaders appear to have reversed their opposition to allowing Roland Burris to claim President-elect Obama’s vacated Senate seat. Burris was appointed by the scandal-plagued Governor Rod Blagojevich, who has been indicted on corruption charges. Democratic lawmakers met Burris Wednesday, one day after blocking his swearing-in on the Senate floor. Burris said he expects to take office.

Roland Burris: “So I’m very pleased this afternoon. I’m happy. My whole interest in this experience has been to be prepared, Roland, to represent my great state. And that is my love, that is my desire, and, very shortly, I will have the opportunity to do that as a junior senator from the fifth largest state in this great country of ours.”

Burris is the former Illinois Attorney General. If he is allowed to serve, he would be the only African American in the Senate.

Bush Hosts Obama, Ex-Presidents at White House
Meanwhile, at the White House, President Bush hosted President-elect Barack Obama and three other living US presidents for a rare meeting. Standing next to Bush, his father President George H.W. Bush, President Bill Clinton and President Jimmy Carter, Obama thanked Bush for the gathering.

President-elect Obama: "I just want to thank the President for hosting us. This is an extraordinary gathering. All the gentlemen here understand both the pressures and possibilities of this office. And for me to have the opportunity to get advice, good counsel and fellowship with these individuals is extraordinary, and I’m very grateful to all of them.”

The five then held a private White House lunch, but no details were revealed on their discussion. President Jimmy Carter has been a vocal critic of the Bush administration, calling President Bush “the worst president in history” on foreign policy.

Officer in Oakland Transit Shooting Resigns; 15 Protesters Arrested
And in California, the police officer involved in a New Year’s Day shooting of an unarmed transit passenger has resigned. Officer Johannes Mehserle stepped down just before he was set to be interviewed by investigators. Cell phone videos show Officer Mehserle pulling out a gun and shooting twenty-two-year-old Oscar Grant in the back while he was lying face down on the ground on a subway platform. Grant worked as a butcher at an Oakland grocery store and was the father of a four-year-old daughter. He was buried on Wednesday. Fifteen people were arrested in Oakland Wednesday night after hundreds turned out to protest Grant’s killing.
Faced with losing their fortunes and their status, desperate financiers are being driven to take their own lives
Andrew Clark in New York
guardian.co.uk,
Thursday 8 January 2009 15.49 GMT
One day, they have it all. The next morning, they don't. Sudden, dramatic slumps in fortunes caused by the credit crunch can take a tragic toll on high-flying businessmen accustomed to a life of success.

Germany's fifth richest man, the billionaire industrialist Adolf Merckle, this week threw himself under a train in an act blamed by his family on the "desperate situation" of his business empire, compounded with a sense of uncertainty and powerlessness. Merckle had lost hundreds of millions of euros on a speculative bet in Volkswagen shares.

His act was not an isolated case. There has been a trickle of self-inflicted deaths among financiers struggling to come to terms with heavy losses in a brutal, barely anticipated economic downturn.

At least six documented suicides in the financial industry have been linked to the credit crunch. Experts caution that suicide is never caused by a single factor – underlying mental health problems often play a role, as can substance abuse. But it has become clear that the recession is exacting a human toll.

"Some people have been so successful throughout their lives that they haven't learned through experience how to tolerate loss or failure," says Lanny Berman, executive director of the American Association of Suicidology. "Some people identify their sense of self so rigidly around the concept of success that loss of success – failure – can push them to despair very quickly."

Just days before Christmas, French fund manager Thierry de la Villehuchet was found dead at his desk in New York with slits on his arms. His firm, Access International Advisors, had lost more than $1.4bn of clients' money at the hands of the Wall Street financier Bernard Madoff, who has been accused of fraud. Villehuchet's brother Bertrand, who was the recipient of one of several suicide notes, described his death as an "act of honour" after "catastrophic" losses.

A Bear Stearns analyst, Barry Fox, jumped from the balcony of his 29th floor apartment last year within days of learning that he had lost his job at the bankrupt bank. His partner, Fred Philippi, said that after several personal setbacks, the bank's collapse had been the "last straw" in breaking Fox's spirit.

This week, the chairman of a leading US property brokerage was found with an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound inside his car at a wildlife preserve near Chicago. Steven Good, chairman of Sheldon Good & Co, left no note and his reasons are as yet unexplained. But he recently spoke at a business conference of the tumultuous conditions facing the real estate industry.

As yet, there are no statistics to demonstrate whether suicide rates have been affected by the global financial crisis. But there are historical precedents – in the US, the rate of suicide reached an all-time peak of 17.4 deaths per 100,000 in 1933, at the height of the Depression.

Researchers say that unemployment has a "clear and direct" relationship with suicide. So does the loss of a home – a concern after a year in which US banks began foreclosure proceedings on more than 2m households.

Ronald Maris, director of the University of South Carolina's suicide research centre, invokes the French sociologist Émile Durkheim's concept of "anomie" – a condition of weakened social regulation during a crisis which leaves individuals feeling adrift.

"A recession can cause a lack of orderliness, a disruption in social control," said Maris, who argues that high-flyers can be particularly vulnerable.

"Their situation is more volatile, they've got a lot more to lose," says Maris. "It's the disruption, the change in lifestyle, the suddenness and abruptness of that transition."

The male-dominated culture of high finance does not help. Both in Britain and America, suicide is three times more common among men than among women, partly because depressed males are less willing to seek medical help. Women, in contrast, are more frequently involved in non-fatal suicide attempts.

The long-term suicide trend has been downward on both sides of the Atlantic. In Britain, the latest government figures showed that suicide dropped to an all-time low of 8.5 per 100,000 population in 2006. In the US, the equivalent rate was 11 per 100,000.

Aware of the danger of burn-out, many Wall Street banks offer confidential employee assistance programs for staff suffering from personal problems. These can include 24-hour helplines offering a referral service for anything from depression to alcoholism, substance abuse or legal problems.

But Alden Cass, a New York-based clinical psychologist who specialises in treating financial workers, says some are reluctant to use such services for fear that word could get back to their colleagues.

"There's a lot of foolish pride. As you go higher up the food chain, you're going to be more tight-lipped about problems and issues," says Cass, author of Bullish Thinking. "If you've lost a lot of money, there can be a sense of shame, of guilt and helplessness going on in peoples' minds."

A year ago, Cass noticed an increase of 25% to 30% in inquiries from frazzled traders and brokers. But the increase has tailed off, which he blames on money: "The money's not there any more for therapy; people are cutting back. Therapy, for a lot of people on Wall Street, is viewed as a luxury rather than a necessity."

In Britain last year, fund management boss Kirk Stephenson jumped in front of an inter-city train after struggling with pressure over the financial crisis's impact on his firm, Olivant Advisers. His wife, Karina Robinson, told an inquest jury that when the banking system seized up, he had become "very tense and worried about a lot of things he had worked hard for".

