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Trump demands $5.7bn for steel barrier on US-Mexico border

January 9, 2019 By administrator

President Donald Trump demanded $5.7 billion to fund a wall on the US-Mexico border in his first televised Oval Office address Tuesday, describing a “growing crisis” of illegal immigration hurting millions of Americans, AFP said.

The president stopped short of calling for a much-touted state of emergency, instead appealing to the need to slash the cost of the illegal drug trade, which he put at $500 billion a year.

“There is a growing humanitarian and security crisis at our southern border. Every day customs and border patrol agents encounter thousands of illegal immigrants trying to enter our country,” Trump said.

“We are out of space to hold them and we have no way to promptly return them back home to their country. America proudly welcomes millions of lawful immigrants who enrich our society and contribute to our nation. But all Americans are hurt by uncontrolled illegal migration.”

Trump had spent days mulling declaring a state of emergency along the border that would have given him powers to bypass Congress, which has so far refused to fund the wall project, and draw funds from the military to build the border barrier.

He didn’t mention the idea in his nine-minute address but repeated his call for a wall and spoke of an “overall approach” that would use technology for detecting drugs and weapons.

“At the request of Democrats, it will be a steel barrier rather than a concrete wall. This barrier is absolutely critical to border security. It’s also what our professionals at the border want and need,” he said.

“This is just common sense. The border wall would very quickly pay for itself.”

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Trump

To ease Turkish pressure on Saudis over killing, White House weighs expelling #Erdogan foe #Gulen

November 15, 2018 By administrator

“Once they realized it was a serious request, the career guys were furious,” a U.S. official said of request tied to Khashoggi killing.

By Carol E. Lee, Julia Ainsley and Courtney Kube

WASHINGTON — The White House is looking for ways to remove an enemy of Turkish President Recep Erdogan from the U.S. in order to placate Turkey over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, according to two senior U.S. officials and two other people briefed on the requests.

Trump administration officials last month asked federal law enforcement agencies to examine legal ways of removing exiled Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen in an attempt to persuade Erdogan to ease pressure on the Saudi government, the four sources said.

The effort includes directives to the Justice Department and FBI that officials reopen Turkey’s case for his extradition, as well as a request to the Homeland Security Department for information about his legal status, the four people said.

They said the White House specifically wanted details about Gulen’s residency status in the U.S. Gulen has a Green Card, according to two people familiar with the matter. He has been living in Pennsylvania since the late 1990s.

Career officials at the agencies pushed back on the White House requests, the U.S. officials and people briefed on the requests said.

“At first there were eye rolls, but once they realized it was a serious request, the career guys were furious,” said a senior U.S. official involved in the process.

A spokesman for the National Security Council declined to comment. The FBI also declined to comment.

The State Department, Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security did not respond to requests for comment.

A lawyer representing Gulen declined to comment.

A Turkish official said the government does not link its concerns about the Khashoggi murder with Gulen’s extradition case.

“We definitely see no connection between the two,” the official said. “We want to see action on the end of the United States in terms of the extradition of Gulen. And we’re going to continue our investigation on behalf of the Khashoggi case.”

The secret effort to resolve one of the leading tensions in U.S.-Turkey relations — Gulen’s residency in the U.S. — provides a window into how President Donald Trump is trying to navigate hostility between two key allies after Saudi officials murdered Khashoggi on Oct. 2 at the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul.

It suggests the White House could be looking for ways to contain Erdogan’s ire over the murder while preserving Trump’s close alliance with Saudi Arabia’s controversial de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The kingdom, after initially denying any role in Khashoggi’s disappearance, reversed course and admitted that Saudi officials were responsible for the killing. On Thursday, Saudi Arabia’s top prosecutor recommended the death penalty for five out of the 11 suspects charged with killing Khashoggi. A total of 21 suspects have been arrested in connection with the case, according to Saud al-Mojeb.

Erdogan, meanwhile, has kept the pressure up by leaking pieces of evidence and repeatedly speaking out to accuse Prince Mohammed of orchestrating the murder of Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and outspoken critic of the Saudi leadership.

Saudi Arabia is critical to Trump’s Middle East policy. The White House’s relationship with Prince Mohammed is key to Trump’s goals of countering Iran and helping to reach an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement. Turkey is a NATO ally in possession of evidence about Khashoggi’s murder that positions Erdogan to stoke international outrage over Riyadh’s culpability in and cover-up of Khashoggi’s murder.

