Archive
Indonesia to get $400 millions arms credit from Russia
Posted on December 21, 2012 by Akashma Online News
Russia’s Vnesheconom bank (VEB) will provide Indonesia a total of $399.5 million in credit to finance purchases of aircraft and related equipment from Russia’s state-run arms export company Rosoboron export.
Su-30MK2 Flanker Multirole Fighter
The credit will be provided for a seven-year term, Rosoborone xport said. This is the second credit agreement between VEB and Indonesia’s finance ministry in the past two years.
Earlier, VEB’s deputy chief Alexander Ivanov said the group won the Indonesian finance ministry’s tender to finance the purchase of six Russian-made Su-30MK2 Flanker multirole fighter aircraft.
The Sukhoi Su-30MKK (NATO codename: Flanker) is the two-seat, twin-engine multirole fighter aircraft developed from the Su-27 fighter. The aircraft was developed by Russian Sukhoi Design Bureau and built by KnAAPO in Komsomolsk-na-Amur. The PLA Air Force (PLAAF) acquired two batches totalling 76 Su-30MKKs between 2000 and 2003. The third batch, which consisted of 24 examples of the upgraded Su-30MKK2 variant, was delivered to the PLA Naval Air Force (PLANAF) in August 2004. The Su-30MKK series is the most capable combat aircraft in service with the PLA.
The Su-30MKK is PLA’s first ‘true’ multirole fighter with both ‘beyond-visual-range’ air-to-air and precision strike capabilities. The aircraft can deliver a range of precision-guided munitions such as the Kh-29 and Kh-59 air-to-surface missiles, Kh-31P anti-radiation missile, and the TV-guided bombs. For air-to-air combat, the aircraft is equipped with Russia’s latest Vympel R-77 (NATO codename: AA-12 Adder) active radar-homing medium-range air-to-air missile (MRAAM). Additionally, the aircraft is also fitted with sophisticated electronic countermeasures (ECM) and C4ISR suites for target acquisitions and weapon guidance.
Back in 2007 Indonesia signed a $1 billion arms package to update its crumbling military. The agreement with Russia includes contracts for two submarines and contains an option to purchase up to eight more over the next 15 years. As Chad Bouchard reports from Jakarta, that plan is raising concerns among other Pacific nations.
Under the turbid waters of the Western Pacific, a quiet arms race is threatening to upset the fragile balance of power between nations.
Chine accused of fueling Pacific Arms Race – A dramatic increase in the number of submarines being built in southeast Asia has sparked claims that a new arms race is under way beneath the waves in the Western Pacific.
Dozens of hunter-killers, armed with missiles and intelligence-gathering equipment, are being built, fanning fears of potential conflict in a volatile corner of the world and threatening to alter the global balance of military power.
In Nov. 1946, a draft agreement on forming a Netherlands-Indonesian Union was reached, but differences in interpretation resulted in more fighting between Dutch and nationalist forces. Following a bitter war for independence, leaders on both sides agreed to terms of a union on Nov. 2, 1949. The transfer of sovereignty took place in Amsterdam on Dec. 27, 1949. In Feb. 1956, Indonesia abrogated the union and began seizing Dutch property in the islands.
In 1963, Netherlands New Guinea (the Dutch portion of the island of New Guinea) was transferred to Indonesia and renamed West Irian, which became Irian Jaya in 1973 and West Papua in 2000. Hatta and Sukarno, the cofathers of Indonesian independence, split over Sukarno’s concept of “guided democracy,” and under Sukarno’s rule the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) steadily increased its influence.
Military analysts say Indonesia’s deal with Russia last week, which included two of Russia’s famously stealthy Kilo-class submarines, is the latest development in an ongoing underwater arms race across the region.
Andrew Davies is the author of The Enemy Below, a report published by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute think-tank.
He predicts increasing underwater traffic could lead to a serious international incident.
“When you have submarine operations, especially if people go and operate in other people’s sovereign waters, you have one little accident, you know a submarine bumps into a ship or something like that – and these things do happen; even US submarines bump into ships occasionally, you’re setting yourself up for a very significant diplomatic issue, especially if the two countries happen to not like one another,” he noted.
