Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan today faced growing criticism from the European Union (EU) over an &quot;unacceptable&quot; crackdown that has seen tens of thousands of people detained or sacked, as supporters celebrated the defeat one week ago of the coup aimed at ending his rule.&nbsp; 
 
The authorities imposed a state of emergency yesterday, strengthening powers to round up suspects behind the failed military putsch and suspending a key European rights convention. 
 
The European Union urged Turkey &quot;to respect under any circumstances the rule of law, human rights and fundamental freedoms&quot;, in a joint statement from foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini and enlargement commissioner Johannes Hahn. 
 
They slammed as &quot;unacceptable&quot; the sacking or suspension of tens of thousands of people in the education system, judiciary and the media and said they were monitoring the state of emergency &quot;with concern&quot;. 
 
Turkey&#39;s Western allies have been watching with alarm the turmoil in the key NATO member state, which has also been reeling from a wave of bomb attacks by Islamic State group jihadists and Kurdish rebels. 
 
 
Erdogan basks in support of jubilant crowds&nbsp; 
 
But at home, Erdogan has basked in the support of jubilant crowds who took to the streets of Istanbul overnight. 
 
Huge numbers were again expected to fill city squares Friday to celebrate Erdogan`s victory over the rebels, whose botched coup last Friday with troops, tanks and fighter jets claimed 265 lives. 
 
The president has said July 15 would in future be marked as the &quot;Remembrance Day of the Martyrs&quot;. 
 
The government said the coup claimed the lives of 24 plotters, and of 241 citizens and members of the security forces who stood up to them. Thousands of Erdogan supporters -- many carrying lit torches and waving the national crescent flag -- late Thursday streamed across the Bosphorus bridge that was one of the key battlegrounds. 
 
Flocking to the landmark where Turkish citizens stood up to the mutineers, they brandished signs such as &quot;Our flag, our nation&quot; and denounced the man Erdogan blames for the coup plot -- US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, 75. 
 
Erdogan has repeatedly rallied Turks -- on TV and even with mass phone text messages -- to stay on the streets in the fight against the &quot;terrorist&quot; followers of the spiritual leader whom he accuses of forming a secretive &quot;parallel state&quot; in Turkey. 
 
Erdogan has demanded the United States extradite his former ally turned arch-enemy Gulen, the leader of the Hizmet (Service) movement, which runs a global network of schools as well as businesses, media outlets and cultural centres. 
 
The usually reclusive 75-year-old preacher has condemned the attempted putsch and rejected the accusations against him as &quot;ridiculous, irresponsible and false&quot;. 
 
Late Wednesday, after a marathon meeting of his national security council, Erdogan declared a three-month state of emergency -- Turkey`s first since 2002, the year before he first came to power as prime minister. 
 
The emergency powers allow Erdogan and his cabinet to rule by decree and rights groups and opposition parties fear they could lead to further curbs on freedoms of speech and assembly. 
 
&quot;The road to arbitrary rule, unlawful behaviour, feeding on violence, has been chosen,&quot; charged the opposition Peoples` Democratic Party (HDP).&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Society has been forced to choose between a coup or an undemocratic government.&quot;Erdogan has insisted democracy would &quot;not be compromised&quot; and the government pointed out that France also declared an emergency in the wake of a series of bloody jihadist attacks. 
 
Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said there would be no curfews, and that the special measures may only last 45 days, insisting: &quot;We want to end the state of emergency as soon as possible&quot;. 
 
&quot;This is not a declaration of martial law.&quot; 
 
Period of pre-charge detention likely to be lengthened&nbsp; 
 
Erdogan said 10,410 people had so far been detained with 4,060 of them remanded in custody, including more than 100 generals and admirals.&nbsp; 
 
Turkey has started to close Gulenist schools, may set up special courts for coup plotters and restructure the MIT intelligence service, the Hurriyet and Sabah newspapers reported, citing government sources. 
 
Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag told CNN-Turk that the period of pre-charge detention would be lengthened. 
 
On restoring the death penalty, he pointed to Erdogan`s comment that there was popular demand for its reintroduction. 
 
&quot;The president said we cannot close our ears to the demands of the people.&quot; 
 
On EU warnings that capital punishment would spell the end of Turkey&#39;s membership bid, he said &quot;the European Union cannot tell us much, it has made Turkey wait at the door&quot; for decades. 
 
(AFP)&nbsp; 
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Turkey's Western allies have been watching with alarm the turmoil in the key NATO member state

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan today faced growing criticism from the European Union (EU) over an "unacceptable" crackdown that has seen tens of thousands of people detained or sacked, as supporters celebrated the defeat one week ago of the coup aimed at ending his rule. The authorities imposed a state of emergency yesterday, strengthening powers to round up suspects behind the failed military putsch and suspending a key European rights convention. The European Union urged Turkey "to respect under any circumstances the rule of law, human rights and fundamental freedoms", in a joint statement from foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini and enlargement commissioner Johannes Hahn. They slammed as "unacceptable" the sacking or suspension of tens of thousands of people in the education system, judiciary and the media and said they were monitoring the state of emergency "with concern". Turkey's Western allies have been watching with alarm the turmoil in the key NATO member state, which has also been reeling from a wave of bomb attacks by Islamic State group jihadists and Kurdish rebels. Erdogan basks in support of jubilant crowds But at home, Erdogan has basked in the support of jubilant crowds who took to the streets of Istanbul overnight. Huge numbers were again expected to fill city squares Friday to celebrate Erdogan`s victory over the rebels, whose botched coup last Friday with troops, tanks and fighter jets claimed 265 lives. The president has said July 15 would in future be marked as the "Remembrance Day of the Martyrs". The government said the coup claimed the lives of 24 plotters, and of 241 citizens and members of the security forces who stood up to them. Thousands of Erdogan supporters -- many carrying lit torches and waving the national crescent flag -- late Thursday streamed across the Bosphorus bridge that was one of the key battlegrounds. Flocking to the landmark where Turkish citizens stood up to the mutineers, they brandished signs such as "Our flag, our nation" and denounced the man Erdogan blames for the coup plot -- US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, 75. Erdogan has repeatedly rallied Turks -- on TV and even with mass phone text messages -- to stay on the streets in the fight against the "terrorist" followers of the spiritual leader whom he accuses of forming a secretive "parallel state" in Turkey. Erdogan has demanded the United States extradite his former ally turned arch-enemy Gulen, the leader of the Hizmet (Service) movement, which runs a global network of schools as well as businesses, media outlets and cultural centres. The usually reclusive 75-year-old preacher has condemned the attempted putsch and rejected the accusations against him as "ridiculous, irresponsible and false". Late Wednesday, after a marathon meeting of his national security council, Erdogan declared a three-month state of emergency -- Turkey`s first since 2002, the year before he first came to power as prime minister. The emergency powers allow Erdogan and his cabinet to rule by decree and rights groups and opposition parties fear they could lead to further curbs on freedoms of speech and assembly. "The road to arbitrary rule, unlawful behaviour, feeding on violence, has been chosen," charged the opposition Peoples` Democratic Party (HDP). "Society has been forced to choose between a coup or an undemocratic government."Erdogan has insisted democracy would "not be compromised" and the government pointed out that France also declared an emergency in the wake of a series of bloody jihadist attacks. Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said there would be no curfews, and that the special measures may only last 45 days, insisting: "We want to end the state of emergency as soon as possible". "This is not a declaration of martial law." Period of pre-charge detention likely to be lengthened Erdogan said 10,410 people had so far been detained with 4,060 of them remanded in custody, including more than 100 generals and admirals. Turkey has started to close Gulenist schools, may set up special courts for coup plotters and restructure the MIT intelligence service, the Hurriyet and Sabah newspapers reported, citing government sources. Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag told CNN-Turk that the period of pre-charge detention would be lengthened. On restoring the death penalty, he pointed to Erdogan`s comment that there was popular demand for its reintroduction. "The president said we cannot close our ears to the demands of the people." On EU warnings that capital punishment would spell the end of Turkey's membership bid, he said "the European Union cannot tell us much, it has made Turkey wait at the door" for decades. (AFP)

Week after Turkey coup bid, EU slams 'unacceptable' crackdown

The Afghan Taliban said today they were launching new operations after the end of the holy month of Ramadan, dismissing reports that they had been weakened following a change of leadership in May. 
 