Erdogan has for years demanded the U.S. send Gulen back to Turkey. The Turkish leader accuses the elderly cleric of being a terrorist who was behind a failed coup against Erdogan’s government in 2016. After the coup attempt, Ankara made a formal request to the U.S. for Gulen’s extradition.

One option that Turkish and Trump administration officials recently discussed is forcing Gulen to relocate to South Africa rather than sending him directly to Turkey if extradition is not possible, said the U.S. officials and people briefed on the discussions. But the U.S. does not have any legal justification to send Gulen to South Africa, they said, so that wouldn’t be a viable option unless he went willingly.

Trump and Erdogan also recently discussed another option to relieve tensions — the release of Turkish banker Mehmet Hakan Atilla, who was sentenced in May to 32 months in prison by a U.S. federal judge for his role in a scheme to evade U.S. sanctions against Iran, two people familiar with the discussion said. Erdogan has criticized the case against Atilla as a political attack aimed at undermining his government.

The U.S. and Turkey have been engaged in negotiations over a series of sensitive diplomatic issues over the past few months, including a deal for last month’s release of an American pastor, Andrew Brunson, who was imprisoned in Turkey and an agreement for joint U.S. and Turkish military patrols in Manbij, Syria.

Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in the U.S. for almost two decades, denies any involvement in the failed coup in Turkey in 2016. A one-time ally of Erdogan, he’s become an influential cleric with a wide network of followers known as “Gulenistas.” His movement includes a host of nonprofit organizations, businesses and schools, in the U.S., as well as South Africa.

After Khashoggi’s murder, Erdogan appeared to see an opportunity to ratchet up pressure on the Trump administration over Gulen, the U.S. officials and people familiar with the matter said.

Turkish officials made clear to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during his Oct. 17 meeting with Erdogan in Ankara that they wanted the Trump administration to turn over Gulen, the U.S. officials and people familiar with the matter said.

“That was their number one ask,” said a person briefed on the meeting.

Pompeo asked if Erdogan had new evidence of Gulen’s involvement in the failed coup, prompting the Turkish leader to try to make the case that Gulen has terrorist ties, a senior U.S. official briefed on the meeting said.

In remarks to reporters traveling with him, Pompeo acknowledged having discussed Gulen with the Turks. “We did talk about Fethullah Gulen and we talked about the set of issues surrounding that organization as well,” Pompeo said. “It’s something that the Turks remind us of often, and we’re mindful of places that we can work with them to make sure that we all have a shared set of facts as well. But it’s mostly not a State Department issue; it’s mostly a Justice Department issue.”

The Turkish official wouldn’t discuss details of Erdogan’s conversation with Pompeo but said, “The Gulen issue is a part of any diplomatic conversation that we’re having with our American counterparts.”

Pompeo, who also met with Saudi leaders in Riyadh on that same trip, briefed Trump on his discussions after returning to Washington.

The Trump administration later sent word to Erdogan that officials would re-examine the Gulen issue, the U.S. officials and people familiar with the matter said.

Justice Department officials responded to the White House’s request saying the review of Turkey’s case against Gulen two years ago showed no basis for his extradition and that no new evidence to justify it has emerged, the U.S. officials and others familiar with the requests said.

Trump administration officials then asked for other options to legally remove him, the U.S. officials and others said.

They said the White House specifically wanted details about the terms under which Gulen resides in the U.S. Officials from the law enforcement agencies informed the White House there is no evidence that Gulen has broken any U.S. laws, the U.S. officials and others familiar with the requests said.

The requests on Gulen in mid-October mark at least the second time the Trump administration has re-examined Turkey’s extradition request since taking office. In the weeks after Trump’s inauguration, the White House asked the Justice Department to review Gulen’s case, NBC has reported.

Some officials have described the first request as a routine part of a new administration reviewing its relationship with a key ally. The request, however, took place under Trump’s former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, whose ties to Turkey came under scrutiny in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian election meddling. Flynn, who resigned in February 2017, entered into a plea agreement with Mueller last December and has been cooperating with the investigation.

