US lawmakers reach deal to avert govt shutdown

The agreement included some $38.5 billion
dollars of extra spending cuts
© AFP/File Jewel Samad

AFP

WASHINGTON (AFP) - A dramatic 11th-hour deal slashing spending has staved off a US government shutdown, ending a rancorous budget row between President Barack Obama and his newly empowered Republican foes.

Party leaders clinched the agreement, including some $38.5 billion dollars of extra spending cuts, after intense bargaining, barely an hour before the federal government effectively ran out of money at midnight Friday.

The showdown was just the first bruising engagement in a string of likely clashes between Obama and Republicans boosted by a new crop of conservative Tea Party lawmakers, as the president fires up his 2012 reelection bid.


Obama boasted in remarks at the White House that cooperation born of difficult compromises had yielded "the biggest annual spending cut in history" at a time when Washington faced a projected annual shortfall of $1.65 trillion.


"Some of the cuts we agreed to will be painful. Programs people rely on will be cut back. Needed infrastructure projects will be delayed," the president said.

He continued to sell the deal to the public on Saturday, saying in his weekly radio address that "beginning to live within our means is the only way to protect the investments that will help America compete for new jobs."

House Speaker John Boehner told his restive Republican caucus behind closed doors he had sealed an agreement with the White House to fund the government for the rest of the fiscal year ending October 1.

"This has been a lot of discussion and a long fight. But we fought to keep government spending down because it really will, in fact, help create a better environment for job creators in our country," he told reporters afterwards.

Lawmakers in both chambers raced to approve a stopgap funding measure before midnight to give negotiators until Thursday to finalize the overall deal.

The Senate passed it by voice vote, the House by a 348-70 margin at 12:39 am (0439 GMT) Saturday.

"It's been a gruelling process. We didn't do it at this late hour for drama. We did it because it has been hard to arrive at this point," said Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, his party's lead negotiator.

Anticipating a possible insurrection, Boehner told Republicans "this is the best deal we could get out of them," according to two officials who attended the emotional gathering.

Republican Representative Marsha Blackburn wept about the possible impact of spending cuts on a military base dear to her district, a witness said. Another came from a formal event still in black tie. Another wore a ball gown.

The agreement came after a long day in which Republican leaders parried every question with a "no deal" up to three hours before the deadline, despite telephone discussions between Obama and Boehner.

Participants nervously alluded to 1995, when the US government last plunged into a shutdown caused by a funding row, and Bill Clinton outmaneuvered his Republican foes and rescued a sagging presidency.

"We had an opportunity tonight to decide whether we wanted to repeat history or make history. We decided to make history," said Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Obama had warned that a prolonged government shutdown could jeopardize America's slow recovery from the worst economic crisis since the 1930s Great Depression.

A shutdown would have seen around 800,000 federal employees temporarily laid off, paychecks for frontline combat soldiers delayed and national parks and monuments closed.

But operations vital to national security such as the war in Afghanistan and border services would have gone on as normal.

McConnell wasted little time signalling that Republicans would do battle with Obama on his request to raise Washington's ability to borrow -- an issue that has inflamed the Tea Party.

"Senate Republicans and House Republicans -- and I hope many Democrats as well -- are going to say 'Mr President, in order to raise the debt ceiling we need to do something significant about the debt,'" he said.

The overall spending accord removed what Democrats had described as the biggest obstacle to a deal: A Republican-crafted measure stripping federal funding from the Planned Parenthood clinics that provide abortions.

Obama canceled a planned trip to Indiana on Friday to stay in Washington and see the final push to the end. He also called off a weekend away with his family in the historic Virginia city of Williamsburg.

© AFP -- Published at Activist Post with license

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US has infiltrated Ecuador's police: military

A police officer in front of the US embassy in Quito
© AFP/File Rodrigo Buendia

AFP

QUITO (AFP) - President Rafael Correa has charged the United States with infiltrating Ecuador's armed forces and police, shortly after he ordered the US ambassador out of the country over a leaked Wikileaks diplomatic cable.

Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino earlier announced that the US ambassador, Heather Hodges, was sent home over a leaked diplomatic cable that quoted her as saying Correa knowingly appointed a corrupt chief of police.

In Washington, the State Department said it "deeply" regretted the decision by the South American country.

Hodges is "one of our most experienced and talented diplomats," State Department spokesman Mark Toner said.

In a 2009 cable released by WikiLeaks, the ambassador was quoted as saying Correa had named as police chief general, Jaime Hurtado, a man she said had a reputation for being corrupt. Correa knew of his activities, she alleged.

Hurtado remained in the post from April 2008 to June 2009.

© AFP -- Published at Activist Post with license

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Libya's rag-tag rebels badly need training: US

Editor's Note: Translation: We need to dedicate more money and more time to this third war front.

