USA
U.S.: Lakehurst Naval Base Lockdown Update
June 21, 2010
The U.S. Naval Air Engineering Center in Lakehurst, New Jersey, has been on lockdown since 9:15 a.m. local time as a manhunt for two men is under way, The Trentonian reported June 21. New Jersey state police, a SWAT team and federal officers are looking for a man who climbed the naval station’s fence and a FedEx truck driver allegedly carrying a .38 handgun who drove onto the base but did not deliver a package.
June 21, 2010
The Naval Air Engineering Center in Lakehurst, N.J., is no longer on lockdown, AP reported June 21. Reported sounds of gunfire and a delivery driver with a gun initially prompted an hour-long lockdown at the base. The driver was trying to enter the base at the main gate rather than the commercial gate, which is where most delivery drivers know to go, the official said. This incident, along with reports of the sound of gunfire, triggered the lockdown. An official from the base said there were no injuries and no real danger.
EUROPE
NSTR
IRAN
Iran: 2 Billion Euro Bond Sale For Chemical Industry
June 21, 2010
Iran will issue bonds worth 2 billion euros ($2.48 billion) to help finance the development of the country’s petrochemical industry, Reuters reported June 21, citing the Iranian Oil Ministry.
Iran: IAEA Inspectors Barred From Nuclear Facilities
June 21, 2010
The Head of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi said Tehran bars two International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors from visiting its nuclear facilities due to presentation of false information and disclosure of official data, ISNA reported June 21. Salehi referred to the IAEA Board of Governors meeting in Vienna and said two inspectors presented false reports on Iran’s nuclear activities since they disclosed information before it was examined officially and provided media with false information on Iran’s nuclear work. Salehi said Iran is working on a “water pool reactor” with fuel plates for production of medicines.
Iran: Denies U.S. Assertion Its Missiles Menace Europe
June 19, 2010
Iran’s Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi on June 19 denied U.S. assertions that Iranian missiles pose a threat to Europe, adding that Washington was spreading propaganda, Reuters reported. Vahidi accused U.S. counterpart Robert Gates of engaging in “psychological warfare” when he said on June 17 that U.S. intelligence showed Iran had “scores or even hundreds” of missiles it could use against Europe. Vahidi said Iran’s missile capability has been designed to defend itself against military aggression and does not pose a threat to any country.
IRAQ
Iraq: Anger Over Power Cuts Leads To Violence
June 19, 2010
A protest over electricity shortages in oil-rich southern Iraq turned violent when police opened fire to disperse the crowd June 19, killing one protester, AP reported. More than 3,000 protesters marched through Basra, carrying banners and chanting angry slogans. But the protest turned violent when demonstrators started throwing stones and advanced on the Basra provincial council building, setting fire to a guard’s cabin. Hospital and police officials said one man was killed and three others wounded.
ISRAEL
June 21, 2010
The United States is “concerned” about Israeli plans to move ahead on a project that entails the demolition of Arab homes in Jerusalem, AFP reported June 21, citing a U.S. State Department spokesman. The spokesman said this undermines the trust that is necessary to make progress in proximity talks and negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians and that the United States has had several conversations with Israel on the matter.
Israel: East Jerusalem Construction Plan Needs Further Approval
June 21, 2010
A Jerusalem city spokesman on June 21 announced zoning approval for a plan to build an Israeli tourist center in the al-Bustan area of Silwan neighborhood, East Jerusalem, AP reported. Construction would require razing 22 Palestinian homes built without permits to make way for 1,000 Israeli homes, Reuters reported June 21. The project cannot begin without Interior Ministry approval, which could take months to obtain. A statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said that since the project is in its preliminary stages, he hopes an agreement between the government and those affected by the project can be reached.
Israel: PNA Denounces Settlement Building In Jerusalem
June 21, 2010
The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) denounced Israeli settlement construction in Jerusalem on June 21, Xinhua reported. Israeli bulldozers leveled large plots in Beit Hanina, Shuafat and Hezma in East Jerusalem in order to build 600 new settlements, Palestinian witnesses and officials said.
Israel: Opposition Dropped For Renewed Settlement Building
June 21, 2010
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delayed discussion on the construction freeze for months but will not oppose a new initiative and may even support it, Haaretz reported June 21. The Likud Central Committee will meet on June 24 to discuss the freeze on construction in East Jerusalem and the West Bank and is expected to approve a proposal that settlement construction be promoted. This time Netanyahu will not oppose the initiative.
Israel: Navy On Alert For Lebanese Ships
June 20, 2010
The Israeli navy is on high alert for two ships that may sail from Lebanon in an attempt to break the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip, The Jerusalem Post reported June 20, citing an Israeli military source. The source said Israel is monitoring the status of the ships, which are reportedly carrying women and medical supplies and have not yet departed from Lebanon. Defense officials said the navy will operate under the assumption that militants or provocateurs are aboard the ships, and will take extra precautions if it needs to stop them.