Turkey provided boxes of materials to the U.S. in 2016 that Erdogan says shows Gulen was behind the failed coup. But officials at the Justice Department and FBI didn’t find evidence that met the standard for extradition, which requires U.S. prosecutors to determine that someone committed crimes abroad that would also be illegal in the U.S.

Relations between U.S. and Turkey have been strained under Trump.

Khashoggi’s disappearance after entering Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Istanbul introduced new friction. Turkey publicly accused Saudi Arabia of flying in an assassination team to murder Khashoggi. The two countries have long been rivals.

Amid Saudi denials over Khashoggi’s disappearance, Turkey ramped up international pressure on Riyadh by leaking its possession of evidence, including recordings from inside the consulate that Turkey officials say show the Saudi government murdered Khashoggi.

After nearly a month, Saudi Arabia admitted its government officials carried out a premeditated murder of Khashoggi. The government, though, has insisted Prince Mohammed knew nothing of it in advance. Some officials from the U.S. and other countries have said they believe otherwise.

Erdogan said this past weekend that he’s given Turkey’s audio recording of Khashoggi’s murder inside the consulate to U.S., U.K., Saudi, French and German government officials. His comments were a public reminder of the evidence Erdogan could expose at a time of his choosing, if he wanted to put pressure on the U.S. or Saudi Arabia. .

John Bolton, Trump’s national security adviser, said Tuesday that U.S. officials who listened to Turkey’s recording assessed it does not implicate Prince Mohammed.

Saudi Arabia has yet to disclose the location of Khashoggi’s remains, and Turkey continues to put public pressure on Riyadh.

Trump has expressed reluctance to respond too strongly given Saudi Arabia’s economic and strategic value to the U.S. At a news conference last week, Trump said he is working with Turkey, Congress and Saudi Arabia to determine next steps and will have a “much stronger opinion” on Khashoggi’s killing over the next week.

Following the Saudi prosecutor’s announcement Thursday, the Treasury Department announced sanctions against 17 people for their suspected role in Khashoggi’s murder.

The group includes Consul General Mohammed Alotaibi, who was in charge of the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, as well as senior Saudi officials and members of the suspected assassination team who arrived in Istanbul in the hours before Khashoggi disappeared.

The 17 were sanctioned under the Magnitsky Act, which bars foreign officials from entering the U.S. and freezes any assets they have in American banks.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Erdogan, expelling, foe, Gulen, Trump

Trump, Macron attempt to defuse row over EU army proposal

November 10, 2018 By administrator

The office of French President Macron says his comments on the need for an EU army have been misinterpreted by his US counterpart. Donald Trump lashed out at Macron on Friday over the proposal.

US President Donald Trump and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron held talks on Saturday after a public spat over the French leader’s suggestion that Europe should rely less on the US for its security.

The US and France attempted to smooth over differences over a European defense mechanism, with Trump assuring Macron that Washington would “help” Europe with its defense.

Trump, however, reiterated that EU member states must pay their fair share toward NATO expenses.

The US president arrived in Paris on Friday to participate in commemorations for the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War.

A ‘European Union army’

Macron said in a radio interview earlier in the week that the EU needed to protect itself against “China, Russia and even the United States.”

“Confronted by Russia, which is on our borders and which has shown itself willing to be threatening, we need to have a Europe that can better defend itself by itself and in a sovereign way, without depending solely on the United States,” he told Europe 1 broadcaster.

In response to Macron’s proposal, Trump took a jab at the French president in particular, and the EU in general.

“President Macron of France has just suggested that Europe build its own military in order to protect itself from the US, China and Russia,” the US president tweeted.

“Very insulting, but perhaps Europe should first pay its fair share of NATO, which the US subsidizes greatly!” he added.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Macron, Trump

Trump wants to abolish birthright citizenship

October 30, 2018 By administrator

US President Donald Trump told Axios he is planning to terminate birthright citizenship, potentially setting up another constitutional standoff, CNBC reports.

Trump said Monday he will sign an executive order that would remove the right to citizenship for babies of noncitizens and unauthorized immigrants born on U.S. soil.

“It was always told to me that you needed a constitutional amendment. Guess what? You don’t,” Trump said in the interview by Axios on HBO, the news site’s new documentary series.

“We’re the only country in the world where a person comes in and has a baby, and the baby is essentially a citizen of the United States … with all of those benefits,” Trump said. “It’s ridiculous. It’s ridiculous. And it has to end.”

