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On Thursday, Congressman Paul questioned Secretary of State Hillary Clinton about spending at the State Department during her appearance before the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

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Nico Hines

Tony Blair has dismissed the Chilcot inquiry into the Iraq war as part of Britain’s obsession with conspiracy and scandal.

Speaking for the first time since his controversial appearance as a witness, the former Prime Minister said people should accept that it is possible to have different opinions on the legitimacy of the invasion without any underlying deceit.

Mr Blair said in an interview on American television: “There’s always got to be a scandal. . . there’s got to be some conspiracy behind it.”

The interview, broadcast last night, came as Jack Straw, the former Foreign Secretary, prepared to give a second round of evidence before the inquiry this afternoon.

Mr Straw is expected to come under fire from the panel because some of the evidence he gave during an earlier appearance has been apparently contradicted by subsequent witnesses.

The Justice Minister told the panel that he had repeatedly warned Mr Blair about the legality of the conflict and agonised over whether to support it.

Other witnesses have since suggested that he had disregarded unanimous legal opinion within the Foreign Office and told Cabinet and the House of Commons that there was a clear legal case for war.

The Liberal Democrats have accused Mr Straw of “hoodwinking” the British public and misleading Parliament.

Mr Blair called for an end to this kind of speculation over ulterior motives during an interview on Fox with Mike Huckabee, the former Governor of Arkansas who ran against John McCain to be the Republican nominee for President in 2008.

Mr Huckabee asked: “I don’t pretend for a moment to understand American politics very well and I certainly don’t understand British politics but why so many of these [Iraq] inquiries? There’s been four and they’ve all been relentless – they haven’t really mined any new ground.”

Mr Blair laughed and smiled. “Erm. . .” he began. “I think it’s partly because we have this curious habit, I don’t think it’s confined to Britain actually, where people find it hard to come to the point where they say we disagree – you’re a reasonable person, I’m a reasonable person but we disagree.

“There’s always got to be a scandal as to why you hold your view. There’s got to be some conspiracy behind it. Some great, you know, deceit that’s gone on, and people just find it hard to understand that it’s possible for people to have different points of view and hold them reasonably for genuine reasons.

“So I think there’s continual desire to sort of uncover some great conspiracy when actually there’s a decision at the heart of it – but there it is.”

Mr Blair could be asked to reappear before the panel in the coming months.

video here

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article7019088.ece

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China’s Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi is welcomed by Wolfgang Ischinger, chairman of the Conference on Security Friday before the start of the 46th Conference on Security Policy in Munich. Speaking with uncharacteristic bluntness, Mr. Yang accused the US of violating international law with its proposed arms sale to Taiwan.

Michaela Rehle / Reuters

In front of 300 diplomats, including senior US officials, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said the US was violating international law by a proposed arms sale to Taiwan, and defended Chinese TV and radio as more reliable than Western media.

