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Febbraio 2018 - page 6

‘Let’s talk’: Japan hopes low-key strategy averts U.S. trade flare-up

in AMERICAS/ECONOMY/ENERGY/POLITICS by

Economic talks between the United States and Japan, tackling topics from persimmons and potatoes to energy and infrastructure, have helped keep Tokyo clear of protectionist moves such as those that recently hit Chinese solar panels and South Korean washers. Japan hopes that “let’s talk” approach – plus warm personal ties between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and President Donald Trump – will keep friction in check. But officials and lawmakers say the outlook could change if the unpredictable U.S. leader turns his attention to Tokyo’s 7 trillion yen ($63.62 billion)trade surplus ahead of U.S. congressional elections in November. Also efforts to showcase the U.S.-Japan security alliance in the face of North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats will probably take precedence over trade when U.S. Vice President Mike Pence visits Japan from Tuesday, officials on both sides said.

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Pence leaves for Asia, focused on increasing pressure on North Korea

in AMERICAS/POLITICS by

Vice President Pence departs Monday for a five-day trip to Japan and South Korea, a visit to Asia intended to focus almost entirely on rallying allies to ratchet up their pressure on Kim Jong Un’s repressive regime, as well as directly pressing North Korea to stop its nuclear ambitions. Even his final stop — leading the U.S. delegation at the 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea, on Friday night, and attending an Olympic event Saturday morning — has a clear geopolitical undertone: to combat North Korean propaganda amid the Olympic festivities, White House officials said.

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US starts Iraq drawdown after declaration of victory over IS

in AMERICAS/DEFENCE by

American troops have started to draw down from Iraq following Baghdad’s declaration of victory over the Islamic State group last year, according to Western contractors at a U.S.-led coalition base in Iraq. In Baghdad, an Iraqi government spokesman on Monday confirmed to The Associated Press that the drawdown has begun, though he stressed it was still in its early stages and doesn’t mark the beginning of a complete pullout of U.S. forces. Dozens of American soldiers have been transported from Iraq to Afghanistan on daily flights over the past week, along with weapons and equipment, the contractors said.

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Parliament to consider statement on scandalous Polish law on Feb 6

in EUROPE/POLITICS by

The Verkhovna Rada’s statement on the Polish law, which foresees, in particular, punishment for “crimes of Ukrainian nationalists”, will be considered on Tuesday, February 6, Verkhovna Rada Speaker Andriy Parubiy has said. “The committee [on foreign affairs] prepared the text of the statement, which has already been proposed for consideration by factions and groups. Today this decision will be registered so that tomorrow we could adopt it in parliament”, he said at a meeting of the parliament’s conciliatory council on Monday.

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Volker talks about Donbass

U.S. Special Representative on Ukraine Kurt Volker during a meeting with deputies of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine said he

Human rights activists call for social protection of civilians affected in Donbas

in EUROPE/POLITICS by

Human rights activists have stressed the need for legislative regulation of the rights of all civilians affected by the conflict in eastern Ukraine. The head of the board of the Luhansk regional human rights center “Alternative”, Valeriy Novikov, said at a briefing in Kyiv on Monday that servicemen injured as a result of hostilities in Donbas were very carefully counted, but civilians are not taken into account. “Many who were in captivity and were illegally detained by illegal armed groups have injuries and disabilities. They need help from the state in regulating their status. Today it can be said that at the legislative level the status of civilians affected by the conflict is not regulated. There is no law on compensation or social protection for such people”, he said at a briefing in Kyiv on Monday.

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President Erdogan meets Pope Francis

in MIDLE EAST/POLITICS by

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met Pope Francis as part of his two-day visit to the Vatican which saw him being welcomed with an official ceremony at the Apostolic Palace. During the visit, they discussed the status of Jerusalem, regional issues, the humanitarian tragedy in Syria, and the fight against terrorism, xenophobia and Islamophobia. The two leaders underlined that “equating Islam with terror is wrong”, according to Turkish sources, with Erdoğan telling the pope that Turkey values people from all religions, including Catholics, living in harmony and peace. Turkish sources said Erdoğan and Pope Francis agreed that “joint steps are needed to mobilize the international community to forge regional peace and stability” and to not be silent to ongoing humanitarian crises. A Vatican statement said the talks “[included] the status of Jerusalem, highlighting the need to promote peace and stability in the region [Middle East] through dialogue and negotiation, with respect for human rights and international law”. In fact, Pope Francis was one of the international leaders criticizing the United States’ decision last December to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Following his visit to the Vatican, Erdoğan will meet his counterpart Italian President Sergio Mattarella at a working lunch in Rome. Italian Deputy Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni will also be present.During the meetings, the leaders will discuss cooperation in various areas, including politics, the economy and the defense industry. Some 3,500 police and security forces were Rome and authorities declared a no-go area for unauthorized demonstrations. An authorized demonstration of about 150 people including Kurds and their supporters outside nearby Castel Sant‘Angelo turned violent. Italian police said two people were detained after demonstrators tried to break through cordons to get closer to the Vatican from an authorized protest several blocks away.

