After another weekend of destructive unrest, officials and members of the public of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region condemned the violence that has dragged the city into chaos without a foreseeable end.

Hong Kong Secretary for Security John Lee Ka-chiu said a “black terror” had taken hold over the past weekend as the violence became extraordinarily serious and terrorized the city, which “completely undermined the city’s rule of law”.

Lee made the remark at an interdepartmental news conference on Monday.

Some 100 gasoline bombs were hurled at police officers by violent radicals over the weekend. Many rioters set fires in different locations across the city. They attacked police officers with bricks and corrosive liquids. Such acts pose a serious threat to public security, Lee said.

Violent protesters attacked people whose views differ from their own, creating an atmosphere of “black terror” in Hong Kong, Lee said.

Authorities have referred to the term terrorism in commenting on the city’s prolonged protests against the now-shelved extradition amendment bill.

In mid-August, a spokesman for the nation’s top authority on the city’s affairs－the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council－warned that violence has shown the “first signs of terrorism” in the SAR.

Facing such a severe situation, Lee urged the Hong Kong public to speak out against violence.

Finding an excuse for violence equals encouraging violence, Lee said. It will only push Hong Kong closer to the verge of losing control, he added.

Over the weekend, 159 people were detained on suspicion of committing various offenses, including possessing offensive weapons, taking part in an unauthorized assembly and obstructing or assaulting police officers, police said at a news conference on Monday.

Police said 1,117 arrests had been made in relation to the violent protests that started in June.

Radicals have brazenly subverted the rule of law and disrupted order, Chief Secretary for Administration Matthew Cheung Kin-chung said.

The government and police will strictly follow up on all those illegal acts and bring the offenders to justice, Cheung pledged.

In another development, Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang on Monday dismissed remarks from an EU official and urged the European Union to “distinguish right from wrong”.

Geng was speaking at a news conference after EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini talked about the situation in Hong Kong on Friday.

The protests in Hong Kong have turned radical and violent and have challenged the rule of law and order in Hong Kong, Geng said, adding they have seriously threatened the lives and property of Hong Kong residents, and have violated the red line of the “one country, two systems” principle.

“If such serious and violent crimes happened in Europe, I believe no European country would just sit and ignore them,” he said.

Also over the weekend, radical protesters paralyzed traffic and disrupted operations at Hong Kong International Airport, where 25 flights were canceled on Sunday, according to Secretary for Transport and Housing Frank Chan Fan.

And more than a third of the city’s 90 subway stations were damaged.

Chan said it was “absolutely unacceptable” for radicals to ignore the court’s interim injunction against protests at the airport and on the subway network.

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Iran’s nuclear chief said on Tuesday he was warning the European Union’s top diplomat that Tehran’s patience was running out on the bloc’s pledges to keep up oil trade despite US sanctions.

Ali Akbar Salehi, head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation, said the Islamic Republic could resume its 20 percent uranium enrichment if it fails to see the economic benefit of the 2015 deal that placed curbs on its nuclear program.

“If we cannot sell our oil and we don’t enjoy financial transactions, then I don’t think keeping the deal will benefit us anymore,” Salehi told Reuters ahead of a meeting with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini in Brussels.

“I will pass certainly a word of caution to her (Mogherini): I think the period of patience for our people is getting more limited and limited,” he said. “We are running out of the assumed timeline, which was in terms of months.”

The meeting was due on Tuesday afternoon, with no media statements expected afterwards.

Under the 2015 deal, Iran restricted its disputed nuclear program, widely seen in the West as a disguised effort to develop the means to make atomic bombs, in exchange for an end to international sanctions.
US President Donald Trump pulled out of the accord in May, arguing that it did not rein in Iran’s ballistic missile program or support for armed proxies, and re-imposed sanctions on Iranian oil exports this month.

But Europe sees the nuclear deal as an important element of international security.

The EU and other remaining parties — China and Russia — have struggled to preserve trade incentives for Iran to respect the deal’s nuclear curbs under US pressure.

ENRICHED URANIUM

In Brussels for talks on civilian nuclear cooperation that EU officials intended as a signal support for the accord, Salehi said the bloc’s efforts were encouraging but added: “We have not yet seen any tangible results.”

He welcomed an EU plan to establish a special financial vehicle for non-dollar trade with Iran but only if it could preserve Iranian oil exports – its economic lifeline.

“It (the SPV) could be helpful in keeping the deal alive,” he said. “If there is nothing to reap then what is the purpose of us staying in because voices in Iran are day by day becoming more against the deal.”