Afghan government and NATO officials have said government forces have had growing success against the Taliban since US commanders were granted more freedom to conduct air strikes and other operations against the insurgents. 
 
They have also pointed to apparent leadership problems within the Taliban since former leader Mullah Mohammad Akhtar Mansour was killed in a US drone strike and replaced by the hardline cleric Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada. 
 
The Taliban&#39;s chief spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said reports of a reduction in insurgent operations during Ramadan reflected a natural slowdown during one of the hottest periods of the year when Muslims are required not to eat or drink during daylight hours. 
 
&quot;But the commanders of the American occupation forces and the puppet figures in Kabul got the wrong impression from this situation and think that Mujahideen have been weakened or are facing problems due to the change in leadership,&quot; he said. 
 
With the end of Ramadan and the Eid holiday immediately afterwards, the insurgents, who are seeking to force the NATO-led coalition out of Afghanistan and bring in Islamic law, were moving on to the offensive and had seized three district centres in the past 24 hours. 
 
(Reuters)&nbsp; 
 
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'Reduction in insurgent operations during Ramadan reflected a natural slowdown'

The Afghan Taliban said today they were launching new operations after the end of the holy month of Ramadan, dismissing reports that they had been weakened following a change of leadership in May. Afghan government and NATO officials have said government forces have had growing success against the Taliban since US commanders were granted more freedom to conduct air strikes and other operations against the insurgents. They have also pointed to apparent leadership problems within the Taliban since former leader Mullah Mohammad Akhtar Mansour was killed in a US drone strike and replaced by the hardline cleric Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada. The Taliban's chief spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said reports of a reduction in insurgent operations during Ramadan reflected a natural slowdown during one of the hottest periods of the year when Muslims are required not to eat or drink during daylight hours. "But the commanders of the American occupation forces and the puppet figures in Kabul got the wrong impression from this situation and think that Mujahideen have been weakened or are facing problems due to the change in leadership," he said. With the end of Ramadan and the Eid holiday immediately afterwards, the insurgents, who are seeking to force the NATO-led coalition out of Afghanistan and bring in Islamic law, were moving on to the offensive and had seized three district centres in the past 24 hours. (Reuters)

Dismissing slowdown after leadership change, Afghan Taliban announces new operations

As 90 people were reported killed and more than 1150 injured in Turkey during the attempted overnight coup by the military, the United Nations today said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is following closely and with concern the fast-moving developments in Turkey and has appealed for calm, non-violence and restraint. 
 
In a statement issued in New York, the UN spokesman said, &quot;At this moment of uncertainty in the country, the Secretary-General appeals for calm, non-violence and restraint. 
 
Preservation of fundamental rights, including freedom of speech and assembly, remain of vital importance.&quot;The Secretary-General underscores that military interference in the affairs of any state is unacceptable.&nbsp;It will be crucial to quickly and peacefully affirm civilian rule and constitutional order in accordance with principles of democracy,&quot; the spokesman added. 
 
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said, &quot;Just spoke to Turkish FM. I call for calm, restraint &amp; full respect for Turkey`s democratic institutions and constitution.&quot; 
 
United States has called on all parties in Turkey to support President Erdogan&#39;s government against a coup attempt. 
 
Avoid bloodshed: India, US&nbsp; 
 
Speaking jointly after talks in Moscow, US secretary of state John Kerry and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said they hoped that stability would prevail in Turkey and bloodshed would be avoided. 
 
Meanwhile, India has called upon all sides to support democracy and mandate of the ballot, and avoid bloodshed. 
 
Turkey has a history of coups with governments ousted on three occasions in the last decades by full military coups. 
 
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said the &quot;situation in the country is largely under control&quot;. He said a national curfew was announced, and other security forces had been called in to &quot;do what is necessary&quot;. He said 1563 soldiers detained in the coup attempt. 
 
(ANI)&nbsp;

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appealed for calm, non-violence and restraint. Military interference is unacceptable he said

As 90 people were reported killed and more than 1150 injured in Turkey during the attempted overnight coup by the military, the United Nations today said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is following closely and with concern the fast-moving developments in Turkey and has appealed for calm, non-violence and restraint. In a statement issued in New York, the UN spokesman said, "At this moment of uncertainty in the country, the Secretary-General appeals for calm, non-violence and restraint. Preservation of fundamental rights, including freedom of speech and assembly, remain of vital importance."The Secretary-General underscores that military interference in the affairs of any state is unacceptable. It will be crucial to quickly and peacefully affirm civilian rule and constitutional order in accordance with principles of democracy," the spokesman added. North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said, "Just spoke to Turkish FM. I call for calm, restraint & full respect for Turkey`s democratic institutions and constitution." United States has called on all parties in Turkey to support President Erdogan's government against a coup attempt. Avoid bloodshed: India, US Speaking jointly after talks in Moscow, US secretary of state John Kerry and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said they hoped that stability would prevail in Turkey and bloodshed would be avoided. Meanwhile, India has called upon all sides to support democracy and mandate of the ballot, and avoid bloodshed. Turkey has a history of coups with governments ousted on three occasions in the last decades by full military coups. Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said the "situation in the country is largely under control". He said a national curfew was announced, and other security forces had been called in to "do what is necessary". He said 1563 soldiers detained in the coup attempt. (ANI)

International community reacts to attempted coup in Turkey, calls for calm

Moscow offered to fly its jets over the Baltic region with their transponders engaged, an apparent concession to NATO powers who accuse Russia&#39;s air force of endangering aviation by turning off the devices that allow them to be detected by ground radar. 
 
Moscow&#39;s envoy to NATO told alliance ambassadors that Russian pilots could turn on the cockpit transmitters, known as transponders, if alliance planes did the same. 
 
&quot;We are ready to fly with transponders along certain flight trajectories,&quot; Russia&#39;s ambassador Alexander Grushko said after the NATO-Russia Council, a forum bringing together Russia and the 28 NATO ambassadors. 
 
&quot;The aircraft of many countries do fly in the region with their transponders off,&quot; Grushko said. 
 
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed the proposal but said that all jets under NATO command already flew with their transponders on.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Transponders are important, but they are only one element of a broader picture related to air safety. The basic thing is safe behaviour, to fly in a safe and professional way,&quot; Stoltenberg said. 
 
The proposal comes after two years of several near misses between Western planes, both civilian and military, and Russian jets in the skies above the Baltics that NATO has patrolled since Russia&#39;s annexation of Crimea in 2014. 
 
It also comes after several gestures by Russian President Vladimir Putin that seem to aim at defusing East-West tensions despite NATO&#39;s summit last weekend in Warsaw. There, the alliance agreed to deploy a multinational force to the Baltics and Poland and to take over a US-built missile shield that Russia sees as hostile. 
 
Putin agreed to Wednesday&#39;s meeting of the NATO-Russia Council, only the second since mid-2014, while also recently allowing a UN resolution authorising the EU to intercept arms shipments to Libya in the Mediterranean. Putin has talked by telephone US President Barack Obama, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Holland in recent days. 
 