Japan has asked Indonesia to explain why it needs so much firepower under the sea.
The Indonesian government has announced that it wants to build 12 submarines by 2024 to patrol the strategically vital waters around its 17,000 islands. Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, South Korea, Bangladesh and -Pakistan are all buying -submarines “off the shelf”.
There are at least three key determinants in Indonesia’s future rise. The first is the vision of Indonesia’s future president after 2014, whoever that may be, which will determine the next phase of Indonesia’s foreign policy. Secondly, domestic sentiments on certain issues are also important in terms of their impact on Indonesia’s foreign policy. Islamic nuances in foreign policy are already evident as a consequence of domestic pressures, for example concerns about the plight of the Rohingya community in Myanmar; advocating an anti-blasphemy law in the UN; and Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa’s recent call for nations to review diplomatic ties with Israel and to boycott its products in solidarity with Palestine.
Indonesia, however, is confronted with a security dilemma given the current uncertainty in politics in the Asia-Pacific region; geopolitical turbulence in disputed waters; and the emergence of new sources of conflict involving resources.
Against this backdrop, Indonesia’s quest to improve its military capability, if realised, will influence the regional balance. In previous years, Indonesia was never able to meet its defence budget. In 2008 only 28 per cent of the overall budget was fulfilled by the government. Economic growth should help Indonesia to build up its military. Indonesia has recently passed a Defence Industry Law, demonstrating a political will to increase its military capability. But as the regional power balance shifts, it could potentially stimulate a reaction from Australia, Malaysia and Singapore, especially over border issues, such as the unresolved dispute over Ambalat with Malaysia. The Nation
Why hasn’t President Obama Visited Morocco during his Presidency?
Posted on November 29, 2012 by Akashma Online News
UPDATED by Marivel Guzman
Source Morocco News Board
Washington/Morocco News Board– Watching President Barack Obama’s visit to Myanmar two weeks ago, some Moroccans were left wondering if the White House fully appreciates their country’sclose alliance with the United States. Some in the Moroccan community in the United State have expressed dissatisfaction with their diplomatic mission in Washington’s tepid efforts to articulate, package and sell an “Obama visit to Morocco” campaign to the current Administration House.
The successes of Morocco’s efforts in supporting Washington foreign and military policies at different echelons and fields are undeniable. From covert action in support of American intelligence operations to diplomatic assistance to push the American Agenda in North African and the Middle East, Rabat has been constantly and publicly on the side of the United States.
For several observers, the U.S.-Morocco alliance warrants an Obama visit. Rabat should not pay for Washington’s “terms of accommodation” with other nations in the Maghreb, especially if the regimes in question harbor anti-American sentiments. If the State Department bureaucrats keep playing the old-fashioned game of balance-of-power between Rabat and Algiers, the Moroccans should appeal to their natural allies in Washington to push for a clear recognition of their nations’ longstanding pro-American stands.
Relations between Morocco and Algeria “has been a decline since the 1995 terrorist attack in Morocco” and “since that day, there is a kind of climbing, then the inclination to recovery,” said Algerian Foreign Minister Mourad Medelci, saying “the future is based on the will of the people.” North Africa United
Given, the public and not so public, critical role Morocco continues playing on behalf of America in the Middle East and North Africa, a question arises: Are the Moroccan officials in Washington actively and diligently pursuing efforts to get the Kingdom the
recognition it deserves in the United States?
Agadir Morocco US Naval Ship Pililaau Port
Unlike other countries in the region, Morocco is not shy about its military cooperation with the United States. The Moroccan Military has been training with all branches of the American Armed forces since the North African country’s independence. The domestic press and public view such cooperation as a plus for the Royal Armed Forces that are in a semi-war state with their neighbor. If some media organs in the region hide the presence of Americans on their soil, the Moroccan press hails the Pentagon assistance as a natural collaboration between two allies.
U.S. Government, Lockheed Martin Provide “Comprehensive Package”
The Royal Moroccan Air Force (RMAF) unveiled the first four of 24 Lockheed Martin F-16 aircraft in a ceremony Thursday at Ben Guerrir Air Base in Morocco. Senior representatives from the Moroccan and U.S. governments and air forces were present for the historic event. Aero New Network
The Moroccan authorities got in hot waters over their role in assisting American intelligences services after the 9/11 attacks. While weathering intense criticism from domestic and international human rights organizations over its alleged role in rendition operations, Rabat stood by Washington taking a public relations beating in the process.