Iran’s oil exports are expected to drop sharply to about 1 million bpd in November from a peak of 2.8 million bpd earlier this year. However, output is expected to recover somewhat from December thanks to US waivers, including for two EU nations: Greece and Italy.

Under the 2015 agreement with six world powers, Iran stopped producing 20 percent enriched uranium and gave up the majority of its stockpile. Salehi reiterated warnings that Iran has the technical capacity to ramp up enrichment if the deal unravels.

“It is very easy for us to go back to what we were before – even to a better position,” he said. “We can start the 20 percent enrichment activity. We can increase the amount of the enriched uranium.”

Uranium refined to 20 percent fissile purity is well beyond the 5 percent normally required to fuel civilian nuclear power plants, although still well short of highly enriched, or 80 to 90 percent, purity needed for a nuclear bomb.

Source: https://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Irans-nuclear-chief-Salehi-We-are-running-out-of-patience-with-EU-572952

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This story is brought to you in association with the European Union Council

The NATO summit was an opportunity to follow up on EU-NATO cooperation. The EU and NATO signed a new joint declaration just ahead of the summit on 10 July 2018.

The NATO summit was also an occasion to take stock of progress achieved since the previous 2016 Warsaw and 2017 Brussels summits.

President Donald Tusk, President Jean-Claude Juncker, and High Representative Federica Mogherini represented the EU at the NATO summit.

President Tusk participated to the working dinner of the North Atlantic Council at the level of heads of state and government on 11 July. The following day he took part in the meeting on Afghanistan.

President Tusk also met bilaterally with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan as well as with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.

Speaking on the eve of the NATO summit, President Tusk addressed President Donald Trump directly:

“Dear president Trump: America does not have, and will not have a better ally than Europe. Today Europeans spend on defence many times more than Russia, and as much as China. And I think you can have no doubt, Mr President, that this is an investment in common American and European defence.”

President Tusk’s remarks on EU-NATO cooperation, 10 July 2018

• Remarks by President Donald Tusk on EU-NATO cooperation, 10 July 2018

• NATO summit website

New EU-NATO joint declaration

President Donald Tusk and President Jean-Claude Juncker signed a new EU-NATO joint declaration with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, ahead of the summit on 10 July.

• Joint declaration on EU-NATO cooperation, 10 July 2018

The new joint declaration sets out a shared vision of how the EU and NATO will act together against common security threats.

“We want to protect European citizens with all possible means available, and there is no better partner than NATO. That is why we have agreed today to strengthen EU-NATO ties in crucially important areas.”

President Donald Tusk’s statement at the EU-NATO signing ceremony, 10 Juky 2018

The EU and NATO will focus their cooperation on areas such as:

• military mobility
• cyber security
• hybrid threats
• counter-terrorism
• women and security

The new joint declaration highlights that EU’s recent efforts to step up defense and security cooperation strengthen transatlantic security:

“We welcome EU efforts to bolster European security and defense to better protect the Union and its citizens and to contribute to peace and stability in the neighbourhood and beyond. The Permanent Structured Cooperation and the European Defense Fund contribute to these objectives.”Joint declaration on EU-NATO cooperation, 10 July 2018

The declaration builds on the objectives of the previous joint declaration of July 2016, which was signed at the 2016 NATO summit in Poland.

• NATO summit, Warsaw, Poland, 08-09/07/2016

 At the June European Council, EU leaders said that EU-NATO cooperation should be further deepened through a new joint declaration:

“The European Council calls for further deepening of EU-NATO cooperation, in full respect of the principles of inclusiveness, reciprocity and decision-making autonomy of the EU, including through a new Joint Declaration, building on the progress made in implementing the 2016 Joint Declaration and the related proposals for action.”European Council conclusions, 28 June 2018

About EU-NATO cooperation

The EU and NATO are the backbone of transatlantic security. Their cooperation was established more than 15 years ago. It has led to the development of a broad range of tools to provide greater security to citizens in Europe and beyond.The EU and NATO signed a joint declaration on increasing practical cooperation at the last NATO summit, held in Poland in July 2016.In December 2016, the EU and NATO endorsed 42 concrete actions for the implementation of the joint declaration.Both parties endorsed a new set of 32 actions in December 2017 to expand cooperation to new topics.

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Source: https://europeansting.com/2018/07/13/nato-summit-brussels-11-12-07-2018/

[Disclaimer]

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New Italian PM agrees with US president that Kremlin should be back at the table.

LA MALBAIE, Canada — Italy’s new prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, broke sharply with the EU on Friday at his first international summit, and joined U.S. President Donald Trump’s call for Russia to be reinstated to the exclusive club of industrialized nations.

Trump called for Russia’s reinstatement as he left the White House to travel to the G7 leaders’ meeting in Quebec.