&quot;Back to the Cold War&quot; 
 
The transponders plan, which was raised by Putin during a visit to Finland this month, was put to NATO ambassadors both by Russia&#39;s envoy and generals at the meeting at NATO headquarters. Diplomats said there was no detailed discussion. 
 
Diplomats told Reuters the Russian proposal appeared to be directed at US military reconnaissance flights that regularly fly through the region, and which Russia has intercepted in what Washington says is an unsafe manner. 
 
In one instance in April, Russia sent a fighter plane to intercept a US aircraft approaching its border over the Baltic Sea, accusing the plane of turning off its transponders. 
 
It was not immediately clear if US reconnaissance jets have flown with their transponders off in the region. 
 
In a sign of the continued strains between Russia and the West, Grushko reiterated Moscow&#39;s position that NATO&#39;s biggest modernisation since the end of the Cold War is putting Europe&#39;s security at risk. NATO denies that, saying its military build-up is a proportionate response to Russia&#39;s actions in Ukraine. 
 
&quot;The message was very clear. There is no reason for NATO to do what it is doing. The direction in which NATO is moving in military terms is very worrisome,&quot; Grushko said. &quot;It takes us back to the Cold War,&quot; he said. 
 
(Reuters)

The proposal comes after several gestures by Russian President aimed at defusing East-West tensions despite NATO's summit in Warsaw

Moscow offered to fly its jets over the Baltic region with their transponders engaged, an apparent concession to NATO powers who accuse Russia's air force of endangering aviation by turning off the devices that allow them to be detected by ground radar. Moscow's envoy to NATO told alliance ambassadors that Russian pilots could turn on the cockpit transmitters, known as transponders, if alliance planes did the same. "We are ready to fly with transponders along certain flight trajectories," Russia's ambassador Alexander Grushko said after the NATO-Russia Council, a forum bringing together Russia and the 28 NATO ambassadors. "The aircraft of many countries do fly in the region with their transponders off," Grushko said. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed the proposal but said that all jets under NATO command already flew with their transponders on. "Transponders are important, but they are only one element of a broader picture related to air safety. The basic thing is safe behaviour, to fly in a safe and professional way," Stoltenberg said. The proposal comes after two years of several near misses between Western planes, both civilian and military, and Russian jets in the skies above the Baltics that NATO has patrolled since Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014. It also comes after several gestures by Russian President Vladimir Putin that seem to aim at defusing East-West tensions despite NATO's summit last weekend in Warsaw. There, the alliance agreed to deploy a multinational force to the Baltics and Poland and to take over a US-built missile shield that Russia sees as hostile. Putin agreed to Wednesday's meeting of the NATO-Russia Council, only the second since mid-2014, while also recently allowing a UN resolution authorising the EU to intercept arms shipments to Libya in the Mediterranean. Putin has talked by telephone US President Barack Obama, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Holland in recent days. "Back to the Cold War" The transponders plan, which was raised by Putin during a visit to Finland this month, was put to NATO ambassadors both by Russia's envoy and generals at the meeting at NATO headquarters. Diplomats said there was no detailed discussion. Diplomats told Reuters the Russian proposal appeared to be directed at US military reconnaissance flights that regularly fly through the region, and which Russia has intercepted in what Washington says is an unsafe manner. In one instance in April, Russia sent a fighter plane to intercept a US aircraft approaching its border over the Baltic Sea, accusing the plane of turning off its transponders. It was not immediately clear if US reconnaissance jets have flown with their transponders off in the region. In a sign of the continued strains between Russia and the West, Grushko reiterated Moscow's position that NATO's biggest modernisation since the end of the Cold War is putting Europe's security at risk. NATO denies that, saying its military build-up is a proportionate response to Russia's actions in Ukraine. "The message was very clear. There is no reason for NATO to do what it is doing. The direction in which NATO is moving in military terms is very worrisome," Grushko said. "It takes us back to the Cold War," he said. (Reuters)

Russia offers to fly warplanes more safely over Baltics

NATO and Russia today will hold their first talks since the alliance agreed at a summit in Warsaw to beef up its presence in eastern Europe due to fears over the Kremlin&#39;s expansionism. 
 
The meeting between ambassadors from the 28-nation alliance and Russia is the first since April and just the second since 2014, when the Ukraine crisis plunged relations into a deep freeze. 
 
The alliance said it would brief Moscow on last week&#39;s decision to send four battalions totalling around 4,000 soldiers to Poland and the Baltic states, which have been nervous ever since Russia&#39;s 2014 annexation of Crimea. 
 
Moscow said it would discuss the risks of the US missile shield that NATO declared operational at the summit in the Polish capital, as well as improving airspace safety over the Baltic. 
 
&quot;Allies and Russia will discuss three topics - the crisis in Ukraine, military transparency and the security situation in Afghanistan,&quot; NATO spokeswoman Carmen Romero said. 
 
&quot;In the spirit of transparency, we will brief Russia on the important decisions we took in Warsaw last week to enhance our security.&quot; 
 
Russia has been strongly critical of the NATO decision, accusing the alliance of aggression and warning that it will react to the deployment of forces in its former Soviet backyard.&nbsp;But NATO said it was acting purely defensively. 
 
&quot;NATO does not pose a threat to Russia. We do not seek confrontation. We continue to aspire to a constructive relationship with Russia, when Russia&#39;s actions make that possible,&quot; Romero said. 
 
&quot;Tomorrow&#39;s meeting is a sign that NATO is following through on our commitment to political dialogue with Russia.&quot; 
 
The last set of talks in Brussels in April ended in &quot;profound disagreements&quot; between NATO and Russia over Ukraine and other issues, despite hopes they could ease years of tensions.&nbsp;NATO leaders meeting in the Polish capital last week said they had agreed on a twin-track policy of &quot;deterrence and dialogue&quot; with Russia, insisting they would not back down until Moscow abided by the Minsk peace deal for Ukraine. 
 
Alliance chief Jens Stoltenberg said they &quot;stand together&quot; despite signs from some NATO nations like France that they want to focus on a diplomatic solution with Moscow.&nbsp;Moscow however slammed NATO at the weekend for focusing on a &quot;non-existent&quot; threat from Russia and accusing it of living in a &quot;military-political looking-glass world&quot;. 
 
It took a more measured line on Tuesday, with Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova saying Moscow plans to raise &quot;increasing aviation safety in the Baltic Sea region&quot; at the Brussels talks.&nbsp; 
 
Russia&#39;s NATO-member Baltic neighbours have accused Moscow of regularly violating their airspace in recent months and flying with switched-off transponders, devices that allow radars to identify planes and prevent collisions. 
 
President Vladimir Putin this month backed a call for all military aircraft flying over the Baltic region to keep their transponders on.&nbsp; 
At the summit with NATO, Moscow will also &quot;stress the risks to strategic stability that have appeared as a result of the ongoing construction of the US and NATO anti-missile system in Europe,&quot; Zakharova said. 
 