In certain cases, the credit crunch has exposed a longer term vulnerability. A San Francisco hedge fund manager, Eric Von der Porten, took his own life last month when his fund had dropped by more than 40% on the year. His family told the San Francisco Chronicle that he had struggled with bouts of deep depression in the past, but that the market had finally proven to be a "big trigger".

To some, losing money may seem an insufficient worry for an individual to take such drastic action. But the tipping point can come for any number of reasons according to the AAS.

"Prestige, employment, marital problems, bereavement - anything that happens to be important to that individual," says Berman. "If the individual is not able to balance themself when they fall, they may break."
Dan Glaister in Los Angeles

Guardian, Friday 9 January 2009



Spiralling drug violence in Mexico has prompted US authorities to plan a "surge" of civilian and military action should the mayhem spill across the border between the two countries

The outgoing US homeland security chief, Michael Chertoff, said on Wednesday that plans had been drawn up to deploy aircraft, armoured vehicles and special teams, including military personnel, to trouble spots if civilian agencies were overwhelmed.

"We completed a contingency plan for border violence, so if we did get a significant spillover, we have a surge - if I may use that word - capability to bring in not only our own assets, but even to work with [the defence department]," Chertoff told the New York Times.

A total of 5,500 people have died in Mexico this year in confrontations between rival cartels fighting for control of lucrative smuggling routes into the US. In 2007, 2,300 people were killed in drug-related violence.

As Chertoff was speaking, it was reported from Tijuana, across the US border from San Diego, that the bodies of four decapitated teenagers had been found in a suburb of the city, their heads in black plastic bags. Two further bodies were found wrapped in blankets in the city, and a 22-year-old man was shot and killed as he stood outside his house. Another man was shot by several assailants as he drove through an area of central Tijuana.

The US ambassador to Mexico, Tony Garza, said on Wednesday that a further $99m (£65m) in US aid would be given to the Mexican military to buy planes and inspection equipment to fight the drug cartels. Garza said that he expected the violence to get worse this year.

By Alex Berenson

Friday, January 9, 2009
Pressing the case that the financier Bernard Madoff should have his bail revoked, prosecutors said in court documents on Thursday that investigators found 100 signed checks worth $173 million in Madoff's desk that were ready to be sent to family members and friends on the day of his arrest.

The checks were another indication, prosecutors said, that Madoff was trying to keep his assets away from his investors.

"What the defendant failed to highlight for the court in his rendition of events is the fact that, prior to his arrest, he announced his intention to transfer $200-$300 million of the remaining investor's assets to selected family, friends and employees," an assistant U.S. attorney, Marc Litt, said in the filing.

"The only thing that prevented the defendant from executing the plan to dissipate those assets was his arrest by the FBI on Dec. 11," Litt wrote.

The judge overseeing the case, Ronald Ellis, was expected to rule soon on whether Madoff should be sent to jail. He is out on $10 million bail, but confined to his New York apartment.

In a court filing on Tuesday, prosecutors said that Madoff and his wife, Ruth, had sent packages of valuables worth about $1 million to his sons and brother, violating the terms of his bail agreement. The items included 16 watches, including diamond-encrusted timepieces from Tiffany and Cartier, 4 diamond brooches, 2 sets of cuff links and an emerald ring.

Madoff, who is said to have confessed last month to a huge Ponzi scheme, in which money from new investors paid returns to previous investers, has promised the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission not to dispose of any of his assets, which may eventually be sold and used to repay investors who lost money in the scheme.

At a hearing Monday, a lawyer for Madoff, Ira Lee Sorkin, told Ellis that many of the items were relatively inexpensive, including $25 cuff links and $200 mittens.

But Litt and another assistant U.S. attorney, Lisa Baroni, said in their filing that Sorkin's description of the packages was at best incomplete.

"The defendant sent a package containing a total of approximately 13 watches, one diamond necklace, an emerald ring and two sets of cuff links," the filing said. "The government has been informed that the value of those items could exceed $1 million. Two other packages — containing a diamond bracelet, a gold watch, a diamond Cartier watch, a diamond Tiffany watch, four diamond brooches, a jade necklace and other assorted jewelry — also were sent to relatives."

By mailing the jewelry, Madoff disobeyed a court order and showed that he presented a "serious risk of flight," prosecutors wrote. They asked Ellis to revoke Madoff's bail and immediately send him to jail.

Zachary Carter, a former U.S. attorney in New York, said that prosecutors had a relatively good chance of persuading Ellis to revoke his bail.

"The argument that I would make as a prosecutor would be that to the extent that Madoff ignored a legal obligation to preserve his assets, it is some indication that he would be willing to ignore other obligations, like remaining in the jurisdiction," Carter, who is now a partner in New York at the law firm of Dorsey & Whitney, said. "It could be regarded as a step in the direction of flight."

In a response filed Wednesday, Sorkin and Daniel Horwitz, who represent Madoff, argued that jailing him would be unfair and wrong. Madoff is already being watched around the clock, both for his protection and to prevent flight, and has an electronic monitoring device, his lawyers wrote. In addition, they said, at this point, Madoff is too widely known and too disliked to get very far if he tried to flee. Instead of jail, they said, Madoff would accept having his property inventoried and all his outgoing mail checked to make sure he did not try to transfer valuables again.

As for the jewelry that Madoff sent last month, Madoff's lawyers characterized it as "a few sentimental personal items." and Madoff's decision to mail it, they said, was an honest mistake.

"Mr. Madoff gathered a number of watches that he had collected over the course of years, knowing that, due to the sudden change in his circumstances, he would never have an occasion to wear these watches again. To Mr. and Mrs. Madoff, the value of these items was purely sentimental," the lawyers wrote.

Prosecutors, in their filing Thursday, said Madoff's explanation that he was simply reaching out to friends and family was "preposterous"

"That's what telephones, e-mails and personal letters are for," the filing said

Upon hearing of the mailing, some of Madoff's investors, and their lawyers, had strong sentiments of their own.

"His acts were outrageous," said Jerry Reisman, a New York awyer who represents 13 investor-claimants, with aggregate claims of $150 million. "He violated a court order; he tried to secret his assets."

Reisman said Madoff should be immediately confined to jail. "To use a great American expression in Webster's dictionary — he has chutzpah," Reisman said. "He's gotten away with it for so long that he thought he could continue to get away with it."




Madoff's ordinary clients face financial ruin
By James Barron

Thursday, January 8, 2009
NEW YORK: Thomas Liccardi knew all about how people should prepare for retirement. He was an accountant who specialized in tax returns for estates - often dealing with people whose elderly parents had died, usually after long and comfortable lives.

He himself kept on working through his 60s and his 70s and into his 80s, doing a few tax returns every year and helping younger accountants he knew in White Plains, New York.

He had planned for his own retirement, of course. By last year, even after two heart attacks and a serious stroke, Liccardi, 86, was confident that he had no financial worries: He had become a millionaire, wealthy enough to afford $130,000 a year for assisted-living accommodations in a home for the elderly and the round-the-clock health aides on whom he and his wife depend.

The computer-generated financial statements he received every month showed that he had $2.7 million, an impressive increase from the $400,000 he had originally invested with Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities, in the late 1990s. "My whole life was wrapped up around that money," he said.