“It’s in the process. It’ll happen … with an executive order.”

However, Canada and many other countries grant birthright citizenship.

Opponents will argue that it’s not within the president’s power to change birthright citizenship.

The 14th Amendment to the Constitution says:

“All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”

Trump’s comments come as he continues to push a hard anti-immigration line ahead of next week’s midterm elections. On Monday, the Defense Department announced plans to deploy 5,200 active duty troops to the U.S.-Mexico border by end of the week as a migrant caravan made its way north from Central America.

 

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: abolish birthright citizenship, Trump

I hope our partnership that started 100 years ago will further strengthen – Trump congratulates Pashinyan

September 20, 2018 By administrator

Trump congratulates Pashinyan

President of the USA Donald Trump has sent a congratulatory message to Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan on the occasion of Independence Day.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the official website of the Prime Minister of Armenia, the letter runs as follows,

“Honorable Mr. Prime Minister,

On behalf of the people of the USA I congratulate you and the people of Armenia on the occasion of the 27th anniversary of independence.

This year Armenia has various reasons for celebration. The peaceful, popular movement brought a new era in Armenia and we are ready to work with you to help to bring into life the will of your people to eradicate corruption, to establish representative and accountable administration based on independent judiciary, political and economic competition.

We thank you for your resolve partnership on various platforms, particularly your participation in NATO activities and for generously accepting Syrian refugees.

In the upcoming months opportunities will emerge for the settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict, which can open new opportunities for the Armenian-American partnership. As a member of the OSCE Minsk Group, the USA is ready to work with you for finding a lasting and peaceful settlement to the conflict.

This year also marks the 100th anniversary of the first Armenian republic and the centennial of Armenian-American friendship. I hope our partnership that started 100 years ago will further strengthen. On the occasion of this unique jubilee year I extent my best wishes to you and the Armenian people”.

 

Filed Under: News Tagged With: congratulates, Pashinyan, Trump

Trump Slams Tech Giants Google, Facebook for ‘Treading on Troubled Territory’

August 28, 2018 By administrator

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – US President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House on Tuesday that tech giants Google, Facebook and Twitter are operating in dangerous territory and should be careful.

Earlier in the day, Trump in a Twitter post accused Google and other tech companies of suppressing the views of conservatives and hiding positive news. Trump economic adviser Larry Kudlow earlier in the day told reporters that the administration was “looking into” how to respond to the tech companies.

“Google and Twitter and Facebook, they are really treading on very, very troubled territory and they have to be careful,” Trump said. “It is not fair to large portions of the population.”

Google search results for “Trump News” shows only the viewing/reporting of Fake News Media. In other words, they have it RIGGED, for me & others, so that almost all stories & news is BAD. Fake CNN is prominent. Republican/Conservative & Fair Media is shut out. Illegal? 96% of….

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 28, 2018

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: slams, Tech Giants Google, Trump

Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan Wants Face-to-Face Meeting With Trump

August 8, 2018 By administrator

Request comes amid escalating tension with Turkey

BY: Adam Kredo

The newly installed Prime Minister of Armenia is amping up efforts to get a face-to-face meeting with President Donald Trump, an effort that recently received a boost in Congress, when nearly 50 members formally petitioned the White House to organize a meeting with the Armenia leader.

Nikol Pashinyan was swept into office in May after leading a poplar revolution against the former regime led by Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan, who was forced out of office by Pashinyan, a prominent newspaper editor and reformist voice.

On the heels of this electoral victory, Pashinyan has been seeking a one-on-one with Trump to help bolster ties between the United States and Armenia.

The request for a meeting with Trump comes as tensions escalate between the United States and Turkey, which was recently hit with sanctions for its continued detainment of American Pastor Andrew Brunson. Proponents of the meeting with Pashinyan see an opportunity to bolster ties between the United States and Armenia as diplomatic tensions escalate with Turkey, which has traditionally had chilly relations with Armenia.

“The Republic of Armenia has seen a remarkable change in its government through peaceful and democratic means over the past few months,” wrote nearly 50 lawmakers from both sides of the aisle in a July 30 letter to the White House.