By Robert Marquand Staff writer / February 5, 2010
Munich, Germany
Today Chinese foreign minister Yang Jiechi, speaking with unusual bluntness in front of 300 leading diplomats – including senior US officials – here in Munich publicly stated that China is getting stronger on the international stage. He said the US was violating international law by a proposed arms sale to Taiwan, offered that China’s TV and radio news service contains “more solid” and reliable news than Western media, and that China is not ready to address sanctions on Iran’s nuclear program, stating instead that the Islamic Republic “has not totally closed the door on the IAEA.”
Transatlantic – meet the Pacific.
Foreign Minister Yang is the first Chinese official to speak at the annual Munich Security Conference, the premier transatlantic security meeting, in its 46 year history. He turned heads in the group at a time when the People’s Republic and the US have come to loggerheads over Taiwan arms sales, Internet freedom, currency rates, and climate policy coming out of the Copenhagen meeting in December.
“I haven’t heard a high-ranking Chinese official say, ‘Yes, we are strong,’ in a public setting before,” said a senior German diplomat. “It was a very assertive message, different, and it means we will soon see a different Chinese policy.”
Mr. Yang, a former ambassador to the US and highly respected, gave a somewhat conventional speech – though in a strong voice. He affirmed that China is both a developed and a developing country, that it seeks “win-win solutions,” and that it is preparing for greater “shared responsibilities” on the world stage – and that it played a transformative role in helping avert a global financial crisis in the past year.
Yet during three probing follow-up questions, Yang mopped his brow repeatedly in answering on Taiwan, cyberspace, and China’s position on Iran’s nuclear program, which he earlier admitted was “at a crucial stage.”
“Does China feel stronger? Yes,” he said as questions opened.
Regarding a proposed US $6.4 billion package of arms for Taiwan introduced in recent weeks by the Obama administration, and which China has for the first time threatened retaliatory sanctions on US firms that supply arms – Yang called it a “violation of the code of conduct among nations” by the US, said China has “every reason to feel indignant about this thing,” and added that Beijing has a “sovereign right to do what is necessary” in response.
He went on to say China is “totally against hacking attacks…I don’t know how this Google thing has popped up” – in response to a question about cyberspace. At a time when the American search engine giant has said it may leave China after repeated hacks on human rights workers, and British intelligence has reported official Chinese espionage against business travelers, Yang said that “China is a victim” of hacking.
The cyberspace answers were prefaced with polemics on the virtues of Chinese news gathering. The Chinese people have better news than members of the western public, and “freedom of speech is what we advocate,” Yang said, adding that with 15 million Chinese traveling abroad every year, “the Chinese people are well informed." Yang also said that while foreign companies were free to enter China, and that many had done well there, they still must submit to Chinese laws, “and what is in the best interest of China.”
China’s presence at the 48-hour Munich conference, hosted by German diplomat Wolfgang Ischinger, and that will include US National Security Advisor James Jones, follows a robust Chinese presence at the annual Davos conference in Switzerland, where China rented one of the most splendid villas – used in the past by Microsoft.
Gary Smith, director of the American Academy in Berlin, said that Yuan’s assertive speech did not contain the kind of direct dynamite that Vladimir Putin’s address here did in 2007, when Russia’s then-president affirmed that Russia would taking a newly assertive role on the world stage. But Yuan’s comments nonetheless would be felt strongly here, Smith said: “Europeans have been terrified by this kind of moment…they’ve been obsessed by the rise of China and India.
“[Yuan’s remarks] tells this group that the hard work of Atlantic consensus on global issues can be negligible if the Chinese don’t agree to play ball.”

Michaela Rehle / Reuters

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2010/0205/Transatlantic-meet-Pacific-China-s-bold-stance-at-Munich-security-conference

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Sheera Frankel, Sean O’Neill and Sam Coates
Times Online
Wed, 06 Jan 2010 09:59 EST