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates (L) and Chairman
of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen testify
© AFP Saul Loeb

AFP

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday Libya's rag-tag rebels needed training more than guns in their battle against Moamer Kadhafi's army but that other nations should do the job.

Facing lawmakers concerned that armed intervention in Libya could end in stalemate, Gates and top military officer Admiral Mike Mullen said a NATO-led air campaign had damaged Kadhafi's forces but not yet brought them to a breaking point.

Gates said the military mission did not call for deposing Kadhafi but he said economic and political pressure and Libya's people -- not air strikes -- would eventually drive Kadhafi from power.
With the outgunned opposition in retreat, the United States and its allies were now looking at how to assist the makeshift force, with weapons or other help, Gates said.


The Pentagon chief described the rebels as a "disparate," improvised force that had a supply of small arms seized at regime depots but sorely lacked military leadership.

"What they really need is training, command and control and some coherent organization," Gates told the House Armed Services Committee.

He said training "requires advisers on the ground, as would more sophisticated weapons in terms of training them on how to use those weapons."

But Gates, insisting on a limited US role, said other countries could and should provide the training and assistance instead of the United States.

"The truth is in terms of providing that training, in terms of providing that assistance to them, frankly, there are many countries that can do that.

"That's not a unique capability of the United States and as far I'm concerned someone else should do that," he said.

Mullen said the United States was still weighing whether to arm and train the rebels, but agreed that other governments -- including some Arab countries -- could carry out the task.

A detailed picture of the rebels was still hard to come by, and the US government had biographical information for only a handful of leaders in the east, Gates said.

"We really don't know very much about what I think is a very disparate, disaggregated opposition to Kadhafi," he said.

His comments on the rebels came as US media reported CIA operatives were on the ground making contact with the opposition and amid speculation British and French intelligence and special forces' officers had started helping the opposition.

Gates, a former CIA director who led efforts to arm Afghan fighters against Soviet forces in the 1980s, declined to comment on the spy agency's work in Libya.

Admiral Mullen, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, told the same hearing about 20 to 25 percent of Kadhafi's military had been knocked out by coalition bombing but "that does not mean he's about to break from a military standpoint."

Kadhafi's army -- equipped with tanks and heavy guns on the ground -- still enjoyed a major edge over the rebels, said Mullen, estimating a "ten to one ratio" in favor of the regime.

Lawmakers voiced concerns about the risk of an open-ended war, complained the White House had failed to consult them in advance and worried whether the Libyan leader could still be standing when the dust settles.

 "I just don't see how this ends," said Senator Susan Collins.

With NATO now in command, the US military's involvement would in a matter of days "significantly ramp down," Gates said, repeating a vow of "no American boots on the ground."

Gates said the coalition air campaign launched March 19 was designed to protect civilians and not to remove Kadhafi, but suggested the strikes would steadily squeeze the regime.

He said Kadhafi's inner circle would be forced to choose whether to stick by him or save themselves as NATO bombing gradually decimates the regime's army.

"In my view, the removal of Colonel Kadhafi will likely be achieved over time through political and economic measures and by his own people," he said.

As lawmakers voiced concerns about the rebels whose political stance remained unclear, Gates pushed back, saying what was important was the threat posed by Kadhafi.

With popular unrest sweeping the region, Arab countries and European allies had backed military intervention because of Kadhafi's "potential for disrupting everything in the Middle East right now," he said.

© AFP -- Published at Activist Post with license

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China's army chief of staff to visit US in May

Chinese Chief of Staff General Chen Bingde
© AFP/Pool/File Andy Wong

AFP

BEIJING (AFP) - China said Thursday its army chief of staff would visit the United States in May, as the two countries try to bolster military relations amid their growing rivalry.

"The two armies are now faced with new opportunities for development of their relations," defence ministry spokesman Geng Yansheng told reporters as China released a white paper outlining its defence policy.

He said Chen Bingde, chief of staff at the People's Liberation Army, would visit the United States in May as part of efforts to strengthen military ties -- a major point of friction in wider Sino-US relations.

Tensions soared early last year when China suspended high-level defence contacts with the United States over Washington's sale of more than $6 billion in arms to Taiwan, which Beijing considers part of its own territory.
Tentative plans for US Defence Secretary Robert Gates to visit were subsequently called off, but he finally came to China in January this year -- his first trip to Beijing since 2007.

Geng said there were plans for more meetings between the two defence departments this year.

US military leaders and China's neighbours are increasingly anxious about the People's Liberation Army's pursuit of sophisticated missiles, satellites, cyber-weapons and fighter jets.

India's defence minister last month expressed "serious concern" over China's growing military might.

Japan, meanwhile, has repeatedly questioned Beijing's military intentions, especially after collisions in disputed waters in September between two Japanese coastguard boats and a Chinese fishing vessel sparked a major row.