NATO insists the missile shield is aimed at Iran or possible rogue non-state actors, and says it poses no threat to Russia&#39;s military deterrent.&nbsp; 
 
(AFP)

The last talks in Brussels in April ended in 'profound disagreements' between NATO and Russia over Ukraine and other issues

NATO and Russia today will hold their first talks since the alliance agreed at a summit in Warsaw to beef up its presence in eastern Europe due to fears over the Kremlin's expansionism. The meeting between ambassadors from the 28-nation alliance and Russia is the first since April and just the second since 2014, when the Ukraine crisis plunged relations into a deep freeze. The alliance said it would brief Moscow on last week's decision to send four battalions totalling around 4,000 soldiers to Poland and the Baltic states, which have been nervous ever since Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea. Moscow said it would discuss the risks of the US missile shield that NATO declared operational at the summit in the Polish capital, as well as improving airspace safety over the Baltic. "Allies and Russia will discuss three topics - the crisis in Ukraine, military transparency and the security situation in Afghanistan," NATO spokeswoman Carmen Romero said. "In the spirit of transparency, we will brief Russia on the important decisions we took in Warsaw last week to enhance our security." Russia has been strongly critical of the NATO decision, accusing the alliance of aggression and warning that it will react to the deployment of forces in its former Soviet backyard. But NATO said it was acting purely defensively. "NATO does not pose a threat to Russia. We do not seek confrontation. We continue to aspire to a constructive relationship with Russia, when Russia's actions make that possible," Romero said. "Tomorrow's meeting is a sign that NATO is following through on our commitment to political dialogue with Russia." The last set of talks in Brussels in April ended in "profound disagreements" between NATO and Russia over Ukraine and other issues, despite hopes they could ease years of tensions. NATO leaders meeting in the Polish capital last week said they had agreed on a twin-track policy of "deterrence and dialogue" with Russia, insisting they would not back down until Moscow abided by the Minsk peace deal for Ukraine. Alliance chief Jens Stoltenberg said they "stand together" despite signs from some NATO nations like France that they want to focus on a diplomatic solution with Moscow. Moscow however slammed NATO at the weekend for focusing on a "non-existent" threat from Russia and accusing it of living in a "military-political looking-glass world". It took a more measured line on Tuesday, with Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova saying Moscow plans to raise "increasing aviation safety in the Baltic Sea region" at the Brussels talks. Russia's NATO-member Baltic neighbours have accused Moscow of regularly violating their airspace in recent months and flying with switched-off transponders, devices that allow radars to identify planes and prevent collisions. President Vladimir Putin this month backed a call for all military aircraft flying over the Baltic region to keep their transponders on. At the summit with NATO, Moscow will also "stress the risks to strategic stability that have appeared as a result of the ongoing construction of the US and NATO anti-missile system in Europe," Zakharova said. NATO insists the missile shield is aimed at Iran or possible rogue non-state actors, and says it poses no threat to Russia's military deterrent. (AFP)

NATO, Russia to meet after alliance boosts troops over Kremlin expansionism

US defence secretary Ashton Carter arrived in Afghanistan on Tuesday for talks with President Ashraf Ghani, days after the United States and NATO pledged to keep thousands of troops in the troubled country. 
 
Carter flew in to Bagram air base outside Kabul, and was due to meet with Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah in the capital later. 
 
The Pentagon chief&#39;s visit follows a renewed commitment to Afghanistan from NATO, which said over the weekend it would keep forces there at least until the end of 2017. 
 
Most are American, but some 40 countries have deployed troops there. Their official role is to train Afghan forces, who are now responsible for their country&#39;s security. 
 
Despite a massive, nearly 15-year international effort to defeat the Taliban, the resurgent group controls large areas of Afghanistan and have vowed to keep fighting until foreign forces leave. 
 
President Barack Obama, elected eight years ago on a pledge to end the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, has been unable to do so given the fragile security situations in both countries. 
 
Last week he dialled back plans to cut US troop numbers in Afghanistan from 9800 to 5500 by the end of the year.&nbsp;Instead, some 8400 US troops will remain, providing training and air support to the Afghans.&nbsp; 
 
Obama has also relaxed rules of engagement, making it easier for US troops to target the Taliban, a move that the head of NATO forces in Afghanistan, General John Nicholson, said was in &quot;recognition of the difficulties that we are facing&quot;. 
 
&quot;We can strike the Taliban and disrupt the enemy,&quot; he told reporters in Kabul over the weekend, adding that Obama had granted &quot;all the capabilities that we requested&quot;.&nbsp; 
 
Local forces took the lead in providing security in 2015, but are struggling to contain Taliban offensives and prevent attacks from the Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda. 
 
More than 5000 Afghan security forces were killed last year, and attacks continue. The Taliban claimed responsibility last month for a suicide attack that killed more than 30 Afghan police cadets in Kabul. 
 
Further complicating matters is endemic corruption and allegations of rights abuses. &nbsp;About 13,000 NATO troops, most of whom are American, are currently stationed in Afghanistan under Operation Resolute Support to train and assist Afghan security forces. 
 
NATO has agreed about 12,000 troops will remain in Afghanistan through at least 2017, though in reality local troops are likely to need foreign support and funding for years to come.&nbsp; 
 
In return, NATO is demanding reforms of the Afghan security forces.&nbsp;Carter&#39;s visit followed a brief trip to Baghdad on Monday, where he pledged hundreds of additional US troops to assist Iraqis fighting against the Islamic State group. 
 
(AFP)

The visit comes a week after Obama dialled back plans to cut troops in Afghanistan

US defence secretary Ashton Carter arrived in Afghanistan on Tuesday for talks with President Ashraf Ghani, days after the United States and NATO pledged to keep thousands of troops in the troubled country. Carter flew in to Bagram air base outside Kabul, and was due to meet with Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah in the capital later. The Pentagon chief's visit follows a renewed commitment to Afghanistan from NATO, which said over the weekend it would keep forces there at least until the end of 2017. Most are American, but some 40 countries have deployed troops there. Their official role is to train Afghan forces, who are now responsible for their country's security. Despite a massive, nearly 15-year international effort to defeat the Taliban, the resurgent group controls large areas of Afghanistan and have vowed to keep fighting until foreign forces leave. President Barack Obama, elected eight years ago on a pledge to end the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, has been unable to do so given the fragile security situations in both countries. Last week he dialled back plans to cut US troop numbers in Afghanistan from 9800 to 5500 by the end of the year. Instead, some 8400 US troops will remain, providing training and air support to the Afghans. Obama has also relaxed rules of engagement, making it easier for US troops to target the Taliban, a move that the head of NATO forces in Afghanistan, General John Nicholson, said was in "recognition of the difficulties that we are facing". "We can strike the Taliban and disrupt the enemy," he told reporters in Kabul over the weekend, adding that Obama had granted "all the capabilities that we requested". Local forces took the lead in providing security in 2015, but are struggling to contain Taliban offensives and prevent attacks from the Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda. More than 5000 Afghan security forces were killed last year, and attacks continue. The Taliban claimed responsibility last month for a suicide attack that killed more than 30 Afghan police cadets in Kabul. Further complicating matters is endemic corruption and allegations of rights abuses. About 13,000 NATO troops, most of whom are American, are currently stationed in Afghanistan under Operation Resolute Support to train and assist Afghan security forces. NATO has agreed about 12,000 troops will remain in Afghanistan through at least 2017, though in reality local troops are likely to need foreign support and funding for years to come. In return, NATO is demanding reforms of the Afghan security forces. Carter's visit followed a brief trip to Baghdad on Monday, where he pledged hundreds of additional US troops to assist Iraqis fighting against the Islamic State group. (AFP)

Pentagon chief lands in Afghanistan

NATO leaders on Saturday agreed to deploy sophisticated surveillance aircraft to support the US-led fight against the Islamic State group in Syria, secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said. 
 
Stoltenberg said a summit of the 28 NATO leaders in Warsaw had formally approved a plan for the alliance&#39;s AWACS planes to fly over international airspace and help the US-led coalition. 
 
&quot;We will provide AWACS support and the plan is to have them to flying over international airspace and Turkey and that will allow us to look into airspace in Iraq and Syria,&quot; Stoltenberg told a news conference. 
 
The planes are one of the few concrete assets that NATO has, with most of its military hardware belonging to individual member states. 
 
AWACS are aircraft with powerful radars that allow them to monitor airspace for hundreds of kilometres (miles) around. They can also be converted into command posts to coordinate bombing raids and other air operations. 
 
