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Syrians should decide Assad’s fate – Russian FM Lavrov - Stories
From Around the Web
The Obama administration has suffered a devastating fiasco. The Senate has turned down a bill that meant a lot to the country’s 44th president. The bill in question envisaged restrictions on arms trade.
The first edition of A VIEW FROM MOSCOW came out on April 22nd 1963. Every Saturday it presented Moscow’s point of view concerning the developments in the United States and in the rest of the world.
Nearly every Russian knows this popular saying: fools observe no rules. By comparison, the highly experienced and qualified staff of the US State Department tends to act in accordance with a similar principle which originated in ancient Rome: what is legitimate for Jove, is not legitimate for oxen. Even though they are knowledgeable about foreign policy and fully aware of the fundamental principle of the international law that precludes meddling in the domestic affairs of a sovereign state, US government officials choose to ignore these well-known wisdoms and the fact that Russia is a great power and has as much political weight as American Jupiter.
While commenting on President Obama’s recent tour of the Middle East, analysts and political observers pointed out the absence of Egypt from the list of countries on his itinerary. By comparison, Egypt and talks with Hosni Mubarak took center-stage in the course of Obama’s Middle East trip in the summer of 2009.
Washington has scrapped plans to deploy missile bases in Poland and Romania. A statement to this effect was made by newly appointed Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel. Some analysts interpret the move as a goodwill gesture towards Russia given Moscow’s opposition to the deployment of American bases in proximity to its borders.
The death of Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez has knocked Washington off balance and stripped it of self-esteem. In a move seen by many as a breach of diplomatic courtesy, the US president refrained from extending condolences to the people and government of Venezuela, like most countries did. Those in the US corridors of power must have lost their nerve.
There is a ‘black date’ that Washington is trying hard to forget. Politicians are pretending that it doesn’t exist. Newspapers, radio and television are bypassing it. Meanwhile, March 19th 2003 marked an important chapter in the American history. On March 19th 2003 President George W. Bush ordered the military invasion of Iraq. The next day Baghdad came under a devastating attack. Given that Washington chose to invade Iraq without authorization from the UN, it grossly violated the requirements of international law.
Even though Americans hoped that common sense and concern for the country’s interests would prevail and that the US authorities would save the country from sequestration, it didn’t happen.
The forthcoming withdrawal of US contingents from Afghanistan which topped the agenda of Barack Obama’s annual address to Congress was portrayed as a major gain of the American administration in its efforts to put an end to this long-running war. Regrettably, President Obama kept silent on the fact that the US is de facto suffering another military and political defeat, this time in Afghanistan.
The recent devastating Winter Storm Nemo caused massive blackouts and numerous casualties in the US Northeast. More than one million households were without electricity. As the US northeastern states are struggling to recover from the unprecedented blizzard, governors have declared a state of emergency in six states.
The results of a recent survey conducted in the US revealed that a startling 82% of Americans are displeased with Congress’ work.
Hillary Clinton chose to slam the door on her way out. In her farewell address the outgoing Secretary of State announced Washington’s decision to pull out of the US-Russia Civil Society Working Group, which was established in July 2009, during Barack Obama’s visit to Moscow.
The inaugural events in Washington are over and everyday works starts. The first serious issue reelected president Barack Obama has to face is the unmeasured public debt of his country. The legal debt limit is now $17 trillion. Considering that today it is not possible to prevent its further growth a new decision on raising the debt ceiling even higher is required.
The recent hostage massacre perpetrated by an Islamist terrorist gang in Algeria is unmistakably yet another in a series of boomerang blows that Washington and its docile NATO partners have suffered since March 2003 after U.S. President George W. Bush ordered a military invasion of Iraq. Oddly enough, the Iraqi army, one of the strongest Middle East armies back then, was surprisingly quick to capitulate, offering almost no resistance, while the Iraqi state, stable for years under the iron grip of Saddam Hussein, virtually ceased to exist.
Four years ago US Vice-President Josef Biden coined the term ‘reset’ to denote a change in US-Russian relations. However, Washington hardly ever mentions it these days. The so-called ‘reset button’ which Secretary of State Hillary Clinton used ‘to press’ so ceremoniously to the mutual satisfaction of both sides has been discarded as a thing of the past.
The US Senate has unanimously approved a $631bln defense budget for 2013. The draft budget has evoked no objections from the White House. As he ran for president four years ago, Barack Obama promised to cut defense programs and put an end to the arms race which drained the US economy. The Obama administration has failed to stabilize the economy.
