DTN News - SPECIAL REPORT: Germany Warns UK Against EU Budget Veto

DTN News - SPECIAL REPORT: Germany Warns UK Against EU Budget Veto

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Press TV
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - October 22, 2012: Germany is warning Britain that its threat to veto the European Union’s new budget will force Berlin to cancel next month’s EU budget summit.

British Prime Minister David Cameron has threatened to veto any agreement on the EU’s new seven-year budget other than a complete spending freeze. 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has reportedly decided that holding talks on the 2014-2020 budget while Britain is almost certain to veto it is pointless, The Financial Times reported. 

A veto will further outrage EU members after Cameron also vetoed an EU-wide financial agreement to help the eurozone crisis back in December and forced the other 26 nations to sign the pact without Britain. 

EU officials are now warning that the second veto can seriously damage diplomatic ties between the 27-member bloc and Britain. 

Merkel has reportedly raised the subject in a telephone conversation with Cameron last Monday. 

Cameron openly said earlier this month that “If there isn’t a deal that’s good for Britain, there won’t be a deal.” 

However, Merkel is apparently trying to persuade him to back her government’s proposal for the EU spending to be capped at one percent of European gross domestic product. 

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Press TV
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DTN News - BAE ~ EADS NEWS: David Cameron On Standby To Save £28bn BAE-EADS Merger

DTN News - BAE ~ EADS NEWS: David Cameron On Standby To Save £28bn BAE-EADS Merger

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Telegraph UK
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - October 7, 2012: David Cameron is on standby to try to prevent the collapse of the £28bn merger between BAE Systems and EADS following surprise German demands for the headquarters of the military and aerospace giant to be based in Munich.

The Prime Minister is ready to hold talks with the French president, Francois Hollande, and the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, to settle an agreement between the three governments. Such a move would pave the way for BAE Systems to ask the Takeover Panel for an extension to the Wednesday deadline for a deal to be either agreed or abandoned.

The political threat to the deal is being reinforced by complaints from some BAE investors that they are being kept in the dark about the merger. A number of shareholders have expressed concerns that BAE is negotiating from a position of weakness while some EADS investors feel the terms of the deal are too generous to the British company.

Officials will today make a fresh attempt to resolve the headquarters issue in another tripartite video conference call.

An attempt on Friday to settle outstanding issues went smoothly until Lars-Hendrik Roller, Ms Merkel's chief economic adviser, stunned British and French negotiators by calling for the scrapping of plans to locate the combined company's military headquarters at Farnborough and civil aircraft headquarters at Toulouse. He called for a single base in Munich to be set up instead.

Efforts were made over the weekend to find a solution but if today's talks again end in failure BAE will ask Mr Cameron to intervene and raise the issue with his French and German counterparts, in what is being described by insiders as "make or break time".

The shock was heightened after agreement had been reached on what was seen as the more awkward issue of the size of government shareholdings in the joint venture and an unusual accord between the British and French sides.

Mr Roller and Mr Macron agreed to limit the state holding to 9pc each for France and Germany, or 18pc in total. The UK has no shareholding in either company. This agreement was reached with a view to maintaining state interest while reducing the risk of being frozen out of military orders in the important US market, where Boeing is campaigning to have BAE stripped of its privileged status.

The German official, who had to be talked down from releasing a statement claiming the deal was off, was also said to be upset by France's refusal to provide a written guarantee it would not seek to increase its 9pc shareholding.

Neither BAE nor EADS was willing to comment on the prospects of the deal surviving, either in its present form or with changes.

Governments and unions are worried about the outlook for jobs in a group that would provide employment for 220,000 people, including 50,000 in Britain.

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Telegraph UK
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DTN News - MYANMAR NEWS: British Prime Minister David Cameron In Myanmar - Support Suspending Sanctions

DTN News - MYANMAR NEWS: British Prime Minister David Cameron In Myanmar - Support Suspending Sanctions
*British PM calls for suspending Myanmar sanctions
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources AP
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - April 13, 2012: British Prime Minister David Cameron said Friday that he would support suspending the European Union's economic sanctions on Myanmar, which are to be reviewed by the end of the month.