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Netherland withdraws its ambassador

in MIDLE EAST/POLITICS by

The Netherlands on Monday formally withdrew its ambassador to Turkey over a 2017 row and the talks between two countries are suspended. Relations between the two countries are under pressure since April 16 presidential referendum in Turkey, when Dutch authorities canceled the flight permit of a plane carrying Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on March 11. The Dutch government also expelled Family and Social Affairs Minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya from Rotterdam, blocking her from addressing the Turkish community in the Netherlands ahead of the referendum. Dutch Foreign Ministry Zijlstra in a statement said: “The Netherlands and Turkey have recently held talks at various levels. At this stage, these talks do not yet offer a perspective to normalizing the bilateral relations”. A Dutch diplomat told the Hürriyet Daily News in Ankara that the two parties “could not find the mutual concession balance in the negotiations”, expressing disappointment at the development, which goes against the two countries’ “400-year history of friendship”. The diplomat underlined that the Dutch government’s decision to withdraw the ambassador from Turkey was about reassign him to a new post, as he has not been able to return to his duties in Ankara.

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Framework agreement between Tunisia and ITFC could be renewed

in AFRICA/POLITICS by

Minister of Development, Investment and International Co-operation Zied Laadhari and Chief Executive Officer of the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC), a member of the Islamic Development Organisation (IsDB) Hani Salem Sonbol discussed at a meeting Monday in Tunis the possibility of renewing the framework agreement signed between Tunisia and ITFC, on the occasion of IsDB annual meetings to be held in Tunis in early April.The two officials reviewed the opportunities to strengthen cooperation between Tunisia and ITFC in the coming period.They called for mobilising all available means and mechanisms to develop and diversify this partnership, like the Aid for Trade Initiative for Arab States (AfTIAS) and the Arab-Africa Trade Bridge.

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2018 will be highly important year for partnership between Tunisia and EU

in AFRICA/POLITICS by

Foreign Minister Khemais Jhinaoui, who is visiting Brussels on Monday, said that 2018 will be a very important year for partnership between Tunisia and the European Union. A partnership which, he said, has reached “a maturity” reflected in particular by the move to “a higher level of the EU’s commitment to Tunisia” and the launching of a reflection on the future of post-2020 relations, which requires “a renewed, more inclusive partnership based on common democratic values”. The minister said he had discussed with Ms. Mogherini EU financial support to Tunisia in particular regarding the release of the second tranche of the 150 million Euro macro-financial assistance.He also said that Tunisia and the EU have agreed to move to a higher level in terms of mobility and exchanges between young people and strengthening programmes for Tunisian youth. We have, he explained, examined the possibilities of implementing new initiatives dedicated to youth such as Erasmus + for young entrepreneurs and Erasmus + for young apprentices.

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Peru and the USA expect the Summit of the Americas to agree on concrete measures

in AMERICAS/POLITICS by

The governments of Peru and the United States today agreed on the need for the next Summit of the Americas, to be held in Lima in April, to yield concrete results and not mere declarations, said Peruvian Foreign Minister Cayetana Aljovín. According to Aljovín, the development of the Summit of the Americas was one of the topics discussed at the meeting held this afternoon with Rex Tillerson, Secretary of State of the United States, who began today an official visit to Peru. Aljovín added that in the meeting they talked with Tillerson about the excellent state of bilateral relations between the United States and Peru, and agreed to cooperate to continue deepening them in other fields, such as investments. Another point of the conversation, she reported, was Peru’s participation in the Security Council of the United Nations. In that regard, she stressed that Tillerson thanked Peru’s willingness to “build consensus” within the Security Council.

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