October 03, 2007
From First Multi-National Force Iraq and Defend America:
Coalition forces disrupt al-Qaeda killing six terrorists, two suspects detained.
Attack aviation crews kill roadside bombers.
Cavalry Soldiers, ISF detain high-value individual.
Coalition forces detain 12 suspects during operations to disrupt al-Qaeda.
Iraqi Security Forces, U.S. Special Forces detain four extremists in Southern Iraq But the most important news comes at the end of the story "No Iraqi or U.S. forces were injured during these raids."
Iraqi, Coalition Forces detain six extremists in Tha’Alba raid.
New Ramps Increase Bagram Capacity.
82nd SB enhances Polish capabilities.
International news links, Oct. 3, 2007 A link to links, some good stuff though.
New Exchange Makes Life Better for Deployed.
Concerned citizens turn in cache.
New School Offers Space for Learning.
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From the Yomiuri Shimbun: Bill would require MSDF mission reports.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura, Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura and Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Tuesday drew up an outline for a new bill that would extend the Maritime Self-Defense Force's refueling mission in the Indian Ocean.Key elements of the new bill would restrict the MSDF's activities to refueling and supplying water to vessels of other countries, and would require the government to periodically report on the MSDF's activities to the Diet.
On Tuesday, the government and the ruling parties reached a broad agreement on the outline of the bill, government sources said.
A clause in the current Antiterrorism Law that requires Diet approval for the activities likely will be scrapped.
The DPJ seems to get some, but not all of what it wants in this bill. They would be kept in the loop but they would, quite rightly not have a veto over the operations themselves. Really this whole flare up is due in part to the fact that the exsistence of article nine means that their is no one person or entity that is readily identifiable as the civilian comander and chief of the Japanese military. In a more normal constitutional monarchy this would typically be the Prime Minister, acting on behalf of the sovergien. But it is all up in the air right in Japan. This is something that needs to be corrected, because if a war were to break out that pulled in Japan the current situation would have far too many chefs in the kitchen.
And some more evidence for the continuation of the JMSDF's mission in the Indian ocean. MSDF pullout would hit antiterror efforts.
The legal authority for the Maritime Self-Defense Force's logistical support operations in the Indian Ocean, primarily involving the refueling of warships that form the multinational force patrolling the region as part of the war on terrorism, looks set to end next month.In mid-September, reporters were shown the MSDF's activities in the Indian Ocean ahead of a Diet session in which the ruling and opposition parties were to debate whether the Antiterrorism Law should be extended.
The first-hand look at the operations, conducted as part of the ongoing antiterrorism efforts, help answer questions arising from the military tie-up with the multinational force and clarify Japan's national interests.
During the press briefing on the Indian Ocean, the Tokiwa, an MSDF supply vessel, provided fuel to a Pakistani Navy destroyer in the Arabian Sea, north of the Indian Ocean. At sea, the blazing sun had sent temperatures soaring to 39 C. From the bridge, an MSDF officer spoke in English over a walkie-talkie to guide the Pakistani warship in. The ship approached the stern of the Tokiwa then drew up on its starboard side.
The Towada class AOE JDS Tokiwa at sea.
more...
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From the Chosun Ilbo: N.Korea Won't Declare Nuclear Weapons This Year.
North Korea has made it clear in six-nation talks that it will report its nuclear programs but not its nuclear weapons by year's end.After the six-party talks came to an end Sunday, the chief North Korean negotiator Kim Kye-gwan reportedly said, "We can't declare nuclear weapons this year, because if we do it at this stage, our nuclear weapons technology level will be revealed." He hinted North Korea wants to keep its nuclear weapons as the last bargaining chip for the negotiations.
The higher the technology level, the easier it is to produce nuclear weapons even with a small amount of plutonium, an official involved in the six-party talks said. That makes it possible to guess the technology level a country has achieved by looking at the number of nuclear weapons it possesses.
In recent days I have come to believe that the six party talks and even potential direct US-North Korea negotiations are only a delaying tactic that gives Kim Jong-Il more time to further refine his nuclear arsenal and to spread the nuclear know how he now posseses to Syria and Iran. Nothing that the Norks do gives one any reason to believe that they will hold up their end of any potential deal. Their past history tells us that they wil do all that they can to decieve and deny while carrying out the tasks the Dear Leader has set them. Negotiations and summits at this point only prolong the time until the inevitable colapse of North Korea. The US and South Korea would be better served by the confrotational and agressive approach that brought down the Soviet empire that had imeasurably greater economic and human potential compared to the hermits of the north. By doing so the South can guarantee its continued prosperity and security rather than trying to both appease their beligerent nieghbor while at the sam time providing them with economic and material assistence that weakens the South Korean economy. We should only negotiate after Kim Jong-Il and his decrepit empire have fully and truthfully disclosed their nuclear facilities, capabilities and inventory to an impartial third party that has verified the report through unannounced on site inspections. But I expect that to happen right about the time hell freezes over.
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From the Yomuiri Shimbun: Seoul's Pyongyang policy at crossroads / Visit puts Roh's conciliatory approach toward North Korea under the microscope.
Can the summit talks between North and South Korean leaders, which started Tuesday in Pyongyang, lay the foundation for real progress on alleviating international concern about North Korea's nuclear programs? Can the three-day summit meeting ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula?South Korea's diplomacy vis-a-vis Pyongyang switched abruptly from the conventional confrontational approach to that of reconciliation or cooperation under the administration of former President Kim Dae Jung, who pursued the "sunshine" or "engagement" policy.
Kim's successor, Roh Moo-hyun, championed the "policy for peace and prosperity" to further develop Kim's reconciliation strategy. Roh's initiative calls for the resolution of problems through dialogue, and seeks a spirit of mutual trust and reciprocity. In concrete terms, Roh has sought to find a peaceful solution to the dispute over denuclearization of North Korea through large-scale economic cooperation and assistance, thereby trying to foster the prosperity of both Koreas.
With the inter-Korean summit now underway all anyone can now do is to wait and see what is anounced as each day of the meeting ends. The powerlessness is frustrating in the extreme. Whatever president Roh has decided is now effectively set in stone and immune to the criticism of the South Korean Media and public. And of that there continues to be plenty of.
From the Chosun Ilbo: A Message to President Roh.
President Roh Moo-hyun walked across the Military Demarcation Lline at around 9 a.m. this morning. Roh is scheduled to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in Pyongyang and announce a joint statement tomorrow.This summit is a peculiar and special meeting. The president has set out to hold a summit whose consequences will have a decisive effect on the future of his country, at a time when he has just two months left in office and when his approval rating hovers in the 20 percent range. This is unheard of even between the United States and the Soviet Union and between East and West Germany during the Cold War.
The only condition under which the U.S. and West Germany were willing to hold such meetings was if the president who was to attend that meeting had ample time left in his term and the solid support of his people. That’s the only way the president would not be pushed around in negotiations and was able to protect the long-term interests of his people.
Perhaps it is due to these concerns that the majority of South Koreans would prefer the summit to pass without any problems than talks to lead to a breakthrough in inter-Korean relations. As he goes to North Korea, the president should contemplate the wishes of his people deeply.
My previous thoughts on this issue here and here.
Additional Links to Comentary and News Stories about the summit:
7 Thorny Issues for the Inter-Korean Summit.
The Inter-Korean Summit and Our Choices.
A Declaration Alone Cannot Guarantee Peace.
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