The Warsaw summit closing statement said that &quot;NATO AWACS aircraft will be made available to support the Counter-ISIL Coalition.&quot; 
 
In May, NATO said the planes would not be directly involved in monitoring jihadists, but would instead fill in for US and allied aircraft that would be re-tasked to gather intelligence over IS hotspots. 
 
Several European NATO members have been wary of becoming too involved in the bloody fight against IS but pressure has grown after deadly terror attacks in Paris and Brussels. 
 
In Warsaw, NATO also agreed to take further steps to boost counter-terorism efforts in countries in the Middle East and North Africa, Stoltenberg said. 
 
It would deploy a team to Baghdad to start a new training scheme in Iraq, which is battling IS jihadists. 
 
&quot;To the south we see failed and failing states. And millions left homeless and hopeless by terrorist groups like ISIL.&rdquo; Stoltenberg said. 
 
The alliance will also start providing support for Tunisian special forces and set up an intelligence &lsquo;Fusion Centre&rsquo; in Tunisia. 
 
NATO will further launch a maritime security operation in the Mediterranean to help deal with the migration crisis and the chaos in the waters off Libya. 
 
(AFP)

A plan for the alliance's AWACS planes to fly over international airspace and help the US-led coalition has been approved

NATO leaders on Saturday agreed to deploy sophisticated surveillance aircraft to support the US-led fight against the Islamic State group in Syria, secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said. Stoltenberg said a summit of the 28 NATO leaders in Warsaw had formally approved a plan for the alliance's AWACS planes to fly over international airspace and help the US-led coalition. "We will provide AWACS support and the plan is to have them to flying over international airspace and Turkey and that will allow us to look into airspace in Iraq and Syria," Stoltenberg told a news conference. The planes are one of the few concrete assets that NATO has, with most of its military hardware belonging to individual member states. AWACS are aircraft with powerful radars that allow them to monitor airspace for hundreds of kilometres (miles) around. They can also be converted into command posts to coordinate bombing raids and other air operations. The Warsaw summit closing statement said that "NATO AWACS aircraft will be made available to support the Counter-ISIL Coalition." In May, NATO said the planes would not be directly involved in monitoring jihadists, but would instead fill in for US and allied aircraft that would be re-tasked to gather intelligence over IS hotspots. Several European NATO members have been wary of becoming too involved in the bloody fight against IS but pressure has grown after deadly terror attacks in Paris and Brussels. In Warsaw, NATO also agreed to take further steps to boost counter-terorism efforts in countries in the Middle East and North Africa, Stoltenberg said. It would deploy a team to Baghdad to start a new training scheme in Iraq, which is battling IS jihadists. "To the south we see failed and failing states. And millions left homeless and hopeless by terrorist groups like ISIL.” Stoltenberg said. The alliance will also start providing support for Tunisian special forces and set up an intelligence ‘Fusion Centre’ in Tunisia. NATO will further launch a maritime security operation in the Mediterranean to help deal with the migration crisis and the chaos in the waters off Libya. (AFP)

NATO to use surveillance planes against IS

Britain&#39;s outgoing prime minister David Cameron said today&nbsp;he would hold a parliamentary vote on July 18 to decide on the renewal of Britain&#39;s nuclear deterrent, in an apparent move to underscore London&#39;s commitment to European security.

The replacement of Trident, which was backed in principle by parliament in 2007, has raised questions about national security as Britain&#39;s vote to leave the European Union fuels doubts about its future status on the world stage.

The Conservative government says the nuclear deterrent is vital to keep Britain safe in an increasingly hostile world, but some opposition figures say it is indefensible to spend billions on renewing the programme at a time of austerity cuts.

&quot;Today I can announce that we&#39;ll hold a parliamentary vote on July 18 to confirm members of parliaments&#39; support for the renewal of a full fleet of four nuclear submarines capable of providing around-the-clock cover,&quot; Cameron told a news conference at the NATO summit in Warsaw.

&quot;The nuclear deterrent remains essential in my view, not just to Britain&#39;s security, but as our allies have acknowledged here today, to the overall security of the NATO alliance.&quot;

The government has indicated the price tag for replacing the fleet has risen since 2007 but has not given a full cost over its expected 30-year life. Calculations by Reuters and a Conservative lawmaker suggest it could reach 167 billion pounds.

Cameron, who resigned after last month&#39;s EU referendum and is due to be replaced as prime minister by early September, said replacement of the ageing fleet of four submarines carrying nuclear weapons needed to be put &quot;beyond doubt&quot;. 
 
(Reuters)

Some opposition figures, in contradiction to the Conservatives, say it's indefensible to spend billions at a time of austerity cuts

Britain's outgoing prime minister David Cameron said today he would hold a parliamentary vote on July 18 to decide on the renewal of Britain's nuclear deterrent, in an apparent move to underscore London's commitment to European security. The replacement of Trident, which was backed in principle by parliament in 2007, has raised questions about national security as Britain's vote to leave the European Union fuels doubts about its future status on the world stage. The Conservative government says the nuclear deterrent is vital to keep Britain safe in an increasingly hostile world, but some opposition figures say it is indefensible to spend billions on renewing the programme at a time of austerity cuts. "Today I can announce that we'll hold a parliamentary vote on July 18 to confirm members of parliaments' support for the renewal of a full fleet of four nuclear submarines capable of providing around-the-clock cover," Cameron told a news conference at the NATO summit in Warsaw. "The nuclear deterrent remains essential in my view, not just to Britain's security, but as our allies have acknowledged here today, to the overall security of the NATO alliance." The government has indicated the price tag for replacing the fleet has risen since 2007 but has not given a full cost over its expected 30-year life. Calculations by Reuters and a Conservative lawmaker suggest it could reach 167 billion pounds. Cameron, who resigned after last month's EU referendum and is due to be replaced as prime minister by early September, said replacement of the ageing fleet of four submarines carrying nuclear weapons needed to be put "beyond doubt". (Reuters)

Britain's Cameron sets nuclear deterrent vote for July 18

President Barack Obama will cut short a trip to Europe and travel to Dallas next week in the wake of the deadly ambush in the city that left five police dead, the White House said on Friday. 
 
&quot;The President has accepted an invitation from Dallas mayor Mike Rawlings to travel to Dallas early next week,&quot; spokesman Josh Earnest said in a statement, adding that Obama would return to the United States Sunday night -- one day ahead of schedule. 
 
Obama, who was in Warsaw this week attending a NATO summit, weighed in on the attacks from the Polish capital, calling the episode &quot;vicious, calculated and despicable&quot;. 
 
Micah Johnson, the 25-year-old black Army veteran who carried out the sniper-style attack, killed five police while wounding seven more, as well as injuring two civilians. 
 
Before being killed by police, he told officers he wanted to kill white cops in retaliation for the harsh treatment of African Americans by law enforcement.&nbsp; 
 
Earlier in the week, two black men were killed by officers in other US cities, drawing protests across the nation.&nbsp; 
 
After travelling to Dallas, Earnest said Obama will &quot;continue the work to bring people together to support our police officers and communities and find common ground by discussing policy ideas for addressing the persistent racial disparities in our criminal justice system&quot;. 
 
According to the White House, Obama will depart for Madrid today. On Sunday he will meet with his Spanish counterpart before speaking to US military personnel serving at the naval base of Rota. 
 
He is trimming a visit to Seville off his travel itinerary to arrive back in Washington on Sunday night. 
 