Israel: New Procedures To Ease Gaza Blockade Announced
June 20, 2010
Israel announced new procedures June 20 to ease the blockade of the Gaza Strip, Reuters reported, citing a statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office. Israel will publish a new list of banned items such as weapons and materials that can be used to construct them, but all other goods will be allowed to enter Gaza. Netanyahu announced the plan with Quartet Middle East envoy Tony Blair. Under the plan, Israel will allow construction material to enter Gaza for projects including schools, sanitation, water and health facilities approved by the Palestinian Authority and supervised by international organizations. Israel will reserve the right to ban “dual use” construction materials that could be used to build weapons, and will increase operations at border crossings to allow more goods into Gaza. The statement also said Israel will consider opening more crossings if calm persists on the Israel-Gaza border.
Israel: Attacks From West Bank 'Inevitable' - Hamas Official
June 20, 2010
Hamas official Mahmoud Zahar said rocket attacks on Israel from the West Bank in addition to the Gaza Strip are “inevitable,” according to an interview Zahar gave to East Jerusalem newspaper Al-Quds on June 20. In the interview, Zahar also criticized the Palestinian Authority for fighting against the resistance to Israel, adding that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah movement seized power in the West Bank with the help of Israel, and that Hamas had not seized power in Gaza. Zahar said Abbas has received nothing from the international community, and that Arab states had severed ties with Hamas to avoid a conflict with the United States
Israel: Warns Lebanon Aid Ships
June 19, 2010
Israel has told the United Nations that it will use “all necessary means” to stop ships from Lebanon from carrying humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, Al Jazeera reported June 19. Gabriela Shalev, Israel’s UN ambassador, also called on the Lebanese government to stop the ships from leaving. Shalev said that while the organizers of a small number of ships planning to sail from Lebanon said they wished to take aid to Gaza, “the true nature of their actions remains dubious.”
AFGHANISTAN
Afghanistan: Oil Tender Process To Begin
June 21, 2010
Afghanistan will initiate an oil tender process in July or August, Afghan Minister of Mines Wahidullah Shahrani said June 21, Reuters reported. Shahrani will meet oil executives in London this week to talk about the tender process. Afghanistan has an estimated 1.6 billion barrels of oil reserves, 16 trillion cubic feet of natural gas reserves and 600 million barrels of gas condensate, Shahrani said. The Kashkari oil block in northwest Afghanistan will be tendered, following by the larger block in the Afghan-Tajik basin in 2011. Shahrani added that the hydrocarbon law is being revised “to make it even more transparent and market friendly.”
SOUTH OF THE BORDER
Venezuela: Bankers Assets May Be Seized
June 17, 2010
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said his government may seize the assets of an opponent whose bank was taken over by regulators, and warned that might include Banco Federal owner Nelson Mezerhane’s minority ownership stake in Globovision, an anti-government television channel, AP reported June 17. Chavez stated that the government will begin seizing apartments or other properties “if the owners of the bank don’t show up.” Chavez said government authorities also want to discuss the issue with Globovision’s majority owner Guillermo Zuloaga. If they don’t have anything to fear, let them appear and respond before the courts, Chavez said.
MISC
Morocco: Radical Islamist Cell Broken Up
June 21, 2010
Moroccan security forces broke up a Palestinian-led radical Islamist cell that was planning militant attacks in Morocco, according to the official news agency MAP, Reuters reported June 21. The group, which had 11 members, followed a jihadist radical Islam strain, MAP reported, quoting a statement from the Moroccan Interior Ministry.
Kyrgyzstan: State Of Emergency Extended
June 20, 2010
Kyrgyzstan has extended the state of emergency in the southern city of Osh and other nearby areas through June 25, Xinhua reported June 20. The state of emergency, which was imposed by the interim government following ethnic clashes in southern Kyrgyzstan, was also extended in nearby Uzgen, Kara-Suu and the Aravan district. Government forces also began removing barricades in Osh on June 20, and faced no resistance. The state of emergency was set to expire June 20.
Kyrgyzstan: CSTO Will Not Deploy Peacekeepers
June 18, 2010
The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) announced it will not send peacekeepers to Kyrgyzstan but may send security specialists, Radio Free Europe reported June 18. CSTO Secretary-General Nikolai Bordyuzha suggested the security specialists could be used to track down those behind the violence in Kyrgyzstan but did not provide any further details.
Kyrgyzstan: Russian Troops Requested To Guard Strategic Sites
June 18, 2010
Kyrgyzstans interim leader Roza Otunbayeva said Russian troops will be sent to guard strategic sites in Kyrgyzstan, AFP reported June 18. A Russian Defense Ministry source said that Russia has received a request for troops but has not yet reached a decision about the matter, RIA Novosti reported. A Kremlin source said that Russian soldiers have been sent to Kyrgyzstan to protect a military base.
Kyrgyzstan: Death Toll Nears 2,000
June 17, 2010
The real death toll from interethnic clashes in southern Kyrgyzstan has exceeded 1,800, nearly 10 times higher than the official figures, according to a secret service source, Russia’s RIA Novosti reported June 17. Following local customs, many families bury their dead on the first day before the sunset, the source stated, adding that because of the collapse of local administrative bodies there is no one to report casualties. In some places entire families died in the clashes and no one could report on their deaths, the source said.
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A Week in the War: Afghanistan, June 9-15, 2010 | STRATFOR
A Week in the War: Afghanistan, June 9-15, 2010 | STRATFOR
Kyrgyzstan: The CSTOs Stabilization Plan | STRATFOR
Kyrgyzstan: The CSTO's Stabilization Plan | STRATFOR
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