If Moroccans lack critical energy resources, they remain trusted partners who deliver. Rabat never played the terrorism card as a way to gain favors from the West. While some countries in North Africa criticize Washington openly and tout their importance to the Europeans in private, the Kingdom has been forward in dealing with the Americans. Furthermore, it never utilized the “war in terror” as a bait to ask for a special treatment from Washington.
Morocco has one of the biggest Uranium Phosphates Mines in the world- Morocco holds 75 % of Uranium Phosphates reserves of 85 Billions Tons-On September 25, 2012 AREVA and EDF announce the signature of two contracts which make a significant contribution to securing the long-term supply of natural uranium to EDF nuclear facilities.Areva These contracts thus further consolidate AREVA’s position as a key partner to acquired ServiTrade, a Mozambique-based construction equipment to mine Uranium. On November 12, 2012 Ameco adquired ServiTrade.
Cameco to buy Areva’s stake in Saskatchewan project:Cameco Corp., Canada’s largest uranium miner, said it agreed to buy Areva Resources Canada’s entire 27.94-per-cent stake in the northern Saskatchewan-based Millennium project for $150 million.
While some regimes have manipulated terror groups in North Africa and the Sahel to overstate their importance to the West, Moroccan special units have been offering unconditional and professional intelligence assistance to their American counterparts in the fight against terror and crime in the Sahel.
On foreign policy, Rabat has been a steadfast American ally in Mali, Libya, Syria and Iran. Morocco hosted several international conferences given the American agenda an Arab cover. Today, Morocco is actively supporting the Syrian revolution, helping implement the U.S. Iran containment strategy and pursing military aid to the new Libyan Armed Forces.
King Mohammed VI after conducting talks with his counterpart Jordanian King Abdullah II visited the Zaatari camp where the Royal Moroccan army (FAR)have been deployed for monthswith a field hospital, to treat the wounded from the ongoing civil war in Syria.
King inspected military installations and Moroccan medical personnel, visited the sick and injured, in the Moroccan hospital, which has treated tens of thousands of Syrian refugees since its establishment. North Africa United
An Obama visit will not only boost the Moroccan regime, it will encourage the social reformist movement in the country as well. It will be a public relations gesture that recognizes Morocco’ recent reforms and advocate for further freedoms.
An Obama trip will not “endanger” American business interests in other countries in the Maghreb where such visit is impossible, as some reluctant American executives may argue; it will in fact push for further liberalization and transparency of the business world in North Africa.
For numerous Moroccan Americans, the payback has been hard to come by in the form of a Presidential visit. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton has been a good friend and a steady ally on the question of the Western Sahara but an Obama trip to Rabat will highlights Morocco’s importance to the United States. A “Barack in Rabat” headline will be a true recognition of Morocco’s vital assistance on intelligence and military matters to U.S. operations in Europe, the Sahel and the Middle East.
Bury my heart at Gaza City
Posted on November 21, 2012 by Akashma Online News
By Hisham Elkoustaf
Morocco World News
Orange County, California, Nov 21, 2012
This morning, as part of my quotidian perusal of international sources for honest journalism, I was intrigued by the following news headline, “America is with you.” I became very angry as I thought I was reading a statement from US Congress expressing solidarity with its Israeli masters. The language was actually a direct quote from President Obama during his speech at the University of Yangon in Myanmar (formerly Burma), where he encouraged Myanmar to continue the transition to democracy. Wait a second. Is this the same Myanmar that just a few weeks ago slaughtered thousands in Rohingya?
At a time when Palestinian civilians are being massacred by the Israeli military, President Obama and his Secretary of State were busy visiting Myanmar, Thailand and Cambodia as part of America’s effort to exert greater influence in the Asia-Pacific region. As American-made weapons continued to destroy Gaza, President Obama added insult to injury when he boasted about the merits of American-style democracy, stating “It’s worked for us for over 200 years now, and I think it’s going to work for Thailand and it’s going to work for this entire region. And the alternative, I think, is a false hope that, over time, I think erodes and collapses under the weight of people whose aspirations are not being met.”