(AFP) 
&nbsp;

The US President called the attack which killed 5 police officers 'vicious, calculated and despicable'

President Barack Obama will cut short a trip to Europe and travel to Dallas next week in the wake of the deadly ambush in the city that left five police dead, the White House said on Friday. "The President has accepted an invitation from Dallas mayor Mike Rawlings to travel to Dallas early next week," spokesman Josh Earnest said in a statement, adding that Obama would return to the United States Sunday night -- one day ahead of schedule. Obama, who was in Warsaw this week attending a NATO summit, weighed in on the attacks from the Polish capital, calling the episode "vicious, calculated and despicable". Micah Johnson, the 25-year-old black Army veteran who carried out the sniper-style attack, killed five police while wounding seven more, as well as injuring two civilians. Before being killed by police, he told officers he wanted to kill white cops in retaliation for the harsh treatment of African Americans by law enforcement. Earlier in the week, two black men were killed by officers in other US cities, drawing protests across the nation. After travelling to Dallas, Earnest said Obama will "continue the work to bring people together to support our police officers and communities and find common ground by discussing policy ideas for addressing the persistent racial disparities in our criminal justice system". According to the White House, Obama will depart for Madrid today. On Sunday he will meet with his Spanish counterpart before speaking to US military personnel serving at the naval base of Rota. He is trimming a visit to Seville off his travel itinerary to arrive back in Washington on Sunday night. (AFP)

Obama will leave Europe early to travel to Dallas after deadly ambush

NATO leaders agreed on Friday to deploy military forces to the Baltic states and eastern Poland for the first time, and also to increase air and sea patrols to reassure allies who were once part of the Soviet bloc following Russia&#39;s seizure of Crimea from Ukraine. 
 
The 28-nation Western defence alliance decided to move four battalions, totalling 3,000 to 4,000 troops, into northeastern Europe on a rotating basis to display its readiness to defend eastern members against any Russian aggression. 
 
However, they also underlined their willingness to pursue a dialogue with Moscow and revive confidence-building measures that Russia has spurned since its 2014 annexation of Crimea and support for Russian-speaking rebels in eastern Ukraine. 
 
&quot;These battalions will be robust and they will be multinational. They make clear that an attack on one ally will be considered an attack on the whole alliance,&quot; NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg told a news conference after the summit&#39;s first working session in Warsaw, the Polish capital. 
 
President Barack Obama said the United States would deploy about 1,000 soldiers in Poland under the plan &quot;to enhance our forward presence in central and eastern Europe&quot;. Germany will lead the battalion in Lithuania, Britain in Estonia and Canada in Latvia. Other nations such as France will supply troops. 
 
White House deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes told reporters that what he called continued aggression by Russia would provoke a response by NATO and a greater alliance presence in Eastern Europe. 
 
Obama said earlier that Britain&#39;s referendum vote to leave the European Union, an outcome he sought to avoid, should not weaken the Western alliance but raised &quot;significant questions&quot; about the future of European integration. America&#39;s &quot;special relationship&quot; with the UK would survive, the President said. 
 
Obama discussed the procedure for Britain&#39;s withdrawal with the heads of the main EU institutions, Donald Tusk and Jean-Claude Juncker, and was assured there would be an orderly transition to as close an economic relationship as possible and no punishment of Britain, Rhodes told reporters. 
 
Host nation Poland set a tone of mistrust of Russian intentions. Foreign minister Witold Waszczykowski told a pre-summit forum: &quot;We have to reject any type of wishful thinking with regard to pragmatic cooperation with Russia as long as it keeps on invading its neighbours.&quot; 
 
Obama was more diplomatic, calling for dialogue with Russia, but he too urged allies to keep sanctions on Moscow in place until it fully complies with a ceasefire agreement in Ukraine. 
 
Ukraine is not a member of NATO but President Petro Poroshenko will meet allied leaders today, where he may face pressure to fulfil Kiev&#39;s part of the agreement by accepting more decentralisation and local elections in the rebel-held eastern Donbass region. 
 
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that while NATO was increasing its defence capabilities, it was always keen for dialogue with Moscow. A planned meeting of the long frozen NATO-Russia Council next week would address ways to avoid dangerous situations in Baltic air space, she said. 
 
Russian warplanes have been buzzing Western civilian and military aircraft and switching off their identification signals as part of an apparent campaign of intimidation in response to Western economic sanctions over its action in Ukraine. 
 
&quot;Just as there are understandings between the United States and Russia in Syria, it&#39;s in both sides&#39; interests that NATO and Russia also coordinate their activities,&quot; Merkel said. 
 
Adversary and partner 
 
Coinciding with the NATO summit, the US state department announced it had expelled two Russian diplomats on June 17, in response to an attack by a Russian policeman on a US diplomat in Moscow earlier last month. It was not clear why the United States waited until Friday to disclose the news. 
 
Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland had requested a permanent NATO presence, fearing Moscow will seek to destabilise their pro-Western governments through cyber attacks, stirring up Russian speakers, hostile broadcasts or territorial incursions. 
 
The three Baltic states, as well as Ukraine, are former Soviet republics that gained independence when the Soviet Union broke up in 1991. 
 
The head of NATO&#39;s military committee, Czech general Petr Pavel, said Russia was attempting to restore its status as a world power, an effort that included using its military. &quot;We must accept that Russia can be a competitor, adversary, peer or partner and probably all four at the same time,&quot; he said. 
 
The Kremlin said it was absurd for NATO to talk of any threat from Russia and it hoped &quot;common sense&quot; would prevail at the Warsaw summit. Moscow remains open to dialogue with NATO and is ready to cooperate with it, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a conference call with journalists. 
 
Russia often depicts NATO as an aggressor whose members are moving troops and military hardware further into former Soviet territory, which it regards as its sphere of influence. 
 
Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed diplomatic efforts for a settlement in Ukraine in a phone call with Merkel and French President Francois Hollande just before the summit began. The Kremlin said he asked them to &quot;influence more actively the Ukrainian side&quot; to grant wider autonomy to eastern Ukraine. 
 
Moscow has declared its intention to deploy nuclear-capable missiles in Kaliningrad, a Russian enclave between Poland and Lithuania, in response to NATO&#39;s activation of a US-built missile shield on Polish soil. 
 
Brexit 
 
Outgoing British Prime Minister David Cameron vowed Britain would not turn its back on European security once it leaves the EU following the Brexit vote. Britain is Europe&#39;s biggest military spender, followed by France. 
 
Hollande, who has sent French forces on missions against Islamist militants in Mali, the Central African Republic, Iraq and Syria, urged other European allies to increase their defence budgets - veiled criticism of Germany, which spends just over one per cent of GDP on the military, or half the NATO objective. 
 
NATO and the EU signed an agreement on deeper military and security cooperation. The US-led alliance is set to announce today its support for the EU&#39;s Mediterranean interdiction operation. NATO is already backing EU efforts to stem a refugee influx from Turkey into Greece, in conjunction with an EU-Turkey deal to curb migration in return for benefits for Ankara. 
 
Stoltenberg also said NATO defence ministers would consider calls from Romania and Bulgaria for a stronger allied air and sea presence in the Black Sea, where Russia has a fleet based in Crimea and is building up its interdiction capacity. 
 