The Western powers and Japan ejected Russia from the G8 in 2014 in response to the Kremlin’s invasion, and subsequent annexation, of Crimea.

Conte posted his support for Trump’s view on Twitter, apparently between meetings with European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. It’s unclear if Tusk or Juncker were aware of Conte’s statement before their meetings.

At a news conference, Tusk and Juncker mostly sidestepped questions about Conte’s position, saying they expected there would be overall agreement on Russia policy. But they also pushed back on Trump’s suggestion that Russia rejoin the club.

“I see a lot of speculation about G6 plus 1 or G7 minus 1, or G7 plus one,” Tusk said. “But let’s leave seven as it is. It’s a lucky number. At least in our culture.”

Tusk added that the G7 faced enough obstacles in their quest for unified positions without adding Russia back into the mix. Juncker, meanwhile, noted that EU leaders were re-engaging Russia in other formats, such as a recent economic forum in St. Petersburg attended by French President Emmanuel Macron.

But he said Russia still had to be held accountable for its actions.

“As we see it, Russia is in violation of international law because of its annexation of Crimea, equally because of what it has done in the east of Ukraine,” Juncker said. “Over and above that, of course, there are good reasons leaving these factors aside to renew our relationship with Russia and this is something which we intend to do,” he said. “I expect that it will be something we discuss.”

“But,” he added, “we need to take a stand against an aggressive approach and aggressive action on the part of Russia.”

Since Russia’s ejection, Western nations, including the U.S. and all EU countries, have been unified in the need to maintain economic sanctions and other pressure on Russia over its military intervention in Ukraine, in Crimea and in the eastern Donbas region, where the Kremlin continues to support an armed insurgency.

–Other G7 powers have not indicated any willingness to ease the pressure on Russia.–

Conte’s statement adds further diplomatic chaos to the G7 leaders’ summit, which was already descending into a chaotic war of words on Twitter. Trump on Thursday lashed out at the summit host, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and French President Emmanuel Macron, who criticized Trump for imposing unilateral tariffs on steel and aluminum.

While Trump was still traveling, and expected to arrive late at the summit, his comment calling for Russia to be reinstated is certain to further inflame tensions in Quebec.

On the South Lawn of the White House, Trump claimed to be Putin’s worst nightmare but then said “Russia should be in this meeting. Why are we having a meeting without Russia being in the meeting? And I would recommend, and it’s up to them, but Russia should be in the meeting. They should be a part of it.

“You know, whether you like it or not — and it may not be politically correct — but we have a world to run. And in the G7, which used to be the G8, they threw Russia out. They should let Russia come back in. Because we should have Russia at the negotiating table.” It was unclear what negotiation Trump had in mind.

A spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Peskov, who was on an official trip to China, told reporters Russia was focused “on other formats.”

Other G7 powers have not indicated any willingness to ease the pressure on Russia, and the EU’s foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, has worked hard to maintain unity on the issue in Brussels.

Conte’s statement will be especially problematic for Mogherini, who is Italian.

The first draft of the contract drawn up between the two parties in Conte’s government — the far-right League and the anti-establishment 5 Star Movement — contained a line calling for the end of Russian sanctions “immediately.” The text was amended in later versions.

In his first speech in the Italian parliament this week, Conte said that Italy remains a committed NATO partner but he added that “we will promote a revising of sanctions, starting with those that demean Russia’s civil society.”

Yet he didn’t indicate whether this should take place ‘immediately.” That’s because Rome has not yet decided whether to veto the rolling over of the sanctions during a meeting of EU leaders at the end of the month.

“We have to think about it,” said the League’s leader Matteo Salvini on Thursday at a reception at the Russian embassy in Rome.

Russia had been scheduled to host the G8 summit in 2014, and was planning to hold the leaders’ gathering in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi, which was also the site of the Winter Olympics that year. Instead, officials quickly rescheduled the G7 summit for Brussels, the capital of the European Union, which participates in both the G7 and the G20 but normally does not host summits. Russian remains a part of the G20.

Source: https://www.politico.eu/article/conte-trump-russia-g8-breaks-with-eu-backs-call-for-to-return/

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The European Parliament reached an agreement on 22 May with the Bulgarian Council presidency on the €500-million European Defence Industrial Development Programme (EDIDP), known as the capability window, for the 2019-2020 period, mirroring Europe’s growing appetite for defence cooperation that includes building up of the defence industrial base. However, national interests continue to dominate defence industry.

The post EU to boost European defense industry but national view remains dominant first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

BRUSSELS — Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s trip to Europe, normally friendly territory, is underscoring the difficulties of defending Trump administration policies to skeptical allies and his own, much criticized management of the State Department.