Cameron spoke after meetings with the country's reform-minded president, Thein Sein, and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, a longtime political prisoner who was recently elected to parliament in Myanmar, a former British colony.

However, Cameron specified that he did not want to see an arms embargo on Myanmar be lifted as part of any easing of sanctions. The embargo, along with economic and political sanctions, was imposed during the repressive rule of the country's previous military government.

"We know there is still much, much more needed to be done, as the president himself has acknowledged, that there are more changes that need to be made," Cameron said at a news conference after meeting with Suu Kyi. "The right thing for the world to do is to encourage the change and to believe in the possibility of peaceful progress towards democracy."

By talking of suspending rather than lifting sanctions, Cameron was making clear the move would be a provisional one that could easily be withdrawn, if judged necessary.

Western nations have held out the prospect of easing sanctions if Thein Sein, a former general who retains close ties to the military, continues the political liberalization he began after taking office a year ago. Foreign investors as well as Myanmar entrepreneurs expect a business boom when restrictions are lifted.

Cameron, speaking with Suu Kyi by his side, told reporters that he had met with Thein Sein and concluded "there are prospects of change in Burma, and I think it is right for the rest of the world to respond to those changes. It is right to suspend the sanctions there are against Burma." He added that the suspension would "obviously" not include ending the arms embargo. Burma is the former name for Myanmar.

Thein Sein's reforms are seen as being mainly driven by a desire for sanctions to be lifted, with those imposing them gradually easing restrictions in return for more reforms, which so far have included the freeing of many political prisoners and reconciliation with Suu Kyi's pro-democracy movement.

If the EU, which is scheduled to take up the issue on April 23, suspends sanctions, it will put pressure on the United States to do likewise, for competitive business reasons. Both the EU and the U.S. restrict investment and trade with Myanmar, along with a slew of more targeted measures aimed at Myanmar military figures involved with repression, and their families and business cronies.

Suu Kyi — who attended Oxford and whose late husband was British — endorsed Cameron's approach.

"I support the idea of suspension rather than the lifting of sanctions because this would be an acknowledgment of the role of the president and other reformers," she said. "This suspension would have taken place because of steps taken by the president and other reformers and it would also make it quite clear to those who are against reform that should they try to obstruct the way of the reformers, then sanctions could come back."

While the international community has applauded political liberalization in Myanmar, it remains concerned about conflict with ethnic rebel groups, who have long been seeking greater autonomy from the central government. The government has been negotiating cease-fires with many, but remains embroiled in a bitter, fitful struggle with the Kachin minority in the country's far north.

As long as such fighting continues, there is no chance the arms embargo will be lifted. However, the failure to do so will affect Myanmar very little, as it had gotten around the embargo for years by buying military items from other suppliers, including China, North Korea and Eastern European nations.

Cameron held talks with Thein Sein soon after arriving in Myanmar's capital, Naypyitaw, and later met separately with Suu Kyi at her home in Yangon during his one-day visit.

His visit is the first in memory by a British prime minister, and it may actually be the first by a serving British head of government since Myanmar obtained its independence from Britain in 1948, when it was called Burma.

Suu Kyi was under house arrest during most of the past two decades under military rule. But as part of her rapprochement with the government, her National League for Democracy party took part in April 1 by-elections to win 43 of the 44 parliamentary seats it contested.

She will head the opposition bloc in parliament when it convenes on April 23, though Suu Kyi's party has suggested that it may delay taking its seats because it finds the wording of the oath of office contrary to its principles. The oath talks of protecting the constitution, which has clauses the NLD considers undemocratic.

Cameron invited Suu Kyi to come to the United Kingdom in June to see her "beloved Oxford" and said that it would be a sign of progress if she were able to leave her country and then return to carry out her duties as a lawmaker. When she was at odds with the former ruling junta, she declined to leave for fear she would be barred from returning.