Of the Madoff firm's 8,000 customers, many will surely survive financially - universities, foundations, some who served on their boards or were regulars on the charity circuits in Manhattan and Palm Beach. But there are dozens, if not hundreds, of victims who poured their life savings into what apparently were phantom accounts.

This is no consolation to Liccardi, who now is wondering where he and his wife will live out their days. "I'm a small fry compared to most of the other people," he said, "but I'm hurt more. I can't work anymore or anything."

Sitting in their little room at Fountains at RiverVue, his wife, Edith, 84, interrupted. "He's a nervous wreck," Edith Liccardi said of her husband. She had a small stroke last year and uses a walker.

With the money he invested with Madoff gone, Thomas Liccardi fears that he and his wife cannot afford to stay at the Fountains at RiverVue, where they have lived for a year and a half.

April Johnson, the executive director of the home, in Tuckahoe, New York, said no decision had been made about what to do if the Liccardis run out of money. Liccardi went to Johnson to negotiate a reduction of their room and board almost as soon as he heard about the scandal - and he heard about it when a former associate called.

"He said, 'Tom, Madoff's picture is on the front page as a rip-off artist,"' Liccardi said. "I just about fell to the floor. It was impossible. I had so much faith."

And Liccardi had been a reluctant convert. He set up an accounting practice in the Bronx and in Westchester County after he graduated from Manhattan College. Over the years, he was careful with his money.

His first encounter with the Madoff firm involved a longtime client's tax return that Liccardi was preparing. He did not believe the figures the firm had reported to the Internal Revenue Service, year after year.

"When I saw a 25 percent return," he said, "I said the returns sounded much too good. Something sounded wrong." The client suggested that Liccardi visit the Madoff firm's office, where he met Madoff himself.

"He impressed me very much, as he did everyone else, and there were banks of computers and people running all over the place," Liccardi said. "I thought this had to be legitimate because you couldn't employ that kind of staff without money."

Liccardi was convinced that the Madoff firm was making the money for its clients - so convinced that he decided to invest the $400,000 he had saved over the years. He said that except for their house, and some savings bonds his wife had inherited from her mother, "that was everything." In 2006, they sold the house. He put the $400,000 profit from the sale in their Madoff account, believing it had been invested safely.

"I wasn't taking any chances," he said.

South Korea cuts lending rate

Reuters
Friday, January 9, 2009
SEOUL: The South Korean central bank cut its key interest rate Friday by 50 basis points as expected to a new record low, the fifth reduction in three months, in a bid to fend off the nation's first recession in a decade.

The Bank of Korea cut the base rate to 2.5 percent from 3 percent, a media official at the central bank announced, without elaborating.

The reduction follows cuts totaling 2.25 percentage points since early October, including an unprecedented and unexpected cut of one percentage point in December.

The central bank began setting the benchmark rate target in May 1999. Prior to that, it exercised monetary policy by controlling the M2 money supply, which measures money in circulation and checks and savings account deposits at banks.
By Brian Knowlton

Thursday, January 8, 2009
WASHINGTON: President-elect Barack Obama on Thursday urged Congress to act quickly to pass sweeping economic stimulus measures, including a tax cut and an infusion of as much as $800 billion, or face the likelihood that "this recession could linger for years."

In making an unusually direct and high-profile appeal in remarks at George Mason University in northern Virginia, Obama was building on a campaign for swift economic action that he has conducted for weeks — each time in ever-sharper terms.

Every day this week he has issued a sobering message about the nation's perilous economic outlook, intended to prepare the public for difficult times, to show investors that he is focusing on the global crisis, and to goad reluctant members of Congress to act decisively.

"I don't believe it's too late to change course, but it will be if we don't take dramatic action as soon as possible," Obama said. "If nothing is done, this recession could linger for years. The unemployment rate could reach double digits."

The unemploymemt rate, now hovering around 7 percent nationally, is already projected to approach 9 percent by the end of this year. And although initial jobless claims unexpectedly fell by 24,000 to 467,000 in the week that ended Jan. 3, the Labor Department said today, the total number of people getting benefits rose to 4.6 million, the most since 1982.

Obama's speech came a day after the Congressional Budget Office released a stunning estimate that the federal budget deficit will reach $1.2 trillion this year, even before accounting for spending and tax cuts in the planned stimulus package that is expected to approach $800 billion over two years.

Obama's message was stark, warning not just of short-term pain from a recession that is already the longest in a quarter-century, but also of deep and systemic longer-term costs that could threaten American economic leadership if too little is done.

"We could lose a generation of potential and promise, as more young Americans are forced to forgo dreams of college or the chance to train for the jobs of the future," Obama said. "And our nation could lose the competitive edge that has served as a foundation for our strength and standing in the world. In short, a bad situation could become dramatically worse."

While the speech was mostly one of generalities, Obama offered some details about how he hopes both to save money and modernize the economy.

He said he aimed to double the production of alternative energy within three years, a seemingly ambitious target; computerize all medical records in the country within five years, a move he said could save lives, money and jobs; modernize 75 percent of federal buildings and improve energy efficiency in 2 million homes; upgrade classrooms, libraries and laboratories in thousands of schools, and expand broadband access to rural areas .

Obama blamed the current economic morass — in particularly stark terms — on "an era of profound irresponsibility that stretched from corporate boardrooms to the halls of power in Washington."

While Obama did not question the American capacity to recover or its potential for "future greatness," he cautioned that "it will take time, perhaps many years."

Such high-profile economic pronouncements are rare for a president-elect, and they stand in contrast to Obama's repeated refusals to insert himself in any detailed way into pressing foreign matters like the crisis in Gaza, saying that there can only be one president at a time.

He addressed fairly directly the reservations voiced by some Republican critics: that his proposed stimulus package is too expensive and will dangerously expand the already enormous federal budget deficit; that too many of the jobs created would be in the public sector, and that it is being pushed through with too little scrutiny.

"I understand that some might be skeptical of this plan," Obama said. "Our government has already spent a good deal of money, but we haven't yet seen that translate into more jobs or higher incomes or renewed confidence."

But in a sign that Obama's proposals are likely to face serious challenges, even some Democrats on Thursday criticized parts of his plan. Senator Kent Conrad of North Dakota, who is chairman of the the Budget Committee, said he doubted that a $140 billion proposal to stimulate the economy by withholding less from workers' paychecks — $500 each for individuals, $1,000 for families — would prove much more effective than the rebate checks sent last year, Bloomberg News reported.

Senator Ron Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon who is a member of the Finance Committee, shared Conrad's concerns. "In tough times people don't respond all that well to marginal changes," Bloomberg News quoted Wyden as saying.

Moreover, lawmakers have said that a proposed tax break for employers who hire new workers might be difficult to oversee and prove unworkable in practice.

Despite reservations with parts of Obama's stimulus plan, however, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi threatened to keep Congress in session through the Presidents Day recess in mid-February if it failed to act by then. "It is long overdue," the Web site Politico quoted Pelosi as saying shortly before Obama delivered his address. "We've been asking for this recovery package for one year. We've been working on this for a long time."