(Reuters)

The Kremlin often depicts NATO as an aggressor whose members move troops and military hardware further into former Soviet territory

NATO leaders agreed on Friday to deploy military forces to the Baltic states and eastern Poland for the first time, and also to increase air and sea patrols to reassure allies who were once part of the Soviet bloc following Russia's seizure of Crimea from Ukraine. The 28-nation Western defence alliance decided to move four battalions, totalling 3,000 to 4,000 troops, into northeastern Europe on a rotating basis to display its readiness to defend eastern members against any Russian aggression. However, they also underlined their willingness to pursue a dialogue with Moscow and revive confidence-building measures that Russia has spurned since its 2014 annexation of Crimea and support for Russian-speaking rebels in eastern Ukraine. "These battalions will be robust and they will be multinational. They make clear that an attack on one ally will be considered an attack on the whole alliance," NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg told a news conference after the summit's first working session in Warsaw, the Polish capital. President Barack Obama said the United States would deploy about 1,000 soldiers in Poland under the plan "to enhance our forward presence in central and eastern Europe". Germany will lead the battalion in Lithuania, Britain in Estonia and Canada in Latvia. Other nations such as France will supply troops. White House deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes told reporters that what he called continued aggression by Russia would provoke a response by NATO and a greater alliance presence in Eastern Europe. Obama said earlier that Britain's referendum vote to leave the European Union, an outcome he sought to avoid, should not weaken the Western alliance but raised "significant questions" about the future of European integration. America's "special relationship" with the UK would survive, the President said. Obama discussed the procedure for Britain's withdrawal with the heads of the main EU institutions, Donald Tusk and Jean-Claude Juncker, and was assured there would be an orderly transition to as close an economic relationship as possible and no punishment of Britain, Rhodes told reporters. Host nation Poland set a tone of mistrust of Russian intentions. Foreign minister Witold Waszczykowski told a pre-summit forum: "We have to reject any type of wishful thinking with regard to pragmatic cooperation with Russia as long as it keeps on invading its neighbours." Obama was more diplomatic, calling for dialogue with Russia, but he too urged allies to keep sanctions on Moscow in place until it fully complies with a ceasefire agreement in Ukraine. Ukraine is not a member of NATO but President Petro Poroshenko will meet allied leaders today, where he may face pressure to fulfil Kiev's part of the agreement by accepting more decentralisation and local elections in the rebel-held eastern Donbass region. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that while NATO was increasing its defence capabilities, it was always keen for dialogue with Moscow. A planned meeting of the long frozen NATO-Russia Council next week would address ways to avoid dangerous situations in Baltic air space, she said. Russian warplanes have been buzzing Western civilian and military aircraft and switching off their identification signals as part of an apparent campaign of intimidation in response to Western economic sanctions over its action in Ukraine. "Just as there are understandings between the United States and Russia in Syria, it's in both sides' interests that NATO and Russia also coordinate their activities," Merkel said. Adversary and partner Coinciding with the NATO summit, the US state department announced it had expelled two Russian diplomats on June 17, in response to an attack by a Russian policeman on a US diplomat in Moscow earlier last month. It was not clear why the United States waited until Friday to disclose the news. Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland had requested a permanent NATO presence, fearing Moscow will seek to destabilise their pro-Western governments through cyber attacks, stirring up Russian speakers, hostile broadcasts or territorial incursions. The three Baltic states, as well as Ukraine, are former Soviet republics that gained independence when the Soviet Union broke up in 1991. The head of NATO's military committee, Czech general Petr Pavel, said Russia was attempting to restore its status as a world power, an effort that included using its military. "We must accept that Russia can be a competitor, adversary, peer or partner and probably all four at the same time," he said. The Kremlin said it was absurd for NATO to talk of any threat from Russia and it hoped "common sense" would prevail at the Warsaw summit. Moscow remains open to dialogue with NATO and is ready to cooperate with it, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a conference call with journalists. Russia often depicts NATO as an aggressor whose members are moving troops and military hardware further into former Soviet territory, which it regards as its sphere of influence. Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed diplomatic efforts for a settlement in Ukraine in a phone call with Merkel and French President Francois Hollande just before the summit began. The Kremlin said he asked them to "influence more actively the Ukrainian side" to grant wider autonomy to eastern Ukraine. Moscow has declared its intention to deploy nuclear-capable missiles in Kaliningrad, a Russian enclave between Poland and Lithuania, in response to NATO's activation of a US-built missile shield on Polish soil. Brexit Outgoing British Prime Minister David Cameron vowed Britain would not turn its back on European security once it leaves the EU following the Brexit vote. Britain is Europe's biggest military spender, followed by France. Hollande, who has sent French forces on missions against Islamist militants in Mali, the Central African Republic, Iraq and Syria, urged other European allies to increase their defence budgets - veiled criticism of Germany, which spends just over one per cent of GDP on the military, or half the NATO objective. NATO and the EU signed an agreement on deeper military and security cooperation. The US-led alliance is set to announce today its support for the EU's Mediterranean interdiction operation. NATO is already backing EU efforts to stem a refugee influx from Turkey into Greece, in conjunction with an EU-Turkey deal to curb migration in return for benefits for Ankara. Stoltenberg also said NATO defence ministers would consider calls from Romania and Bulgaria for a stronger allied air and sea presence in the Black Sea, where Russia has a fleet based in Crimea and is building up its interdiction capacity. (Reuters)

NATO sends military troops to Poland, Baltic states against Russia

Forced together by fears of a Russian cyber attack, a migration crisis and failing states in Europe&#39;s neighbourhood, the challenges before NATO and EU require both a military response and a softer security approach, combating propaganda and providing training to stabilise governments. 
 
But while 22 of NATO&#39;s 28 members are also members of the EU, both institutions face limits on what they can do together because of territorial tensions between Turkey and Greece that limit information sharing. 
 
&quot;We want to be ready to respond and coordinate our actions if and when one of our members or institutions comes under hybrid threats. We equally want to prevent attacks,&quot; the head of the European Council, Donald Tusk, said. 
 
&quot;We have a united stance on Russia. The EU has delivered economic sanctions, NATO has delivered the greatest increase in our collected defense since the end of the Cold War,&quot; NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said. 
 
Despite the signing a pact, problems could arise with a reluctance to undertake missions without United Nations&#39; support, which Russia, a UN security council member, is wary of granting with east-west ties at their lowest point since the Cold War over the crisis in Ukraine. 
 
(Reuters)

Alliance faces limits on what the two entities can do together because of territorial tensions between Turkey and Greece

Forced together by fears of a Russian cyber attack, a migration crisis and failing states in Europe's neighbourhood, the challenges before NATO and EU require both a military response and a softer security approach, combating propaganda and providing training to stabilise governments. But while 22 of NATO's 28 members are also members of the EU, both institutions face limits on what they can do together because of territorial tensions between Turkey and Greece that limit information sharing. "We want to be ready to respond and coordinate our actions if and when one of our members or institutions comes under hybrid threats. We equally want to prevent attacks," the head of the European Council, Donald Tusk, said. "We have a united stance on Russia. The EU has delivered economic sanctions, NATO has delivered the greatest increase in our collected defense since the end of the Cold War," NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said. Despite the signing a pact, problems could arise with a reluctance to undertake missions without United Nations' support, which Russia, a UN security council member, is wary of granting with east-west ties at their lowest point since the Cold War over the crisis in Ukraine. (Reuters)

EU and NATO sign new pact to deter Russia, strengthen security

The Kremlin said on Friday it regarded NATO&#39;s suggestion that Russia posed a threat as absurd, saying it hoped that common sense would prevail at the military alliance&#39;s summit in Warsaw. 
 
The Kremlin spoke out after US President Barack Obama urged NATO leaders to stand firm against a resurgent Russia over its 2014 seizure of Ukraine&#39;s Crimea. 
 
Friday&#39;s summit is expected to formally agree to deploy four battalions in the Baltic states and eastern Poland, a move the alliance says is meant to deter possible Russian aggression. 
 
&quot;It is absurd to talk about any threat coming from Russia at a time when dozens of people are dying in the centre of Europe and when hundreds of people are dying in the middle east daily,&quot; Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesman, told reporters. 
 
&quot;You have to be an absolutely short-sighted organisation to twist things in that way,&quot; said Peskov, saying Russia hoped common sense and an understanding of the need to avoid confrontation would prevail. 
 
Russia was open for talks and cooperation with NATO, Peskov added, and did not want to cast the alliance as an enemy. But he complained of NATO soldiers and planes operating close to Russia&#39;s borders. 
 
&quot;We aren&#39;t the ones getting closer to NATO&#39;s borders,&quot; he said. 
 