Suu Kyi replied that "two years ago I would have said 'thank you' for the invitation, 'but sorry.' But now I am able to say 'perhaps,' and that's great progress."

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources AP
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DTN News - INDIA DEFENSE NEWS: Ripple Effect From India's Biggest Defense Deal

DTN News - INDIA DEFENSE NEWS: Ripple Effect From India's Biggest Defense Deal
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources By Harsh V. Pant - Special to The Japan Times
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - March 6, 2012: First it was the United States that got annoyed, and now it is Britain's turn to ask some tough questions about its India policy. Ever since the French Rafale fighter was declared the lowest bidder in the multibillion dollar contract to provide a new generation fighter for the Indian Air Force, a debate has been raging in the United Kingdom as to what went wrong with Prime Minister David Cameron's charm offensive in wooing India.

His visit to India in 2010 was widely viewed as a highly successful. He made all the right noises in India about Pakistan and terrorism, and there was a sense that U.K.-India ties had finally turned a corner. The Cameron government has also decided to give India £1.4 billion between now and 2015, amounting to almost 1 percent of Britain's own £159 billion debt.

But when it came to the much sought-after Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) contract, France was the winner and the Eurofighter, produced by a consortium of four nations, including Britain's BAE systems, lost. Apparently, saying the right things and giving aid doesn't get you any influence in New Delhi!

From the very beginning, this saga has been rather interesting. Last year in April, India rejected bids by Lockheed Martin and Boeing (along with Russian and Swedish bids) for the $10 billion-plus contract for the 126 combat aircraft, despite extensive lobbying by the U.S. military-industrial complex, supported by President Barack Obama himself.

Nothing works better in New Delhi than a putdown to the U.S. — and that was quite a snub indeed! Instead, New Delhi short-listed Dassault Aviation's Rafale and the Eurofighter Consortium's Typhoon. There were extensive field trials, and technical considerations ostensibly drove the final decision. But the dismay in Washington was widespread and, to some extent, understandable given the investment that the U.S. has made in cultivating India in recent years.

The focus then shifted to the French vs. British, Rafale vs. Eurofighter rivalry in which the French came out on top. Dassault Aviation, Rafale's French manufacturer, will be entering into commercial negotiations with India over the next few months before final deals are signed. As this is a company that has been struggling to get foreign buyers, it would be keen on signing the contract more or less on Indian terms.

Deemed expensive and not cutting edge, the Netherlands, South Korea, Singapore, Morocco, Brazil, the United Arab Emirates and Switzerland have all turned Rafale down in the last few years. India, in more ways than one, will now be subsidizing the French defense sector.

India's decision was clearly influenced by the price factor as the EADS Eurofighter Typhoon is a much more expensive venture. But technology transfer was clearly another guiding factor with the tender stipulating 50 percent direct offset obligation for the winning bidder.

The Indian Air Force's familiarity with French Mirage 2000 aircraft would also have helped as Rafale is operationally and technically similar to the Mirage 2000. India would be buying the aircraft over 10 years with 18 Rafale jets constructed in Dassault plants in France and 108 assembled by Hindustan Aeronautics in India.

Coming just before French elections in which President Nicholas Sarkozy is trailing, this decision will boost his prospects.

It's no wonder that Sarkozy was euphoric, suggesting that "France is delighted at the decision by the Indian government. ... It will include important technology transfers guaranteed by the French government."

At a time when major European countries are drastically cutting their defense budgets, the defense sector needs external help to survive and India's decision will be a big help to France. Dassault was quick to react, saying it is "honored and grateful to the government and people of India." In Britain, on the other hand, there are fears of job losses at BAE Systems, which owns 33 percent of Eurofighter. The deal has been described a "major win for France and a major loss for the U.K." The U.K. government, at least publicly, is still hoping that New Delhi could yet reject the French offer and turn to the Eurofighter.