In an effort to reassure the public and skeptical members of Congress, Obama promised that decisions would be made transparently, that an "unprecedented effort" would be made to eliminate needless spending, and that "the overwhelming majority of the jobs created will be in the private sector."

But Obama insisted that only government could "break the vicious cycles that are crippling our economy," prevent "the catastrophic failure of financial institutions," restart the flow of credit and restore the regulations needed to prevent such a crisis in the future.

He urged "all Americans — Democrats and Republicans — to put good ideas ahead of the old ideological battles."

Democrats had hoped that Congress could approve a stimulus package by the time Obama is to take office on Jan. 20, but leading legislators now say that action is unlikely before at least the middle of February.

"For every day we wait or point fingers or drag our feet, more Americans will lose their jobs," Obama warned. "More families will lose their savings. More dreams will be deferred and denied. And our nation will sink deeper into a crisis that, at some point, we may not be able to reverse."
Alfredo Jalife-Rahme

■ Tres escenarios sobre la batalla de la ciudad de Gaza



Se deben colocar en perspectiva las desproporcionadas dimensiones del ejército invasor israelí, dotado de un máximo de 400 ojivas nucleares (“El Matadero de Gaza: Su Dimensión Financiera y Económica”, Bajo la Lupa, 31/12/08) frente a la guerrilla islámica Hamas: se trata de una guerra entre un elefante militar (Israel) y la hormiga palestina (Hamas).

La Franja de Gaza no es un país (hoy sitiado por cielo, mar y tierra y carente de agua y alimentos, no se diga de ayuda humanitaria sanitaria), sino un dantesco campo de refugiados cuya aplastante mayoría, de millón y medio del total de sus habitantes, vive en condiciones infrahumanas de hacinamiento en la ciudad de Gaza, también cercada por el ejército invasor israelí. De allí el gran número de víctimas civiles de su población, entre la que se ha guarecido el grueso de las cinco brigadas (alrededor de 25 mil combatientes) Ezza e-Din al Qassam del grupo guerrillero Hamas.

Israel cuenta con 168 mil tropas activas y 408 mil reservistas (Globe and Mail, 16/9/07), ¡casi 25 veces más de soldados profesionales que los guerrilleros de Hamas!

Se trata de una “Guerra de la Cuarta Generación” de “guerra asimétrica” (cuyo teórico es William S. Lind) entre el ejército israelí, el más poderoso de Medio Oriente gracias a su apoyo exterior (Bajo la Lupa, 4/01/09), y Hamas, cuyo máximo arsenal consiste de cohetes de corto alcance comprados de contrabando, probablemente en Sudán, a través de la ruta Philadelphi y Rafah, mediante túneles en la frontera de Egipto con la franja de Gaza (Stratfor, 3/1/09) que a duras penas asestan rasguños a Israel.

La triste realidad es que en una guerra convencional, como ha sido demostrado en los pasados 60 años, la fuerza armada israelí dispondría letalmente del equivalente a los ejércitos regulares de los 22 miembros juntos de la Liga Árabe.

El inmisericorde sitio a la ciudad de Gaza no pertenece a la clásica “guerra regular”, sino al género de “guerra asimétrica” en donde Hamas desea emular las hazañas de Hezbolá en Líbano quien le inflingió su primera derrota histórica al omnipotente ejército israelí.

Hamas no dispone de fuerza aérea y el único aeropuerto en la franja de Gaza se encuentra cerrado, frente a la fuerza aérea más poderosa de Medio Oriente del ejército invasor israelí cuyos pilotos son considerados mejor preparados que sus instructores de Estados Unidos.

En el mar no existe comparación cuando Israel detenta submarinos dotados con ojivas nucleares frente a las “lanchas” palestinas. Ante el despliegue masivo de tanques israelíes tampoco hay proporción.

Hamas, parapetado entre la población civil del campo de refugiados de la megaldea de Gaza –quizá la más densamente poblada del planeta–, solamente dispone de cohetes de corto alcance (que, por cierto, la propaganda israelí pretende haber destruido en su mayoría en los primeros días de su masiva destrucción celestial) y de cohetes antitanque que pueden resultar la gran sorpresa, además, de las consabidas armas urbanas (bazucas, ametralladoras, explosivos, fusiles, pistolas, etcétera).

A Hamas, como último recurso de supervivencia le conviene atraer al ejército invasor israelí a los dédalos callejeros de la megaldea de Gaza, para inflingirle el máximo de bajas posible (al estilo Hezbolá), donde sus suicidas “hombres-bomba” ofrendarían sus vidas como característica de su cultura del martirologio.

Stratfor, centro de pensamiento muy cercano a Israel, comenta que el soldado de infantería israelí se ha vuelto muy “temeroso al riesgo”; es decir, prefiere usar al máximo su asombrosa panoplia tecnológica en lugar de enfrentarse en un combate cuerpo a cuerpo con sus enemigos.

En este contexto de “guerra asimétrica” se vislumbran tres escenarios: 1. Aniquilamiento total de Hamas 2. Atracción del ejército israelí a una guerrilla urbana en la ciudad de Gaza y 3. Un intermedio entre el 1 y el 2, donde Israel se quedaría en las afueras de la zona urbana por temor a sufrir severas bajas.

Si la invasión militar israelí, entre sus múltiples causales, se debió también a las próximas elecciones del 10 de febrero –donde Bibi Netanyahu, encabeza (ba) las encuestas–, entonces es probable que el ejército invasor israelí se atenga a nuestro escenario mixto “número 3”.

Aunque provoque justificada hilaridad en los lectores, el trío Olmert-Livni-Barack es más “moderado”, relativamente, que el superhalcón Bibi Netanyahu, líder del fundamentalista partido Likud de oposición. El primer Ehud Olmert (atrapado en un fraude por lo que anticipó las elecciones) y su canciller Tzipi Livni pertenecen al partido Kadima que gobierna en coalición con el ministro de Defensa y ex primer general, Ehud Barack, líder del partido Laborista.

Cada implementación de los tres escenarios conlleva(rá) ajustes dramáticos en la geopolítica regional.

En el primer escenario, el aniquilamiento de Hamas implicaría una derrota de sus aliados Siria e Irán, y la “victoria” de los países árabes pro-EU (v.gr Egipto, Jordania, etcétera), lo cual daría luz verde a Israel a imponer su solución, prácticamente la “paz” de los sepulcros, al contencioso palestino, avalada por la Autoridad Nacional Palestina que gobierna en Cisjordania y preside Mahmud Abbas, aliado de EU. De paso, Egipto (principal potencia militar árabe) eliminaría la presencia “molesta” de un aliado iraní en su frontera de Gaza.

El segundo escenario constituiría en una apoteosis de Hamas, en caso de detener el avance de Israel en la megaldea de Gaza, lo cual tendría repercusiones tanto en Cisjordania, donde los palestinos de Fatah no tendrían otra opción que emular las hazañas de sus compatriotas, como en el mismo Israel, donde se ha mostrado muy inquieta 25 por ciento de su población árabe.