“As part of this movement, Mr. Pashinyan—a former newspaper editor and political prisoner—led tens of thousands of Armenians through the streets of Yerevan to protest former President and Prime Minister Sargsyan’s decade-long rule,” the letter states. “Prior to being voted into his role of Prime Minister in May, Mr. Pashinyan organized this nonviolent grassroots movement known as the ‘Velvet Revolution,’ which ultimately forced Mr. Sargsyan to resign.”

The United States has an opportunity to strengthen its ties with Armenia on the heels of a popular revolution that could usher in series reforms, the lawmakers said.

“As Armenia seeks to bolster government transparency, strengthen democratic institutions, and empower civil society, it is critical for the United States to deepen its ties with this regional partner at every level of government,” the lawmakers wrote. “Without question, your meeting with Prime Minister Pashinyan would help to further this goal and strengthen dialogue between our countries.”

As American pastor Brunson continues to be held in Turkish prison, the United States has an opportunity to cement ties with Armenia, one of Turkey’s chief diplomatic rivals.

In addition to a meeting with Trump, Congress is petitioning the U.S. administration to pursue high-level diplomatic talks with the new Armenian government.

The lawmakers are seeking “a series of high-level conversations between your [Trump’s] Cabinet Secretaries and their counterparts in Armenia—many of whom have recently been appointed as members of the newly formed government,” according to the letter. “These meetings would help to establish a critical bridge between our countries, helping to further increase Armenia’s inclusion in the international system and likely leading to more comprehensive U.S.-Armenian bilateral trade.”

The Trump administration has been mum on the request, declining to comment on questions from the Washington Free Beacon about a potential meeting.

A State Department official told the Free Beacon it “reviews and appropriately responds to all congressional correspondence,” but would not comment any further.

The White House National Security Council also declined to comment on the matter.

One former Trump administration official who has seen the letter told the Free Beacon the White House should seize the moment with Armenia and build up new ties.

“At the very moment Turkey is turning away from the U.S. and our national interests abroad, Armenia is doing everything in its power to extend the olive branch and establish an even closer relationship with America,” the source said. “President Trump should embrace that and not back down in the face of Erdogan and his radical Muslim thuggery.”

Adam Kredo is senior writer reporting on national security and foreign policy matters for the Washington Free Beacon.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Pashinyan, Trump

Armenian Caucus calls for Trump-Pashinyan meeting

July 24, 2018 By administrator

The leaders of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues are collecting the signatures of their U.S. House colleagues on a bipartisan letter encouraging President Donald Trump to meet with Armenia’s new Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan during the United Nations summit in New York this September, as part of a broader expansion of U.S.-Armenian dialogue aimed at further integrating Armenia into the international economic system and increasing U.S.-Armenia bilateral trade and investment.

“We are encouraged by all the new opportunities for more robust U.S. cooperation with Armenia’s new government, and join with our Congressional friends in encouraging the Administration to pro-actively strengthen our bilateral ties – with a special focus on the sustainable growth of mutually-beneficial economic relations,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian.

The ANCA’s U.S.-Armenia economic policy priorities include 1) a $140 million MCC Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math grant for Armenia’s public schools, 2) a modern Tax Treaty to eliminate double taxation and promote financial transparency, 3) a Social Security Agreement to protect benefits earned by people who divide their careers between the U.S. and Armenia, 4) non-stop commercial and cargo flights from Los Angeles to Yerevan, and 5) maximizing the effectiveness of the existing Trade and Investment Framework Agreement Council and the U.S.-Armenia Economic Task Force.

The ANCA is also working with Armenian Caucus leadership and Congressional appropriators to expand FY2019 economic, military and refugee assistance to Armenia and demining, rehabilitation and peacekeeping assistance for Artsakh.

In a “Dear Colleague” letter to their Congressional colleagues, the Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Jackie Speier (D-CA), Dave Trott (R-MI), and David Valadao (R-CA) and Vice-Chairs Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Adam Schiff (D-CA), wrote, “since being elected into office by Parliament, Prime Minister Pashinyan has committed himself to advancing Armenian issues both domestically and internationally and has stated his intent to deepen ties with the United States. Without question, a conversation between President Trump and Prime Minister Pashinyan emphasizing economic development, security and democracy is critical for a strong pivot towards a strategic partnership between our countries.”