The Attorney General could be given a veto over arrest warrants for foreign leaders in an attempt to placate Israeli ministers who fear war crimes prosecutions if they visit Britain.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal, who is in Jerusalem, discussed an amendment to British law that would give her office the power to review arrest warrants in private prosecutions against political figures, according to Foreign Ministry sources.
Israel warned that a failure to resolve the situation soon would have consequences for both countries.
Any further deterioration in diplomatic relations could damage Britain’s counter-terrorism effort which has drawn heavily on Israeli experience and expertise, notably in dealing with suicide bombers.
Lady Scotland’s trip coincided with the cancellation of a visit to Britain by an Israeli military delegation. The group abandoned its travel plans after the Israeli officers were told that their hosts, the British Army, could not guarantee they would not be arrested.
Last month Tzipi Livni, the Israeli foreign minister, cancelled a trip to London after a court was persuaded by Palestinian activists to issue a warrant for her arrest in connection with the 2008 Israeli offensive in Gaza.
Previously, Defence Minister Ehud Barak has abandoned plans to visit the UK fearing arrest and in 2005 Doron Almog, a retired Israeli general, avoided arrest only by remaining on the plane that brought him to Heathrow.
David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, apologised to Ms Livni last month and promised an urgent review of the law to prevent a repeat of the situation.
Westminster sources said that no final decision has been taken on how to solve the problem but giving the Attorney General a new power to review private warrants was the preferred option.
It would give the Attorney General the ability to block the arrest of Israeli politicians but would not block action against Nazi war criminals, Afghan warlords or fugitive leaders of genocidal campaigns.
Officials have told ministers that a change to the present legal situation will require parliamentary approval. That advice has delayed the change because the Government fears a backlash from its own backbenchers if it tries to push through an amendment which is seen to favour Israel.
Lady Scotland’s office said last night she had been invited to deliver a lecture in Israel before the row over Ms Livni’s visit and combined her visit with a holiday.
The Israeli foreign ministry confirmed however that she met Danny Ayalon, Israel’s deputy foreign minister, who made clear his anger and concern.
Lady Scotland refused to be drawn on the specifics of any amendment when she delivered her lecture last night at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
"I shall not tonight be talking about the rights and wrongs of any individual case," she told her audience.
"But you will know that the Foreign Secretary has stated clearly that the Government is looking urgently at ways in which the UK system might be changed to avoid this situation arising again and is determined that Israel’s leaders should always be able to travel freely to the UK.
Answering questions later, the Attorney General said there would be no dilution of Britain’s commitment to prosecute war criminals.
She added: "We need to make sure that the process that we use to effectively prosecute is just that, effective, and not used for political or other purposes."
Mr Ayalon told Lady Scotland that if the threat of arrest was not removed from visiting Israeli officials it would "make it difficult for the two countries to maintain a normal relationship".
He raised the issue of the cancelled military visit and pointed out that most Israeli citizens had served in the military and could be liable to arrest in Britain.
Mr Ayalon said in a radio interview: "These officers were invited by Great Britain, but they will stay in Israel as long as we do not have a 100 percent guarantee that they will not become objects of criminal lawsuits in that country.
"If the British law remains unchanged, this would undermine the good relations between the two countries who share common values and interests. The British must bear in mind that these visits serve both countries.
"Only actions can put an end to this absurd situation, which would have seemed a comedy of errors were it not so serious."
An official in the Israeli Foreign Ministry added that they were "concerned" that issue has not already been resolved in the month since Ms Livni had to cancel her trip to Britain.
The source said: "The issue with Tzipi was back in December, and we have yet to see real movement on this intolerable situation. We understand that it has been the holiday season, but this is an issue that effectively bans our Israeli leaders from visiting the UK. It has huge consequences."
But the Government is facing lobbying from Muslim groups and human rights organisations against any change to the legal position.
The Muslim Council of Britain has warned against "selective compliance with the enforcement of international law" which it claimed would "add a further dimension to the double standards that our government is seen to have in relation to the politics of the Middle East".
Inayat Bunglawala of Muslims4UK said: "We believe no attempt should be made [to change the law]. There’s no reason why Israel should be singled out for special treatment. If they’re accused of war crimes, we have a duty – and legislation – to prosecute."
The Hamas leadership of Gaza has said that it is assisting European lawyers and human rights groups in collecting data on alleged war crimes committed by Israel during the Gaza War.
A UN fact-finding mission led by Judge Richard Goldstone found that both Israel and Hamas had committed war crimes during the Gaza War. Some 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed during the 23-day offensive waged in late December 2008.
Dominic Grieve, the shadow Justice Secretary, said the Opposition would work with the Government to resolve the situation.
"The Government has undertaken to address the issues surrounding arrest warrants for visiting foreign politicians or officials," Mr Grieve said.
"We will work with them to find the right balance between bringing genuine war criminals to justice, and preventing the criminal justice system from being manipulated for political ends."

http://www.sott.net/articles/show/200475-Attorney-General-Baroness-Scotland-may-block-Israeli-war-crimes-warrants

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Press TV
Sat, 26 Dec 2009 14:23 EST

© Unknown
A snake in suit: foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman

Israel’s ambassadors and consuls generals from all over the world have been summoned to attend a conference to be held over global challenges facing Israel.
The meeting to be attended in Jerusalem Al-Quds on December 27-31 is hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, headed by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, the ministry reported on its website.
"The idea is to facilitate direct dialogue with the country’s leaders, mutual updates on major diplomatic issues, and a discussion of action plans to deal with the challenges awaiting Israel in the international arena in the coming year, including the Iranian threat," it said.
This is while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called a report by the UN Human Rights Council’s Gaza commission a real threat to Israel.
The UN Special Rappoteur for the occupied Palestinian Territories has also urged western powers to push Israel to end its blockade of the Gaza Strip immediately. Richard Falk also called for economic sanctions against Israel.
This is the first time a conference for all of Israel’s heads of missions has been held.
Benyamin Netanyahu will also attend the conference along with Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Minister of Intelligence and Atomic Energy Dan Meridor, and other senior officials.

http://www.sott.net/articles/show/199671-Cooking-new-bloodbaths-Israel-summons-envoys-from-all-over-the-world

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