El tercer escenario, el más probable debido a la épica resistencia de Hamas, sería un empate técnico que representaría una victoria táctica palestina, que con el simple hecho de haber sobrevivido obliga a tomar en cuenta su invaluable presencia simbólica, en el caso de una solución negociada que sería menos dañina a los intereses integrales de su nación.

Una vez más Israel pierde su “guerra de propaganda” ante la opinión pública regional e internacional cuando detrás de su enésima guerra de Gaza y sus “limpiezas teológicas” concomitantes, se perfila una “guerra demográfica” que no se atreve a pronunciar su nombre.

Los daños colaterales estratégicos han sido perjudiciales para Israel, según la confesión misma de su portal Debka (5/01/09) que coloca en relieve la probable ruptura de las relaciones militares de Israel con el primer ministro de Turquía, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, mientras el gobierno francés de Nicholas Sarkozy se ha distanciado de los excesos bélicos de Tel Aviv.

■ Exige ONG emitir “alerta nacional”; el PRI niega feminicidios


Miroslava Breach Velducea (Corresponsal)

Chihuahua, Chih., 7 de enero. Integrantes del Centro de Derechos Humanos para la Mujer y de la organización Justicia para Nuestras Hijas denunciaron ante el Congreso local que en los 45 días recientes fueron asesinadas 21 mujeres en la entidad, y solicitaron que se emita una “alerta nacional de violencia de género” para detener el recrudecimiento de este fenómeno.

Luz Estela Castro, coordinadora del Centro de Derechos Humanos de la Mujer, precisó que la alerta “consistiría en un conjunto de acciones gubernamentales de emergencia para enfrentar y erradicar la violencia feminicida en un territorio determinado y eliminar las desigualdades producidas por leyes que agravian los derechos humanos”.

Esta solicitud es la primera de este tipo en el país y se basa en el reglamento de la Ley General de Acceso de las Mujeres a una Vida Libre de Violencia, aprobada el año pasado en el Congreso de la Unión, dijo la abogada Castro.

La protesta fue secundada por el diputado Víctor Quintana Silveyra, del Partido de la Revolución Democrática (PRD), quien presentó un punto de acuerdo para que los gobiernos federal, estatal y municipal garanticen la seguridad de las mujeres. Asimismo reprochó que se dé “un trato indigno y humillante” a las familias que denuncian la desaparición de una mujer.

Sin embargo, el coordinador de la bancada del Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI), Fernando Rodríguez Moreno, negó que los homicidios recientes puedan calificarse como feminicidios y acusó a las organizaciones que solicitaron la alerta de buscar “afectar la imagen” de Chihuahua.

El legislador perredista expuso que del 25 de noviembre al 7 de enero se han documentado 21 homicidios de mujeres, la mayoría relacionados con violencia familiar. El caso más reciente, dijo, ocurrió el pasado fin de semana en la capital del estado, donde una joven fue tirada en un lote baldío aún con vida y sus agresores le prendieron fuego.

También mencionó el caso de una mujer cuyo cuerpo fue localizado semidesnudo el 15 de diciembre en Ciudad Juárez, con un mensaje escrito en el vientre: “El diablo anda suelto en Juárez. No salgan sexys ni solas. Seguiremos informando”.

Otro crimen fue el perpetrado contra Rosa Margarita González, asesinada a golpes por su marido, quien arrojó el cadáver a unos matorrales.

Norma Ledezma, dirigente de Justicia para Nuestras Hijas, aseguró que el resurgimiento de estos ataques “tiene detrás una historia de negligencia e indolencia. En algunos casos es la culminación de una historia de terror, de violencia familiar que fue conocida por las autoridades, que desestimaron las voces de auxilio de las víctimas; por eso hablamos de complicidad y negligencia”.

Explicó que la primera instancia a la que acude una mujer en caso de violencia es la policía municipal o la Procuraduría de Justicia, pero las autoridades se deslindan por creer que se trata de asuntos privados que deben resolverse en familia.

Peter Lavelle'S BLOG
January 7, 2009, 15:51

It would appear to be an annual event: At the end of each year and the start of the next, Russia and Ukraine have a nasty natural-gas dispute.

Moscow is adamant that it will not resume gas supplies to Kiev until arrears are paid and a new contract reflecting world gas prices is signed. Kiev remains defiant, hoping the European Union will eventually step in to mediate.

This is the last thing Brussels wants at this point, but there is a sense of urgency that the EU must admit that its energy security is threatened by Ukraine. In the meantime, gas supplies to Europe are being interrupted.

As of January 1, Russia had no contract to sell natural gas to Ukraine. Without a contract, the export gas monopoly Gazprom is not only under no obligation to continue supplies, it also has no legal basis to do so. Thus, Gazprom was given no choice -- it had to cut supplies (and lose revenues in the process).

The energy giant has made it clear that it will honour its contracts with European consumers and there is no evidence that it has failed to do so. As Ukraine is the transit country for 80 percent of Gazprom's natural gas to Europe, it is Kiev that must shoulder complete responsibility for any shortages experienced by Gazprom's consumers.

A great deal of the commentary on the current dispute -- as has been the case for the past few years -- has focused on the tense relations between Moscow and Kiev. There can be no doubt there are political undertones to the current dispute. Russia has made it clear that NATO membership for Ukraine would pose an existential threat to Russia. The fact that Kiev sold arms to Tbilisi at discounted prices definitely heightened tensions. But at the end of the day, these gas disputes are all about commercial relations and irrefutable energy realities: Gazprom simply wants to be paid.

Ukraine continues to purchase subsidized gas from Gazprom. Last year the price for 1,000 cubic meters was $179.50. In contrast, Gazprom's European customers pay up to $500 for the same amount of gas. Before Ukraine's 2008 contract with Gazprom expired, Kiev was offered a new price for 2009 -- $250 per 1,000 cubic meters.

By any standard this was a very generous offer. To top this off, the transit fees Gazprom must pay Ukraine to get its product to market in Europe would also have been increased.

Kiev rejected this deal. And it owes Gazprom hundreds of millions of dollars for gas supplies and penalties. In response, Gazprom made a new offer: Kiev would have to pay $481 per 1,000 cubic meters in any future contract.

Getting tough with Kiev

The facts of this energy dispute speak volumes about Gazprom's determination to force Kiev to act responsibly.

First, the volumes: Gazprom sells about 55 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas to Ukraine annually. This is compared to the 155 bcm sold to Gazprom's European customers. Gazprom's yearly production is about 610 bcm, and the Russian energy flagship purchases about 50 bcm annually from Central Asia.

Now for the dollars and cents of this dispute: In 2008, Gazprom sold Ukraine gas at a price of $179.50 per 1,000 cubic meters, totalling around $10 billion. Then consider the average price of about $400 to the rest of Europe. At this price, Gazprom's annual revenue from the 155 bcm sold is about $65 billion.