The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is encouraging U.S. Representatives to co-sign this bipartisan Armenian Caucus appeal to the President.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: meeting, Pashinyan, Trump

What Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin should agree on in Helsinki

July 16, 2018 By administrator

Trump has said he hopes for an “extraordinary relationship” with Russia ahead of a summit with Putin. Their talks will cover several tricky topics, but there’s one uncontroversial issue where real progress is possible.

In a briefing for reporters last week, Washington’s ambassador to Moscow clearly was trying to manage expectations for the upcoming high-stakes summit between President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in Helsinki.

Asked whether he expected any concrete commitments or agreements to come out of the summit, Jon Huntsman said: “I think the fact that we’re having a summit at this level, at this time in history, is a deliverable in itself.”

He then cited the recent meeting between Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un in Singapore as a possible blueprint for the upcoming talks between the US and Russian leaders.

While the Trump administration argues that what it calls the “change in atmosphere” after the Trump-Kim meeting has led to the possibility of reduced tension with Pyongyang and that this should be viewed as a success, many outsider observers disagree with that interpretation.

Self-made crisis

They note that Trump himself, with his bellicose rhetoric, ratcheted up the tensions with North Korea only to then arrange a summit to defuse a crisis of his own making. They also argue that the much-hyped summit produced little more than a vague statement devoid of any specifics regarding the Trump administration’s touted goal of North Korea’s complete denuclearization, and that Pyongyang since then has stonewalled clear commitments to that end.

Considering its meager track record, the Trump administration’s signaling that the Singapore summit could serve as a blueprint for Putin and Trump’s Monday Helsinki get-together is underwhelming for such a high-profile meeting, said Christine Wormuth, the former undersecretary of defense policy for President Barack Obama. “I don’t think it’s too much to expect that there would be more concrete outcomes to such a meeting than just the meeting itself.”

But because the Trump-Putin summit faces even higher hurdles — some of Trump’s own making — than his meeting with the North Korean leader, progress or tangible results could prove even more elusive in Helsinki than they were in Singapore.

Acrimonious NATO summit

The most immediate obstacle for the Trump-Putin meeting is the US president just coming from a deeply acrimonious NATO summit, where he repeatedly lashed out against America’s traditional allies only days before he is to meet Russia’s leader, whom he has repeatedly praised. That makes for an awkward setting.

“It would not be helpful at this point to have a very warm meeting where President Trump and President Putin are mutually sharing grievances about NATO countries for example,” said Wormuth. “I think the timing of this summit is less than ideal, particularly coming quickly on the heels of the NATO summit, where the atmospherics were quite bad.”

But aside from the astonishing fact that it seems possible, perhaps even likely, that a US president might have a friendlier meeting with the leader of Russia than with the leaders of the US’ European allies, numerous thorny issues make progress between Moscow and Washington appear difficult, if not impossible. Chief among them is Russian meddling in the US election, its role in Syria, its illegal annexation of Crimea and its intervention in Ukraine.

Trump’s impulses

To be sure, Trump’s impulse on all of these issues is to accommodate Russia or strike what he views as some sort of grand bargain with the Kremlin in order to establish better ties with the country and Putin personally. This has been one of only a few central and consistent patterns of his political framework since the beginning of his presidential campaign.

And one can certainly never exclude Trump — particularly during the Helsinki session during which he and Putin are to meet privately with only interpreters present — making major concessions, such as accepting the Kremlin’s annexation of Crimea. And this is precisely what many Trump and Kremlin watchers in the US and Europe fear.

But since Russia is arguably the one area in which the Republican-led Congress has taken seriously its role to act as a check on the administration, Trump’s opportunity to swiftly and unilaterally change key US foreign policy stances appears to be constrained.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Helsinki, Putin, Trump

Will Helsinki be Trump the art of the deal ending Syrian war?

July 15, 2018 By administrator

When US President Donald Trump meets his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in Helsinki on July 16, a deal on Syria could be closed in good order, to the benefit of both countries, and most importantly, the people of Syria, who are thirsting for an end to the war. In this score, Trump can win by building on Putin’s diplomatic table setting between Israel, Iran and other key regional players.