This is India's largest defense contract at a time when India's defense modernization has been attracting a lot of attention. The fighter levels in the IAF have dropped to an all-time low of 32 squadrons compared with an official level of 39.5 and a desired 42 squadrons. The IAF is desperate to replace its aging fleet of MiG 21 fighters.

At one level, the seeming transparency of the process should indeed be heartening to those who have puzzled over India's inability to get its defense modernization program on track for some time now.

For a usually lackadaisical Indian Ministry of Defense (MoD) this is a welcome change. After years of returning unspent money, the MoD last year not only managed to spend its entire budget but also asked for capital procurement funds.

Now, with movement on the MMRCA bids, it is clear that the ministry wants to move swiftly on new defense procurement, relegating its ultra-cautious approach to the sidelines.

But there is a larger question that still needs to be answered. Major defense purchases are not an end in themselves. Ideally, they should be a means of helping a nation achieve its strategic objectives.

It's not readily evident what strategic objectives of India are being served by choosing Rafale over Typhoon. One can only hope that the Indian defense establishment is not missing the wood for the trees.

Harsh V. Pant is a professor of defense studies at King's College, London.


*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources By Harsh V. Pant - Special to The Japan Times
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DTN News - OSAMA BIN LADEN NEWS: Osama Bin Laden Death ~ Pakistan Has Questions To Answer, Says David Cameron

DTN News - OSAMA BIN LADEN NEWS: Osama Bin Laden Death ~ Pakistan Has Questions To Answer, Says David Cameron

**David Cameron has said that Pakistan needs to answer questions over how Osama bin Laden was allowed to live so close to the country’s capital and alongside a military academy.

**Bin Laden killing turns focus on Pakistan - FT.com **Pakistan has questions to answer over Bin Laden, says Cameron - Guardian - UK

**Pakistan admits Bin Laden intelligence failure - BBC News

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources By Andrew Porter, Political Editor - The Telegraph UK

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - May 3, 2011:

He said of course there are lots of questions about the support systems bin Laden had in Pakistan.

The Prime Minister, who last year said that the country faced both ways on terrorism, said “everyone including the government” in Pakistan would need to explain how the world’s most wanted man came to be living with his family in a compound near an army base.

It came as Asif Ali Zardari, Pakistan’s president insisted his country had not harboured the terrorist. Instead he said Pakistan had helped America and the west over many years with intelligence that could have played an important role in Bin Laden’s killing.

But Mr Cameron said: “There are a lot of questions that need to be answered.”

The Prime Minister will today update MPs about the killing of bin Laden. He will address the Commons at 3.30pm.

However, the Prime Minister, careful to avoid causing offence in Pakistan weeks after he visited Islamabad to mend fences with the country, went on to say that he would continue to work closely with the “political leadership” of Pakistan in tackling terror.

Mr Cameron also did not rule out the possibility that the death of bin Laden could hasten the return of British troops from Afghanistan.

He told the BBC: “I don’t want British troops there any longer than one moment they need to be.”

He urged the Taliban leadership in Afghanistan to take this opportunity to break from al-Qaeda, denounce terror, acknowledge the constitution of Afghanistan and work for a peaceful solution in the war-torn country.

Last night the Government's Cobra emergencies committee met to be briefed the group on the details of the US operation and reiterated his praise for the professionalism of the American special forces team.

Earlier in the day Mr Cameron spoke by telephone with Mr Zadari and prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani and with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

"The Prime Minister made clear in the conversations that Britain would continue to work extremely closely with both Afghanistan and Pakistan to tackle the terrorist threat from al Qaida and from the Taliban," a No 10 spokesman said.

"The Prime Minister also underlined the importance of effective co-operation between Afghanistan and Pakistan against terrorism and extremism."

Mr Cameron said Britain must remain vigilant against potential reprisals following the killing of bin Laden.

In a televised reaction from his official country residence Chequers that bin Laden's death would be "welcomed right across our country".

"Of course, it does not mark the end of the threat we face from extremist terror. Indeed, we will have to be particularly vigilant in the weeks ahead. But it is, I believe, a massive step forward," he said.