Do the math: Gazprom earns more than six times the revenues for only three times the volume of gas by selling to Europe. This is an incredible shortfall in revenues for Gazprom and unfair to its other customers who pay market prices. Selling Ukraine gas at the same price paid by the rest of Europe would raise Gazprom's revenues by about $12 billion annually, based on the 2008 sales volume. This figure would probably diminish slightly when factoring in the higher transit fees Gazprom is expected to pay Ukraine in any new contract. Nonetheless, Gazprom has a strong, compelling argument for its get-tough policy with Kiev.

I have been covering the Russia-Ukraine gas disputes closely for years, and it is obvious to me that Kiev is conducting a "the-worse-the-better" strategy. Ukraine is in dire economic straits and has been kept afloat by a $16 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund. Under these conditions, Kiev desperately hopes Brussels will negotiate a better deal with Moscow on its behalf. Brussels should do just the opposite -- demand Kiev transit Russian gas purchased by European countries without hindrance or delay.

In the meantime, Brussels simply must get serious about developing a long-term and integrated energy policy for the entire bloc. This is what Gazprom has repeatedly requested -- a European energy partner with whom it can speak with one voice and negotiate with without troublesome in-betweens like Ukraine.

Also, instead of fearing the "Russian energy bully," Brussels should help Russia build the Nord Stream and other new pipelines. Ukraine is a thorn in Gazprom's side. If Brussels isn't careful, Ukraine will become a thorn for the EU as well.

First published at Radio Free Europe – Radio Liberty on January 7, 2009

Gas talks end in failure

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January 9, 2009, 3:12

Negotiations in Brussels to resume Russian gas supplies to Europe via Ukraine have broken up without agreement. The talks appear to have stumbled over the issue of who should be included in the international group sent to Ukraine to monitor the transit of gas.

Earlier, the EU and Kiev reached a bilateral agreement for European observers to travel to the country. However, Russia's Gazprom insisted company representatives should be included, a demand Kiev flatly rejected.



The aim of the inspectors is to make sure that no Russian gas is syphoned off once the flow restarts.



Gazprom CEO Aleksey Miller has blamed Ukraine for the failure of the negotiations.



“Ukraine has blocked the signing of the document to create a transit monitoring mission that would include experts from Europe and from Gazprom. We had a chance to resume supplies on Thursday but it didn’t happen. It’s Ukraine that should be held responsible for that failure,” Miller said.



Meanwhile, the European Commission has warned Ukraine it may face multi-million euro law suits if it is proven it has been syphoning off gas intended for European customers.



Europe's Energy Charter Treaty guarantees nations a right to an interrupted gas supply. It was ratified in 1994 by 51 countries, including Ukraine. According to Miller, Ukraine has been breaking several of its conditions.



A delegation from Gazprom arrived in Brussels on Thursday to discuss the ongoing dispute over gas deliveries to European countries. The Russian company brought with it a range of documents including the most recent Russian–Ukrainian transit contract. Representatives from Naftogas, Ukraine’s state-run gas company, also took part in Thursday’s consultations.



It's not the first time Russia and Ukraine have had a dispute over gas exports. At the beginning of 2006, Gazprom says, Kiev failed to pay for gas it received from Russia. In the aftermath of that row, Russia and Ukraine signed two independent contracts – one for gas transit to Europe, and a separate one for delivery to Ukraine. It was hoped these contracts would prevent future difficulties.



EU reaction



While talks were continuing in Brussels, EU prime ministers meeting in Prague were busy putting together a document called “The declaration on the Russia-Ukraine problem and energy security”.



In a change of policy, it says the EU will help settle the stand-off because it affects so many of its member states. Europe had distanced itself from what it had described as a commercial dispute.



The Czech Republic, which now holds the rotating EU presidency, refused to take sides, saying Europe had been failed by both Moscow and Kiev.



“Both Russia and Ukraine have not yet shown enough determination to solve the problem, which damages their credibility as EU partners,” said Czech Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs Aleksander Vondra.



The EU continues to call on both Russia and Ukraine to resolve the gas row as quickly as possible. The president of the EU Parliament, Hans-Gert Poettering, insisted that “the contracts we have and the member states have are going to be fulfilled.”



He added: “The problems which are there between Russia and Ukraine must be resolved, but we cannot be the victim.”



According to Jose Manuel Barroso, the European Commission President, Ukraine must ensure free gas transit to Europe if it wants to preserve good relations with the EU:



"If Ukraine wants to be closer to the EU it should not create any problems for gas to come to the EU."



Barroso said the EU was prepared to help Russia and Ukraine find common ground in their dispute. Nevertheless, if normal gas supplies were not restored, he said, the EU would be forced to view supplies of Russian gas through Ukraine as no longer “credible”.



It seems clear that while the EU is prepared to help resolve the dispute, it is not going to act as a referee in the price war between Moscow and Kiev.



Meanwhile, speaking at his residence outside Moscow, Vladimir Putin announced that Russia is ready to pay a market price for the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine - but only if Kiev pays the market price for Russian gas - $470 per thousand cubic metres.



“Gazprom made an extremely privileged offer to its Ukrainian partners. I don’t feel comfortable pronouncing the price but I will – it’s $US 250 per 1,000 cubic metres of gas. Why do I say uncomfortable? Because consumers in Russia will ask me – why would we ever do this? Nevertheless, Gazprom made the offer and guess what? It was turned down!” Putin said.



Made worse by weather



Suffering a bitterly cold spell, Europe has been keen for Russia and Ukraine to resolve their dispute as soon as possible. Nearly two thirds of Europe’s member states have reported feeling the effects of the gas supply cut.



Some countries have coped better than others: Germany and the Czech Republic have their own gas reserves and other supply routes which allow them to handle gas shortages. Poland can bypass Ukraine by using alternative transit routes through Belarus.



Slovakia, on the other hand, was forced to declare a state of emergency because of shortages. There has even been talk of re-opening a Soviet-era nuclear power plant, the closure of which had been a requirement for Slovakia joining the EU.



Similarly, Bulgaria is experiencing significant problems, reporting that thousands of households have been left without heating in the freezing cold. Dozens of factories have also been forced to cut production.



Ukrainian officials say the country has large gas reserves, which will allow it to cope through the winter without having to rely on Russian imports. However, there have been reports of several heating stations in Kiev switching to oil instead of gas.



The gas war



The decision to stop pumping gas through Ukraine was proposed by the Gazprom CEO, Aleksey Miller, and agreed to by Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.



”It is necessary to stop delivering gas to the Russia-Ukraine border. Since transit of Russian gas through Ukraine has been fully stopped, and Ukraine is stealing Russian gas, I propose to stop pumping Russian gas to the Russia-Ukraine border,”
Vladimir Putin said.



Aleksey Miller stressed that the stopping of gas transit should be done as publicly as possible and with international observers present.



Folllow the link to read Gazprom's official statement on the crisis



Gazprom said that Ukraine shut all four pipelines which send gas to Europe, causing several countries to run out of fuel. But Ukraine claims that Russia stopped delivering all gas to Europe through its territory on Wednesday morning.