Federica Mogherini, the foreign policy chief of the European Union, struck one of the first blows when on Tuesday she offered a strikingly unvarnished critique of two key administration policies. Standing beside Tillerson, she told reporters it would be unwise for the United States to back away from the Iran nuclear deal and suggested that moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem would undermine Middle East peace efforts.

Tillerson also is facing criticism from within. At a routine meet-and-greet event with employees of the U.S. Embassy in Brussels, he defended administration policies and his own performance. He deviated from his standard speech outline to say that the State Department under his helm is “not missing a beat.” Moments later, he acknowledged a lack of major diplomatic successes, although he insisted that the groundwork has been laid.

“While we don’t have any wins on the board yet, I can tell you we’re in a much better position to advance America’s interests around the world than we were 10 months ago,” he said.

Increasingly, allies do not share that assessment. Tillerson is receiving a chilly, judgmental reception in Europe, startling for a diplomat representing a country that considers itself the leader of democracies with shared values and principles.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (fourth from left), German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel (second from right) and French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian (third from right) attend a meeting at the NATO headquarters in Brussels on Tuesday. (Virginia Mayo/AFP/Getty Images) 

Shortly after Tillerson arrived in Brussels, he was followed by a line of foreign ministers who uttered their disapproval.

Not long ago, it would have been rare for European allies to lay bare their differences so starkly. Tuesday’s criticisms were a measure of Europe’s diminished respect for the United States — and also the political benefits of hitting President Trump in front of European audiences that are deeply skeptical of the U.S. leader.

One after another, the top diplomats of Belgium, Germany and Luxembourg enumerated their disagreements about the Iran deal and Trump’s possible recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

“That’s oil on the fire,” Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn said as he walked into a meeting with Tillerson alongside other E.U. foreign ministers, referring to his government’s view about the consequence of recognizing Jerusalem. Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders urged avoiding “any provocation” that might ensue.

[Trump policies starting to ‘crumble’ traditional U.S.-Europe ties, German foreign minister warns]

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel echoed the worry, hours after delivering a searing speech in Berlin that offered a deeply pessimistic view of the future of U.S.-German relations.

“The current U.S. withdrawal under Trump from its role as the reliable guarantor of Western multilateralism accelerates the change in the global order,” Gabriel said at the Körber Foundation in Berlin. The pullback “will not change fundamentally even after the next election.”

R.C. Hammond, a senior aide to Tillerson, said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg disagreed with Gabriel’s assertion during a meeting with Tillerson that the European Union can go it alone. He said Stoltenberg told Tillerson that NATO depends on U.S. and British contributions to cover its military expenses.

Hammond also disputed the characterization that Tillerson’s counterparts showed any frostiness.

“That sounds like partners in communication,” he said of the public differences enumerated by diplomats.

“Allies have been very frank today in sharing some of their views,” he added. “Dialogues only work if they go two ways.”

Complicating his task, Tillerson arrived in Brussels, his first stop on a three-country trip, with his authority to speak for the administration under assault.

Last week, after months of mounting criticism that Tillerson’s remote management style and personnel decisions were gutting the State Department, White House officials let it be known that his tenure may be ending in a matter of weeks. The White House later denied wanting to get rid of Tillerson, and Tillerson himself dismissed the reports as “laughable.”

[White House readies plan to replace Tillerson with Pompeo at State, install Cotton at CIA]

Tillerson publicly appeared unruffled about the speculation about his political demise. He ignored a shouted question about whether he still speaks for the president. But the underlying discontent about his stewardship shadowed Tillerson throughout the day.

In his remarks to embassy staff members, a standard event designed to show appreciation for their work, the former chief executive of ExxonMobil suggested that he is nettled by downcast assessments of a State Department diminished under his leadership.

“We’re still awaiting a lot of nominees to clear the processes and be confirmed,” he said, referring to dozens of senior positions that are being filled temporarily by officials assuming “acting” roles. “I get a little criticism for that from time to time.”

Tillerson praised the staff members who have been pressed into duty running bureaus for the past 10 months, and said, “The State Department is not missing a beat, because we’re still working through the process.”

He told the assembled employees that within the next few weeks he will announce some of the changes expected by his State Department reorganization effort — “which everyone seems to be an expert on,” he added wryly.

Heading over to the European Union offices for talks with Mogherini and a lunch of duckling breast, Tillerson looked unfazed as Mogherini castigated Trump’s policies on Iran and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/tillerson-gets-chilly-reception-from-european-allies/2017/12/05/c494318c-d7b4-11e7-9ad9-ca0619edfa05_story.html

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