British embassies have been asked to review their security measures, but the formal threat level at home was unchanged.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said he expected heightened vigilance at posts abroad for "some time to come".

"There may be parts of al-Qaeda that will try to show that they are still in business in the coming weeks as indeed some of them are," Hague said.

The Foreign Office advised Britons overseas to avoid large crowds and public events, and Defence Secretary Liam Fox said he had directed his department to "maintain a high level of vigilance in all UK defence facilities at home and abroad".

Britain remains at its second-highest threat level of severe, meaning a militant attack is considered highly likely.

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources By Andrew Porter, Political Editor - The Telegraph UK

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DTN News - PAKISTAN NEWS: Prime Minister David Cameron In Pakistan Talks To Urge 'Fresh Start'

DTN News - PAKISTAN NEWS: Prime Minister David Cameron In Pakistan Talks To Urge 'Fresh Start'

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources By Alice Ritchie - AFP

(NSI News Source Info) ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - April 5, 2011:

Prime Minister David Cameron held talks in Pakistan on Tuesday, seeking a "fresh start" in relations with Islamabad, nine months after accusing it of turning a blind eye to terrorism.

In his first trip to the nuclear-armed Muslim country since taking office in May 2010, Cameron hopes to soothe tensions caused by his remarks during a visit to India, as well as boost cooperation on counter-terrorism and in Afghanistan.

The premier briefly visited Islamabad's Faisal Mosque, nestled under the foothills of the Himalayas, before embarking on a packed day of talks with high-ranking civilian and military officials, as well as opposition leaders.

"Let's today make a fresh start in our relationship. It is time for a new step in relations between Britain and Pakistan and between Britons and Pakistanis," Cameron was to tell an audience of university students.

"Let's make this the start of a new era in the relations between our countries, our governments, our peoples," he was to add, according to pre-released extracts of the speech.

"Let's clear up the misunderstandings of the past, work through the tensions of the present and look together to the opportunities of the future."

During a trade visit to India last July, Cameron caused a diplomatic row by saying Pakistan could not be allowed to "look both ways", promoting the export of terror while publicly working for stability in the region.

President Asif Ali Zardari papered over the row in a visit to London the following month, when he and Cameron said their ties were "unbreakable".

Cameron was to repeat the message Tuesday and discuss with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani what Pakistan is doing to combat Islamist militants in the tribal belt on the Afghan border, and how they can cooperate more on security.

Britain's domestic intelligence chief, Jonathan Evans, said last year that 50 percent of serious plots linked to Al-Qaeda in Britain emanated from Pakistan's tribal areas, down from 75 percent two or three years ago.

Officials have attributed the fall to greater action against militants, but also to new threats coming from countries such as Somalia and Yemen.

Tuesday's talks also involve the head of Britain's MI6 spy agency, John Sawers, and its military chief David Richards, as well as Pakistan's army chief Ashfaq Kayani and head of intelligence, Ahmad Shuja Pasha.

In an agreement to be signed by the two prime ministers, the countries will agree to set up a centre to share expertise on countering roadside bombs, which pose a major threat to British troops in Afghanistan.

The war in Afghanistan, where Britain has about 9,500 soldiers, will also be discussed with British officials keen to build on what they see as Pakistan's growing involvement in a process of political reconciliation there.

Cameron will also seek closer ties on development, trade and cultural ties, before rounding off his day-long trip with a meeting with Zardari.

"We want a strong relationship with a secure, prosperous, open and flourishing Pakistan," the British premier was to say in his speech.

"We want that relationship for the long term. We want to work to strengthen that relationship, now and in the future."

Cameron and Gilani would pledge to boost trade from £1.9 billion a year ($3 billion) to £2.5 billion a year by 2015, British officials said.

Cameron will also announce a new investment of up to £650 million over the next four years to get four million Pakistani children into education.

The money will train 90,000 teachers, buy six million new textbooks and build or refurbish 8,000 schools.

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*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources By Alice Ritchie - AFP

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