Some countries in Europe have no gas stockpiled. Macedonia has less than a week’s supply and there have been talks of a possible state of emergency in Slovakia, while the situation in Greece is also described as difficult.



The number of European countries reporting a complete halt of gas supply via the Ukrainian route is still growing. Amongst those affected are Romania, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, Serbia and Austria.



Related links:



The gas row that won’t go away

Chronology of Russia-Ukraine gas war

Europe braces itself over Ukrainian gas theft

Gazprom threatens Ukraine with extreme measures

Gazprom calls on Europe to sue Ukraine

Time ticks down for Ukraine on Gazprom payment and supply for coming year

Ukraine stalls on gas debt



Testimonios de Gaza


ANNE MARIE MERGIER


Una vez que las puertas de la Franja de Gaza fueron cerradas a los periodistas extranjeros, el horror de los bombardeos israelíes es descrito, desde la región donde ocurren, por bloguistas palestinos y activistas internacionales. Gracias a los testimonios de quienes sufren la guerra en carne propia puede conocerse la verdadera magnitud de la carnicería desatada por el ejército israelí. Cuerpos de inocentes destrozados, familias deshechas, destrucción masiva...

PARÍS.- Tener acceso a la Franja de Gaza siempre fue difícil para los periodistas internacionales; en cuanto a los israelíes, lo tienen prohibido desde 2006. En noviembre pasado, ante las protestas de los corresponsales extranjeros, las autoridades hebreas entreabrieron las puertas del enclave palestino a algunos de ellos.

Las volvieron a cerrar herméticamente el 19 de diciembre, cuando se venció el cese al fuego de seis meses acordado entre Israel y Hamas, y justo una semana antes de lanzar su operación Plomo Endurecido.

La Asociación de la Prensa Extranjera en Israel y los Territorios Ocupados apeló contra esa decisión ante la Corte Suprema israelí. Espera su veredicto.

Es por lo tanto sumamente difícil tener noticias sobre lo que está ocurriendo en ese territorio de sólo 362 kilómetros cuadrados en el que se amontonan 1 millón y medio de personas sometidas a violentos bombardeos aéreos y a un cerco total.

Algunos testigos, sin embargo, logran vencer ese muro de silencio. Son bloguistas palestinos o activistas internacionales, entre los que se encuentran varios integrantes de dos ONG: Free Gaza e International Solidarity Movement. Hablan de lo que ven y sienten con dolor y pasión. Sus palabras son tan sólo un eco frágil de una tragedia.

No se sabe cómo se llama el palestino que redacta sus blogs con el apodo de Exiled. El pasado 29 de diciembre escribió este mensaje lacónico:

"Sigo vivo, pero no del todo OK. En cualquier momento me puedo tropezar con la muerte y entonces estaré OK. Solamente los muertos están a salvo en Gaza. Dejé mi departamento y a mi mujer para ir a casa de mi familia. Pero ahora estoy buscando un refugio para tratar de protegerme de los bombardeos. Quiero estar al lado de mi madre en semejantes circunstancias. No soy un héroe. Al igual que mi sobrino, tiemblo cuando oigo el sonido metálico de las explosiones en el aire a mi alrededor. Pero busco controlarme. Definitivamente no soy un héroe."

Escueto también fue el mensaje que alcanzó a lanzar en la bloguesfera, el mismo día 29, Fida Qisha, activista palestina de International Solidarity Movement que radica en Rafah, en la frontera entre la Franja de Gaza y Egipto.

"Poco antes de las siete de la mañana, hora local, otro misil israelí cayó sobre el barrio residencial de Hi Alijnina en Rafah, al sur de Gaza. Esta vez el blanco fue una farmacia. Todo el edificio quedó derruido y las casas que lo rodeaban sufrieron bastantes daños. La explosión destruyó los cables eléctricos, y toda la calle estaba sembrada de cajas de medicinas... Los habitantes del barrio se dispersaron por la calle. Se notaban en estado de choque. Algunos llevaban sus pijamas puestas."

Más detallados fueron los relatos de Eva Bartlett, canadiense, también activista de International Solidarity Movement. El 28 de diciembre contó:

"Entre los civiles muertos se encuentra la madre de mis grandes amigos de Jabaliya. Cada fallecimiento es atroz, pero es aún más desgarrador cuando se ve a la persona muerta o cuando se trata de alguien querido. Con otro activista extranjero pasamos la noche con su familia, sin dormir, amontonados en una habitación muy fría del sótano. (...) Éramos sobre todo mujeres y niños. A veces lográbamos descansar un poco. Después de cada explosión llamábamos por celular a nuestros conocidos en otras partes de Gaza o les enviábamos SMS. Helicópteros Apache sobrevolaron la zona durante toda la noche. No dejaron de dar vueltas y vueltas. También oímos toda la noche el zumbido de un avión sin piloto."

Al día siguiente escribió:

"¿Cómo describir esa impresión? Durante las explosiones me siento físicamente entumecida. No es porque soy valiente, no es eso, pero los bombardeos no me afectan físicamente. Es algo muy útil. Me permite seguir escribiendo, tomar fotografías, hablar. Es mi parte racional que tomó el relevo y que sigue trabajando. (...)

"Es casi imposible acabar ese mensaje... Cada minuto hay nuevas explosiones: un coche fue alcanzado en el barrio residencial de Zaytun en la ciudad de Gaza, otro en el norte... Esta vez no son los cortes de luz que me impiden escribir ni la falta de palabras. Es el increíble bombardeo que Israel desata contra nosotros aquí en Gaza. Eso empezó a las 11 de la mañana, hora local, el 27 de diciembre, y sigue con una fuerza terrible a pesar de 300 muertos y más de 800 heridos, según las estimaciones más bajas. Estas cifras no incluyen el número de víctimas de los últimos bombardeos. Fuera de aquí, el mundo quiere saber lo que está ocurriendo en Gaza. Es lógico, y yo también que vivo aquí quiero saberlo. Pero Gaza se ha convertido en una yuxtaposición de lugares aislados. La gente se esconde en sus casas y no se atreve a salir a la calle. Las casas, sin embargo, no son refugios. No hay lugar seguro alguno en Gaza. Cualquier casa puede convertirse en blanco, cualquier blanco bombardeado puede ser presentado como un blanco peligroso o como un sitio ubicado demasiado cerca de un blanco peligroso..."

Un poco más tarde, Eva Bartlett confió:

"Ahora me estoy preparando para enfrentar la falta de luz, la falta de internet y quizás algo peor. A ustedes que están fuera de Gaza les ruego que hagan lo imposible para que paren semejante horror. Me señalaron siete muertos más y decenas de heridos después del último bombardeo contra el norte de Gaza."

