USA
NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT
EUROPE
NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT
ASIA
Dispatch: China's 'Jasmine' Rallies | STRATFOR
South Korea: No Plans For Return Of U.S. Tactical NuclearWeapons February 28, 2011 T South Korea has no plans to seek the return of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons to the peninsula with a senior South Korean presidential official saying Seoul remains committed to the 1991 joint denuclearization declaration with North Korea, Yonhap reported Feb. 28.
RUSSIA
NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT
IRAN
Iran: Stuxnet Irrelevant To Recent Bushehr Fuel Unloading February 28, 2011 Recent unloading of fuel from the core at the Iranian nuclear power station Bushehr is not related to the Stuxnet computer virus but a planned agreement between Iranian and Russian experts as a final check of the reactor, Iranian Ambassador to Russia Mahmud Reza Sajjadi said, ISNA reported Feb. 28. Sajjadi said the Russians remain committed to the project, having completed the plant facilities, transferred fuel to Iran, placed it in the reactor and engaged the plant. He added Iran will contemplate Russia’s offer to send goods to Iran in lieu of the S-300 missile system, adding Iran welcomes the alternative devices if they can be used in its defense policy, but if not, then the offer will be dismissed.
Iran: Opposition Leaders Moved To Safe House - Report February 27, 2011 Two Iranian opposition leaders have secretly been moved from their homes where they had been under house arrest for encouraging anti-government protests, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran said Feb. 27, Reuters reported. According to sources of the human rights group, Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi were moved, along with their wives, to a safe house in an area close to Tehran. The sources also said the leaders had not been physically abused and their new location is not a prison. There has been no official confirmation as to their whereabouts.
IRAQ
Iraq: Baiji Oil Refinery Restarts Partial Operation February 28, 2011
Iraq restarted production operation at 50 percent capacity at its Baiji oil refinery on Feb. 28 after a two-day shutdown after an attack was made with explosives, Reuters reported, citing Abdul-Qader Saab, the refinery’s deputy manager. Saab said that at least 45 days are needed to fix the production unit and that a shortage in oil products needed for domestic consumption is expected during that time. Other production units that produce kerosene, benzene and other oil derivates were not affected by the attack, Saab said. A refinery in the town of Samawa also restarted production on Feb. 28 at full capacity of 30,000 barrels per day after a two-day shutdown due to a fire, an Iraqi Oil Ministry spokesman said. Iraq is considering contacting neighboring countries and companies in order to import more fuel, the spokesman said.
ISRAEL
NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT
AFGHANISTAN
Afghanistan: Denmark Modifies, Extends Military Commitment February 28, 2011
Denmark’s government and opposition parties agreed on a two-year plan to continue Danish military presence in Afghanistan with the “Helmand Plan” proposing transferring forward operating bases to the Afghan National Army in mid-2011 and reducing troops from the current 750 to 650 by 2012, IHS reported Feb. 28, citing a Danish government statement. Remaining troops will increase their focus on training and education, especially strengthening the police training effort and increasing civilian and developmental contributions to Afghanistan.
Afghanistan: NATO Forces Repositioned Along Pakistan BorderFebruary 28, 2011
U.S. commander of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces in eastern Afghanistan Maj. Gen. John Campbell has repositioned some of his soldiers since August 2010 to make them more effective in the regions that borders Pakistan, such as Kunar, AP reported Feb. 28. “I don’t want people to think that we are abandoning Pech,” Campbell said, adding, forces are being taken out of static areas to perform counter-terrorism operations and bases could be easily reinforced if necessary. Shifting the forces “gives me more combat power to disrupt, but at the same time able to contain the insurgents,” “I can do complimentary operations with Pakistan, something they wanted to do, something we wanted to do,” Campbell said.
MIDDLE EAST
Dispatch: Why the Outcome of Bahrain's Unrest Matters | STRATFOR
Egypt: Mubarak's Property Frozen, Family Banned From Travel February 28, 2011
The Egyptian Public Prosecutor’s Office is freezing the property of ousted Egyptian Hosni Mubarak and his family, and they are banned from traveling abroad, Nile News reported Feb. 28.
Syria: President Making Plans To Deter Protests - STRATFOR Source February 27, 2011
According to a STRATFOR source with links to the Syrian regime, Syrian President Bashar al Assad is outlining plans to prevent protests from spreading into the country. Security forces have been placed on full alert to quell disturbances as soon as they occur, preventing them from becoming mass demonstrations. The source, whose information has not been verified, also claims that al Assad has decided to remove Prime Minister Mohammad Naji al-Otari from the Cabinet and put a number of members and top officials on trial for abusing the public’s trust, a decision to deflect a popular uprising. Meanwhile, a Facebook page that boasts some 25,000 supporters, many of whom are in exile, has called for mass protests in Syria, Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Australia to demand the removal of al Assad. Thus far, the Facebook-organized protests have failed to gain traction
SOUTH OF THE BORDER
Mexico: Authorities Detain Suspect In ICE Killing February 27, 2011
The Mexican military arrested Sergio Antonio Mora Cortez, aka Toto, and five other Los Zetas drug cartel members, Mexican officials said, AFP reported Feb. 28. Cortez is alleged to be the superior of the suspected killer, Julian Zapata Espinoza aka El Piolin, of U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent Jaime Zapata, the Mexican navy said. Morea was detained in Saltillo, Coahuila state, near San Luis Potosi state where the Zapata was killed on Feb. 25 and his colleague, Victor Avila, was wounded.
MISC
NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT
Except where noted courtesy www.stratfor.com
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