Attending celebrations to mark the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou on Monday called on Europe to tear down the last remaining wall within its borders, namely, the wall that still separates and divides the island of Cyprus. "As Greeks and as Europeans we must shout out: Tear down the last wall, the one that divides Cyprus in two," Papandreou underlined in his address. The Greek premier underlined that a free and united Europe should not tolerate walls or occupation forces, and promised to fight for a Europe free of any kind of "wall". "This is the kind of Europe we want and it is not just our intention but also our promise to fight for such a Europe and for the Cyprus that we envisage," he emphasised. Papandreou described the current day as a "historic anniversary" when Germans and European citizens stood up and demanded that the Berlin Wall be torn down, "along with all walls that trapped the so many people of Europe in totalitarianism, autocracy, fixations and prejudices, opening the horizons for democracy and freedom." These heroic actions and moments underlined the "wager of democracy, which is to daily tear down walls that keep citizens away from politics and do not put him at its centre," the premier said.
There was one world leader absent for today’s commemorations marking the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Surprisingly enough, it’s President Barack Obama, who found time last year to give a campaign speech there last year, which Der Spiegel summed up as “People of the World, Look at Me”. The White House has cited a packed schedule, though looking at it he had nothing much on yesterday (brief chat to reporters about healthcare – by far his biggest priority) and just blah briefings and a bill signing today until a metting this evening with Benjamin Netanyahu. This time, Der Spiegel has reported it as “Barack Too Busy”. But Obama is, of course, making time to trot over to Norway to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in December. Didn’t seem to have too much of a problem clearing the diary for that – though his acceptance of the prize and decision to give a another soaring, historical, epoch-marking etc etc speech there will be looked back on as a colossal political mistake and sign of hubris. Perhaps Obama felt that celebrating the role of the United States in bringing down the wall would be a bit triumphalist and not quite in keeping with his wish to present America as a declining world power anxious to apologise for sundry historic misdeeds. Maybe he didn’t really want to be associated with that warmonger Ronald Reagan. Whatever the reasons, it’s another revealing mistake by Obama.
The U.S. and Russian presidents will discuss strategic arms cuts, as well as North Korea and Iran, during a meeting in Singapore during the weekend, the White House said Monday. "Obviously, we'll continue to talk through issues that they've spent time working on, most notably the START Treaty that expires I believe the 5th of December, and continue discussions about North Korea and Iran," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told journalists. Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev will meet during a summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation member states. APEC forum meetings began on Sunday and will culminate in a summit on November 14-15. START I (the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty), the basis for Russian-U.S. strategic nuclear disarmament, is valid until December 5. The two countries' leaders have expressed the hope that a new pact will be ready before it expires. Six-party talks involving the two Koreas, the U.S., Russia, Japan and China on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula ground came to a halt in April when North Korea walked out of negotiations in protest against the United Nations' condemnation of its missile tests.The West suspects Iran of pursuing a secret nuclear weapons program but the Islamic Republic says it needs nuclear power solely for civilian purposes. APEC comprises 21 states, including Australia, Indonesia, China, Malaysia, Russia, South Korea, Singapore, the United States, and Japan.
There are no conditions for Serbs to take part in the local elections in Kosovo on November 15, Minister for Kosovo Goran Bogdanović told B92. Bogdanović said that these would be the first elections organized against UNSC Resolution 1244. "Serbs who would take part in the elections should ask themselves how much that would help Serbia save Kosovo and Metohiija," he noted. “We cannot deprive anyone of their democratic right to vote and we don’t want to, but we are sending a clear message that there are no conditions for Serbs to vote in the elections because they are against Resolution 1244,” stated the minister.
Israel's army chief says Hezbollah guerrillas now possess tens of thousands of rockets, some capable of reaching the country's major cities. Officials say Maj. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi told lawmakers Tuesday that some of the rockets can fly up to 200 miles (325 kilometers). That would put Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, as well as Israel's secretive nuclear reactor in the southern desert, into rocket range. Last week, Israel seized a ship that it says was carrying hundreds of tons of weapons to the Lebanese guerrilla group. Israel and Hezbollah fought a bitter, monthlong war in 2006. Ashkenazi delivered his assessment to a parliamentary hearing. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the meeting was closed.
The personal Web site for a radical American imam living in Yemen who had contact with two 9/11 hijackers is praising alleged Fort Hood shooter Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan as a hero. The posting Monday on the Web site for Anwar al Awlaki, who was a spiritual leader at two mosques where three 9/11 hijackers worshipped, said American Muslims who condemned the attacks on the Texas military base last week are hypocrites who have committed treason against their religion. Two U.S. intelligence officialstold The Associated Press the Web site was Al Awlaki's. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence collection. Anwar said the only way a Muslim can justify serving in the U.S. military is if he intends to "follow in the footsteps of men like Nidal."
Good evening, and please be seated. I want to welcome all of you to the Ben Franklin Room here on the eighth floor of the State Department for such a special occasion. It is indeed an honor for me to welcome His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, whom I have had the great honor and personal pleasure of getting to know over the years... His All Holiness and I have had the pleasure of meeting a number of times since I first visited him as First Lady at the Patriarchate in 1995, but one of our most memorable times together came when Archbishop was enthroned in New York 10 years ago. A lot has happened in the intervening decade, but one thing that has not changed is his All Holiness´s commitment not only to his church and to the people of the church, but to the world, and the work that he has done, which is so important to us all. The institution of the Ecumenical Patriarchate dates to the dawn of Christianity and His All Holiness is the 270th successor of St. Andrew the Apostle. Now, one might think that someone who carries such a mantle of history, such a legacy of service and faith, would be, you know, a little stuffy. (Laughter.) But those of us who know him know nothing could be further from the truth. He is a person of such great warmth and humor and care and concern, and his tireless work for religious tolerance, his award-winning advocacy on behalf of the environment - he´s been a champion for dealing with the global challenges of our time... I particularly appreciate what he did in the aftermath of 9/11, when he united leaders from across the religious spectrum to condemn the terrorist attacks and call for harmony among the world´s faithful. His campaign on behalf of religious freedom and peaceful coexistence has helped to bridge divides among believers. And the United States has been proud to support his calls for religious tolerance, both in Turkey and around the world. It is one of the reasons that President Obama and I have been so vocal about the need to reopen Halki Seminary and protect the rights of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. We have raised these issues repeatedly and publically, and will continue to do so until they are addressed....