Vittorio Arrigoni, italiano, activista de Free Gaza y periodista independiente, quedó impactado por los bombardeos que costaron la vida a numerosos jóvenes reclutas de la policía de Gaza. El 27 de diciembre relató:

"Esta mañana despertamos con las explosiones de las bombas que llovían sobre Gaza. Muchas de ellas cayeron a unos 100 metros de mi casa, que está frente al mar. Algunos de mis amigos fueron matados por ellas. Es un baño de sangre sin precedente. Arrasaron totalmente el puerto y destruyeron sedes policiales. (...)

"Visité Al Shifa, el principal hospital de la ciudad de Gaza, y me quedé viendo aterrado el caos de los cuerpos tendidos por doquier en el patio. Miré a los heridos que esperaban algún tratamiento y a los muertos que esperaban un entierro decente. No sé si ustedes pueden imaginarse cómo es Gaza. Cada casa está pegada a otra, cada edificio está pegado a otro. Gaza es el lugar que tiene la más alta densidad de población del mundo (3 mil 823 habitantes por kilómetro cuadrado) y, por lo tanto, si se lanzan bombas desde una altura de 10 mil metros inevitablemente se masacra a numerosos civiles. Es imposible no estar consciente de esa realidad. La muerte de civiles no se debe a un error ni es un daño colateral.

"Cuando se bombardeó la estación central de la policía en Al Abbas, en el centro de la ciudad de Gaza, la explosión destruyó parte de la escuela primaria que estaba al lado. Las bombas cayeron justo en el momento en que los niños caminaban por la calle al salir de la escuela. Casi todos sus guardapolvos escolares quedaron manchados de sangre. Cuando se bombardeó la academia de policía de Dar Al Balah, hubo muertos y heridos en el mercado central de Gaza, que se encuentra cerca. Vimos cuerpos de animales y de seres humanos enlazados en la muerte y cuya sangre se mezclaba y corría sobre el asfalto de las calles cual un riachuelo atroz. Fue Guernica hecho realidad. Vi muchos cadáveres uniformados en los distintos hospitales que visité. Conocía a varios de estos muchachos. Los saludaba cada día cuando los encontraba en la calle en mi camino hacia el puerto o cuando iba a tomarme un café. Conocía a algunos por su nombre. Un nombre, una historia, una familia mutilada. En su mayoría eran muy jóvenes. Tenían 18 o 20 años. No tenían lazos políticos con nadie, ni con Al Fatah ni con Hamas. Se habían enrolado en la policía después de sus estudios sólo para tener un trabajo seguro en Gaza.

"Hoy no vi a terrorista alguno entre las víctimas. Sólo vi a civiles y policías. Los policías palestinos masacrados por los bombardeos israelíes estaban vigilando todos los días del año la misma plaza de la ciudad, la misma esquina, como lo hacen todos los policías del mundo. La noche pasada eché bromas con dos de ellos que se encontraban enfrente de mi casa y llevaban gruesos abrigos para protegerse del frío. Quiero que se sepa la verdad para salvar el honor de algunos de estos muertos. Nunca dispararon un solo tiro contra Israel y nunca lo hubieran hecho. No era su trabajo. Les tocaba controlar el tránsito y garantizar la seguridad de la capital."

Al día siguiente Vittorio Arrigoni pasó toda la noche en el hospital Al Awda, en el campo de refugiados de Jabalia.

"A las 11 y media de la noche una bomba cayó a 800 metros del hospital. La onda de choque rompió los vidrios de varias ventanas e hirió aún más a los heridos. Llegó una ambulancia. Vimos cómo sacaban los cuerpos de seis niñas. Las tendieron en la calle sobre el asfalto y se veían como muñecas rotas puestas aquí porque ya no servían para jugar. Se trataba de seis hermanas que vivían en una casa contigua a una mezquita que los israelíes bombardearon. No había nadie en la mezquita, pero cinco hermanitas murieron y la sexta está gravemente herida. (...)

"Nos dicen que hay 320 muertos y más de mil lesionados. Según afirmó un médico del hospital de Shifa en la ciudad de Gaza, 60% de los heridos se van a morir en las próximas horas o en los próximos días después de una lenta agonía. Hay mucha gente desaparecida, y en los dos últimos días se ve a mujeres buscando a sus maridos o a sus hijos. El depósito de cadáveres ofrece un espectáculo macabro. Una enfermera me contó que después de haber tratado de encontrar el cuerpo de su marido durante horas, una mujer reconoció su mano amputada viendo su anillo de boda. Es todo lo que quedaba de su esposo..."

Chronology of Russia-Ukraine gas war


The current gas cuts are the culmination of a long gas war between Russia and Ukraine, RT looks back at its latest chapter, starting back in October 2007 and the ongoing crisis, the effect of which is now being felt all around Europe.

January, 2009



Ukraine has shut all gas pipelines to Europe – Gazprom




Gas cuts hit much of Europe



Ukraine demands more for gas transit



Gazprom threatens Ukraine with extreme measures



Ukraine steals European gas



Europe braces itself over Ukrainian gas theft



Ukraine gas dispute moves into post cutoff stage



Russia stops gas supplies to Ukraine completely




Russia to cut off gas supplies to Ukraine – Gazprom



December, 2008



Gazprom and Naftogas of Ukraine take talks to 11th hour



‘They don’t want to pay’ – Putin on Ukraine gas row



Time ticks down for Ukraine on Gazprom payment and supply for coming year



Ukraine and Gazprom square off for annual gas row



Ukraine stalls on gas debt



Christmas Holiday cold snap for Ukraine?



Gazprom warns on Ukraine gas debt



November, 2008



Medvedev orders Gazprom to collect Ukraine debt



No money, no gas – Gazprom may cut supplies to Ukraine



Ukraine - time to pay gas bills



October, 2008



Putin and Timoshenko step on gas in Moscow



August, 2008



Ukraine promises to return stolen Russian gas




Ukraine admits stealing European gas



July, 2008



Ukraine expecting final price agreement on gas within a month



Ukraine and Gazprom reach agreement on gas



Gazprom's Miller heads to Kiev for gas talks



May, 2008



Russia & Ukraine pledge to end gas disputes



April, 2008



Ukraine pays off gas debt to Russia



March, 2008



Gazprom, Ukraine agree on gas deal



EU not affected by Russia-Ukraine gas row



Gazprom turns Ukraine's gas back on



Ukrainian PM announces end of gas row



Ukraine fails to rule out EU gas cuts



Gazprom cuts gas to Ukraine by 25%



February, 2008



Gazprom unhappy with Ukraine's gas debt 'settlement'



Ukraine pays debt, avoids Russian gas cuts



Ukraine's indecision risks another gas cut



Ukrainian ‘gas princess’ in Moscow to settle dispute



Deal reached in Ukraine gas row



Ukraine gas cuts averted



Ukrainian ‘gas princess’ in Moscow to settle dispute



Gas talks bring no results - for now



Gazprom urges Ukraine’s President to solve gas crisis



January, 2008



Europeans needn’t worry about gas supplies - Ukrainian PM



December, 2007



Gazprom and Ukraine reach deal on 2008 gas price



November, 2007



Gas divides Russia & Ukraine again



October, 2007



Gazprom warns about Ukrainian gas debts