One thing that cannot be denied about President Obama is that he is a fantastic orator. But how could he utter such beautiful words in defense of democracy when he continues to bless Israel’s denial of the aspirations of Palestinians? How could he pay lip service to democracy when he insists on rejecting the will of the people in Gaza?
As President Obama continues to be missing in action, at a time when we need his strong and balanced leadership, America’s corporate media, which masquerades as a legitimate news outlet, is regrettably saturated with right-wing pro Israeli extremists who regurgitate the same false narrative: Israel is simply defending herself against Palestinian aggression. Are we to believe that Palestinian children, dug up from the rubble of homes destroyed by on-going Israeli air strikes, are aggressors? Are we to accept that eight members of the Dalou family, including four children aged between one and seven, killed when an Israeli missile struck their home, are “terrorists”? Are we to accept that this is a “war” and that the Israeli military is acting according to internationally accepted norms of “warfare”?
So in the absence of honest American journalism, and as a challenge to the arguments of the right-wing pro Israel sycophants, let us examine just two examples of the heinous record of the criminal, bloodthirsty and savage Israeli army as it continues to murder defenseless Palestinian civilians. According to indisputable evidence found by an Amnesty International fact-finding team, during the 2009 slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza, the Israeli army used, inter alia, white phosphorus, a weapon with a highly incendiary effect, in densely populated civilian residential areas of Gaza City. When white phosphorus lands on skin it burns deeply through muscle and into the bone, continuing to burn until deprived of oxygen. And the Israeli military does not discriminate when it comes to civilian targets. The 2009 naked aggression against Palestinian civilians included dropping a white phosphorus shell in the al-Quds hospital in Gaza City, causing a fire that forced hospital staff to evacuate the patients.
According to Global Research, a center for research on globalization, during Israel’s vicious assault on Lebanon in July 2006, the UN estimated that Israel used massive amounts of cluster bombs and rained down around four million bomblets – most US-supplied – onto south Lebanon when a ceasefire had already been agreed. De-miners clearing Israeli-dropped cluster bombs in south Lebanon turned up an average of 10 new sites per month. A single cluster bomb can disperse hundreds of bomblets.
More shocking was Israel’s refusal to provide data that would assist clearing the estimated one million unexploded bomblets, which continue to kill and maim civilians and decimate rural livelihoods. Dalya Farran, a spokeswoman for the UN Mine Action Coordination Centre for South Lebanon stated that all the weapons systems are computerized and grid references are entered before the bombs drop. Yet the shameless and arrogant Israeli military continues to deny the UN any information on the cluster bomb strike data arguing that the cluster munitions were fired at open and uninhabited areas in which no civilians were present. Sadly, around one million of the bomblets failed to explode on impact, leaving roads, schools, homes and fields littered with lethal explosives that detonate when touched, making them a danger similar to anti-personnel mines.
So as Israeli war planes continue their cowardly destruction of Gaza, the jury is still out on what sort of American tax-payer funded weaponry is being used on civilians. And as Palestinians continue to dig up bodies of women, men and children, President Obama maintains America’s modus operandi when it comes to policy on Israel: “do what you have to do and we got your back”. With powerful enablers such as America, the cowardly Israeli military has and will always enjoy complete impunity for its inhumane crimes.
This Thursday, millions of Americans unknowingly commemorate the Native American peoples’ genocide through massacres, forced relocations and years of warfare waged by the United States federal government. As part of a White House tradition, President Obama is scheduled to pardon one of two 19-week-old, Virginia-raised, 40-pound male turkeys, otherwise known as toms, or gobblers. If only the President was as committed to saving the lives of Palestinians as he is in saving fowl.
Hisham Elkoustaf is an attorney with over a decade of experience at the intersection of law, policy and international development. Hisham earned his B.A. in Political Science, Cum Laude, from Columbia University. He received an M.A. in International Relations from the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy, Tufts University. He earned his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. He is a member of Morocco World News’ editorial team.
Akashma Online News 