Amplifying these concerns, China this month announced a renewed double-digit hike in military spending in 2011 after funding slowed last year, saying the budget would rise 12.7 percent to 601.1 billion yuan ($91.7 billion).

But Beijing has repeatedly sought to alleviate these fears, stressing that the nation's defence policy is "defensive in nature."

"At present and even in the future, no matter how developed China is, China will never seek hegemony or pursue expansionist policies," Geng said Thursday.

© AFP -- Published at Activist Post with license

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WikiLeaks: U.S. Punished Costa Rica For Not Signing Covert Immunity Agreement

Anthony Freda Illustration

Michael Edwards
Activist Post

Like a mafia strongman who kneecaps you, then threatens you not to tell anyone or it will only get worse next time, the United States slashed support to Costa Rica after the Kentucky-sized country failed to grant immunity to U.S. soldiers and American citizens in the International Criminal Court.

WikiLeaks is once again at center stage in bringing to light government intrigue that has remained undercover for years.  Apparently, even the smallest countries are not immune.  According to the cables, between the years of 2004-2006, the U.S. imposed undeclared sanctions on Costa Rica totaling upwards of $400,000 annually, according to Costa Rica's largest newspaperThe Nation (La Nación).

Although these cables are a bit dated, the news of U.S. coercion remains relevant as 46 U.S. Coast Guard ships and 27 US Navy vessels are parked in Costa Rican waters as part of ongoing operations against drug trafficking.  The 10-year agreement involving 7,000 U.S. Marines was signed by former Costa Rica President, Oscar Arias, where the U.S. reportedly pays Costa Rica $300,000 per month to occupy its waters.
The $400,000 per year of withheld funds was part of an overall $40 million pool that the United States established for the implementation of free trade and security agreements with Central American countries.  In Costa Rica's case, this money would be spent on training to improve environmental and labor conditions as part of NAFTA, and now CAFTA, implementation.  Furthermore, the funds would also have been used to train and prepare police and the Costa Rica Coast Guard to combat drug trafficking.


However, in order to receive the funds, Costa Rica would have had to betray one of its core principles of sovereignty; namely, that it would sign on to a treaty known as "Article 98" that would grant immunity to the U.S. in the International Criminal Court at The Hague, in the Netherlands.

Costa Rica is actually a founding member of the ICC and is widely regarded as "The Switzerland of Central America" for its policies of neutrality and lack of a formal military.  Unlike the United States, which increasingly appears to have become a de facto dictatorship through executive orders and corporate ownership of politicians, Costa Rica's Democratic Republic still has its checks and balances firmly in place.  There was simply no way for Costa Rica to sign such an agreement, since its Legislative Assembly would need to have approved its execution.  The United States was not deterred: WikiLeaks cables reveal that the U.S. ambassador at the time, Mark Langdale, pushed strongly for some alternative agreement that would circumvent the Congress. 

What is most disturbing about the situation in Costa Rica is just how entrenched U.S. policies of flat-out extortion -- or bullying, if you prefer -- really are.  And they admitted it in the cables.  Langdale stated it bluntly in 2005:  "Costa Rica is paying an increasingly large price for not signing on to Article 98."

Another similar case of colonial bullying directed at Costa Rica was exposed in September, 2010. Christina Tobin, founder and chair of The Free and Equal Elections Foundation, announced details of her meeting with Costa Rica Vice President, Alfio Piva, and Founder and President of Costa Rica Libertarian Party (Partido Movimiento Libertario), Otto Guevara, in regards to drug policy.  According to Guevara, "If Costa Rica legalizes marijuana, the United States would stop sending funding and cut off agricultural exports to the United States."

Tobin clearly defined the colonial nature of such pressures echoed in the WikiLeaks revelations: "It’s despicable that the United States has such ‘authority’ over a sovereign nation such as Costa Rica,” Tobin said. “There’s a lot we can learn from Costa Rica, nonetheless the U.S. government continues to bully other countries to achieve its objectives, a hopelessly undemocratic tactic to international policy.”

Should we really wonder, then, why the world functions the way it does?  Costa Rica, a country of 4 million people with no military was one of only 12 who refused to sign Article 98 vs 102 countries that took the U.S. payoff.  Other more corrupt countries such as Guatemala pocketed millions by accepting.  Perhaps this is the clearest example yet of the price of independence.  No wonder the U.S. has a history of installing and propping up dictators throughout the world; just like petty thugs, when the mafia boss comes calling they are only too eager to give the correct answer.

Sources for this story:

La Nación: http://www.nacion.com/2011-03-14/Investigacion/NotasDestacadas/Investigacion2711020.aspx?Page=10#comentarios

Free and Equal: http://www.freeandequal.org/2010/09/christina-tobin-releases-details-of-her-meeting-with-costa-rica-vice-president-alfio-piva-and-libertarian-party-founder-otto-guevara/

**Special thanks to Scott Oliver from We Love Costa Rica for translation**

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