On November 6th the American people elected Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States. Few countries give so much authority to one man. Under the US Constitution, the president is the head of state and government, accountable to the government only, empowered to appoint and dismiss ministers at will. In addition, the US president is the country’s Supreme Commander-in-Chief and the head of the ruling party. What a democracy!
As the dust of the US presidential elections has settled, the time has come to analyze their results. Evidently, the main outcome of the recent ballot is that Barack Obama, who has been elected for the next four years, was backed by only half of US citizens.
John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States, was shot dead on November 22nd 1963 in broad daylight and in full view of thousands of people. The murder went down in American history as the “mystery of the century”.
The current election campaign in the US will determine who will be president of the United States for the next four years. However, whoever will be elected to preside in the White House will definitely not rule the country. A number of recently released reports highlight an old truth that is yet to be substantiated by specific facts.
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Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjorn Jagland will discuss reforming the Council of Europe at their talks, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
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Shots fired from Syria hit the central Israeli-occupied Golan Heights overnight, a military spokeswoman said Monday morning, causing no harm or damage.
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Analysts believe the latest missile firings by North Korea are part of a political chess game aimed at attracting international attention and extorting concessions.
Politics
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President Vladimir Putin has cancelled Russia’s joining the Open Government Partnership this year, the Russian leader’ press secretary Dmitry Peskov said in a statement.
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Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjorn Jagland will discuss reforming the Council of Europe at their talks, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
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Russia and the US have agreed that the fate of President Bashar Assad is in the hands of the Syrian people. “The US has signed an American-Russian initiative dated May 7, which sets no preconditions whatsoever,” the Russian foreign chief stressed.
World
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At least 52 people died and over 400 were wounded as a result of a sweeping offensive of the Syrian regime forces against the rebel stronghold of Qusair near the Lebanese border, the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports.
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China has asked North Korea to release a fishing crew of 16 seized more than two weeks ago in an incident that state media called a "hijacking" of their boat. The kidnappers demanded 600,000 yuan (98,000 dollars) for the return of the boat and crew.
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Shots fired from Syria hit the central Israeli-occupied Golan Heights overnight, a military spokeswoman said Monday morning, causing no harm or damage.
Russia
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Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov is leaving for an official visit to Moscow on Monday, announced the press service of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.
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The first woman mountain climber in the history of Ingushetia Leila Albogachieva has climbed the highest peak in the world, taking with her the flag of the 2014 Sochi Olympics, which she raised on the summit.
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On the night from May 18 to May 19th hundreds of thousands of people all across Russia - from Vladivostok in the Far East to Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea joined the Museum Night international cultural event marking the International Museum Day. Only in Moscow the Museum Night attracted more than 1 million people.
Economy
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Authorities & business community should work more closely to improve Russia's labour market – expert
At a time of slowing economic growth, labour market issues are becoming more apparent. Currently, experts in Russia talk of a lack of qualified specialists, a deteriorating demographic situation and complicated legislative framework as being among the key concerns to be addressed by politicians and the business community.
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On Monday morning with index gains helped by a 4.4% climb for China Coal Energy, Hong Kong shares were set to start at their highest point in over a week.
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The Russian government has received prime ministerial instructions to work out measures which would allow Russia to buck the global downward trend and ignite sustained economic expansion at an annual rate of at least 4%.
Reality Check
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A white-tailed deer crashed through the windshield of a public bus in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. It was filmed by a surveillance camera. (VIDEO)
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In a harsh rebuttal to George Soros, the President of the Ifo Institute for Economic Research Hans-Werner Sinn accused the speculator of “playing with fire” and stated that “Germany will not accept Eurobonds” in spite of the pressure from the investing community.
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In an exclusive interview with the Voice of Russia, Wolf Richter talks about the ECB's desperation, the money printing bonanza of the world's central banks and about a French finance minister who is barking at the wrong tree. Wolf Richter is the editor of , entrepreneur, private equity specialist and the author of "Big Like: Cascade Into An Odyssey".
Society
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Internet veteran Yahoo Inc agreed to buy the blogging site Tumblr Inc in a deal worth over 1 billion dollars, US media reported.
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Rescuers recovered five more bodies from a collapsed underground room at a giant U.S.-owned gold and copper mine in Indonesia, bringing the confirmed death toll to 14, police said Monday. Fourteen other workers were still missing and feared dead.
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20-year-old Dutch national Syrian Schrijver, who tried to kill a Russian boy name Nikita Onishchenko in Crete, will be brought before the court today in order to testify.
Video
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