Fyodor Lukyanov explained that “Trump would be willing to say that there’s no threat to Israel from Syria and that Putin will help drive Iran away from the Israeli border. This is what his electorate should hear. And it can be achieved thanks to long efforts to marry the security interests of Iran and Israel in Syria, with neither Trump nor other US representatives being the main protagonists. On the contrary, the key players include Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Putin — who have a high level of trust between them — as well as representatives of the Syrian government and top Iranian officials. Contacts are apparently indirect and delicate, with no formal arrangements possible.”

Al-Monitor has explained how Putin has become the go-to mediator between Israel and Iran, while navigating the often conflicting interests of the other regional powers. “The combination of military force with subtle and proactive multilateral diplomacy paves the way for strengthening the central authorities in Syria. Russia is showing uncharacteristic flexibility and taking into account the security interests of the key players — Turkey, Israel and Iran,” wrote Lukyanov. “It is also prodding the intra-Syrian groups into interacting quite insistently, even if not always successfully. … Russia … aims to engage all the regional stakeholders since, in its opinion, Damascus can oversee the process of rebuilding Syria only on the condition that all the internal and external forces agree — or at least remain neutral.

(Moscow sees the survival of the Syrian regime as the only way to preserve Syrian statehood.) Both consent and neutrality come as a product of arduous and sometimes fruitless work. But the goal can only be achieved through an ‘inclusive approach,’ as Russian diplomats like to call it.”

Not surprisingly, Putin has been fully engaged in the week leading up to the summit, meeting with Netanyahu on one day and Ali Akbar Velayati, the foreign policy adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the next, in Moscow last week.

In his meeting with Putin on July 11, “Netanyahu sought to emphasize that Israel has no contradictions with Russia and that they are working together on Syria,” Marianna Belenkaya reported. “He felt it was important to stress that Russia still gives Israel the needed leeway on Syrian territory. … Shortly after the talks in the Kremlin, Israel followed up with its own strikes on Syria, which Russia didn’t prevent.”

“Moscow allows Israel to behave the way it wants to in Syria under two conditions: If the Israelis strike Syrian positions only in retaliation to Syria’s own offenses, or when Israelis attack non-Syrian forces,” wrote Belenkaya. “In all other instances Russia responds with severe criticism, summoning the Israeli ambassador to the Foreign Ministry, something that also doesn’t really prevent Israelis from doing as they please. At the official level, however, no one would confirm this pattern. On the contrary, in all public statements Russian politicians stress the importance and strength of ties with Iran and its indispensable role in the Syrian settlement.”

“As for the departure of pro-Iranian militias, this fits into the trilateral Russia-US-Jordan agreement on the southwestern de-escalation zone. Russian diplomats have emphasized on multiple occasions that there should be no ‘non-Syrian forces’ in the area. Based on observers’ accounts, pro-Iranian militias do not — at least officially — take part in the Syrian army offensive in the south. To a large degree, this is to the credit of the Russian military, but it also occurred, to some degree, over concerns of new Israeli strikes,” Belenkaya added.

Iran is feeling the heat because of the reimposition of US sanctions, which increases Putin’s leverage, although not to the extent those hoping for a turnaround in the Russian-Iranian relationship might fantasize. The relationship is as rock solid as ever, and that could also work to Trump’s advantage, if he seeks to reduce the US military footprint in Syria and the Middle East, as he has said time and again.

Hamidreza Azizi reported that “the Iranian press has been quick to speculate that Russia is about to ‘betray’ Iran once again and to use Tehran as a bargaining chip to reach a deal with the United States. Moscow’s reaction to speculation along those lines, however, has been quite unexpected. For instance, Russia has backtracked from its previous position that all foreign forces, including Iranians, must leave Syria. Instead, Russian officials have started to vehemently emphasize the lawful nature of Iran’s presence in Syria.”

“It’s important to bear in mind the core objectives that led Iran to get involved in the Syrian crisis in the first place. As a longtime ally of the Syrian government, Iran’s primary goal since day one has been to preserve the rule of Assad and to help him regain full control over all of Syria. Against this backdrop, Tehran has long seen the strong foreign — and especially American — support for the armed rebel groups as a serious obstacle to the realization of this critical aim. Therefore, if any possible deal between Trump and Putin entails a US agreement to withdraw from Syria and accept Assad staying in power, the Islamic Republic would definitely consider it a gift,” added Azizi.

Read more: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2018/07/trump-putin-helsinki-syria-iran.html#ixzz5LLTnxY00

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Helsinki, Putin, Trump

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