(Reuters)

Friday's summit is expected give formally nod to deploy four battalions in the Baltic states and eastern Poland

The Kremlin said on Friday it regarded NATO's suggestion that Russia posed a threat as absurd, saying it hoped that common sense would prevail at the military alliance's summit in Warsaw. The Kremlin spoke out after US President Barack Obama urged NATO leaders to stand firm against a resurgent Russia over its 2014 seizure of Ukraine's Crimea. Friday's summit is expected to formally agree to deploy four battalions in the Baltic states and eastern Poland, a move the alliance says is meant to deter possible Russian aggression. "It is absurd to talk about any threat coming from Russia at a time when dozens of people are dying in the centre of Europe and when hundreds of people are dying in the middle east daily," Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesman, told reporters. "You have to be an absolutely short-sighted organisation to twist things in that way," said Peskov, saying Russia hoped common sense and an understanding of the need to avoid confrontation would prevail. Russia was open for talks and cooperation with NATO, Peskov added, and did not want to cast the alliance as an enemy. But he complained of NATO soldiers and planes operating close to Russia's borders. "We aren't the ones getting closer to NATO's borders," he said. (Reuters)

Kremlin says NATO talk of Russian threat absurd, short-sighted

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan called on NATO to do more to fight the threat of global terrorism, saying the 28-nation alliance needed to &quot;update&quot; itself to better adapt to new security threats. 
 
NATO leaders are meeting at a summit in Warsaw on Friday where they are expected to display their resolve towards a resurgent Russia despite what some see as a weakening of the West due to Britain&#39;s vote to leave the European Union. 
 
Speaking to reporters before his departure to Warsaw late on Thursday, Erdogan said he will press the leaders of fellow NATO countries to do more to fight militant attacks like the triple suicide bombing last week that killed 45 at Istanbul&#39;s main airport. 
 
&quot;As we have seen from the terrorist attacks first in Istanbul and then in Iraq and Saudi Arabia, international security is becoming more fragile,&quot; he said. 
 
&quot;The concept of a security threat is undergoing a serious change. In this process, NATO needs to be more active and has to update itself against the new security threats,&quot; he said. 
 
The Istanbul bombing, the deadliest in a string of similar attacks in Turkey this year, is believed to be the work of Islamic State militants from the former Soviet Union, Erdogan has said. 
 
It was followed by major attacks in Bangladesh, Iraq and Saudi Arabia, all apparently timed for the run-up to Eid al-Fitr, the holiday that this week marked the end of the holy fasting month of Ramzan. 
 
NATO member Turkey faces multiple security threats. It is a member of the US-led coalition against Islamic State in Syria and is fighting a violent insurgency in its mainly Kurdish southeast. It also faces attacks from leftist militants. 
 
Turkey has taken in nearly three million refugees fleeing the war in neighbouring Syria, at a cost of $11.5 billion, Erdogan said. 
 
&quot;As a NATO country, we want fellow members not to forget about Turkey,&quot; he said. 
 
(Reuters)

NATO leaders are meeting at a summit in Warsaw on Friday where they are expected to display their resolve towards a resurgent Russia

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan called on NATO to do more to fight the threat of global terrorism, saying the 28-nation alliance needed to "update" itself to better adapt to new security threats. NATO leaders are meeting at a summit in Warsaw on Friday where they are expected to display their resolve towards a resurgent Russia despite what some see as a weakening of the West due to Britain's vote to leave the European Union. Speaking to reporters before his departure to Warsaw late on Thursday, Erdogan said he will press the leaders of fellow NATO countries to do more to fight militant attacks like the triple suicide bombing last week that killed 45 at Istanbul's main airport. "As we have seen from the terrorist attacks first in Istanbul and then in Iraq and Saudi Arabia, international security is becoming more fragile," he said. "The concept of a security threat is undergoing a serious change. In this process, NATO needs to be more active and has to update itself against the new security threats," he said. The Istanbul bombing, the deadliest in a string of similar attacks in Turkey this year, is believed to be the work of Islamic State militants from the former Soviet Union, Erdogan has said. It was followed by major attacks in Bangladesh, Iraq and Saudi Arabia, all apparently timed for the run-up to Eid al-Fitr, the holiday that this week marked the end of the holy fasting month of Ramzan. NATO member Turkey faces multiple security threats. It is a member of the US-led coalition against Islamic State in Syria and is fighting a violent insurgency in its mainly Kurdish southeast. It also faces attacks from leftist militants. Turkey has taken in nearly three million refugees fleeing the war in neighbouring Syria, at a cost of $11.5 billion, Erdogan said. "As a NATO country, we want fellow members not to forget about Turkey," he said. (Reuters)

Turkey's Erdogan calls on NATO to do more to fight militant attacks

Australia will pay an extra $300 million to help develop Afghanistan&#39;s security forces, the government said on Friday ahead of a NATO leaders&#39; summit in Warsaw, where tenuous security in Afghanistan will be a central discussion topic. 
 
Australia, a firm US ally in its wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, had originally pledged $500 million from 2010-2017 but will now provide an extra $100 million annually until 2020. 
 
The announcement of extra funding came two days after US President Barack Obama said he had decided to postpone plans to cut the number of US forces in Afghanistan almost in half by the end of the year, instead keeping 8,400 troops there from January. 
 
There are also another 3,000 international troops serving in the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan. 
 
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull visited Kabul in January, and the Australian Defence Force announced two months later its troops would remain there for at least another three years. About 270 Australian troops are serving in the NATO-led force. 
 
No senior Australian government members will attend the Warsaw summit, with a cliffhanger nation election a week ago still without a clear result. 
 
The $100 million annual commitment comprises an $80 million contribution to the Afghan National Army and $20 million for the Afghan police. 
 
(Reuters)&nbsp;

The announcement came two days after US President said he had decided to postpone plans to cut the number of US forces in Afghanistan

Australia will pay an extra $300 million to help develop Afghanistan's security forces, the government said on Friday ahead of a NATO leaders' summit in Warsaw, where tenuous security in Afghanistan will be a central discussion topic. Australia, a firm US ally in its wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, had originally pledged $500 million from 2010-2017 but will now provide an extra $100 million annually until 2020. The announcement of extra funding came two days after US President Barack Obama said he had decided to postpone plans to cut the number of US forces in Afghanistan almost in half by the end of the year, instead keeping 8,400 troops there from January. There are also another 3,000 international troops serving in the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan. Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull visited Kabul in January, and the Australian Defence Force announced two months later its troops would remain there for at least another three years. About 270 Australian troops are serving in the NATO-led force. No senior Australian government members will attend the Warsaw summit, with a cliffhanger nation election a week ago still without a clear result. The $100 million annual commitment comprises an $80 million contribution to the Afghan National Army and $20 million for the Afghan police. (Reuters)

Ahead of NATO summit, Australia pledges extra $300 million for Afghan security forces

The United States will deploy 1,000 troops and a separate brigade headquarters to Poland, President Barack Obama announced today, as the NATO alliance shores up its defences in eastern Europe. 
 
The US troops in Poland are part of a larger NATO effort which will see three other battalions led by Canada, Germany and Britain deployed to the three Baltic states to reassure the alliance&#39;s eastern allies in the face of a more aggressive Russia. 
 
&quot;As the Alliance prepares to enhance our forward presence in eastern Europe, I can announce that the United States will be the lead nation for the NATO presence here in Poland,&quot; Obama told reporters as Poland&#39;s President Andrzej Duda welcomed him to the NATO summit in Warsaw.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;And that means the United States will deploy a battalion, roughly 1,000 American soldiers here in Poland on a rotational basis to serve shoulder to shoulder with Polish soldiers,&quot; he said. 
 
&quot;In addition, when a new US armoured brigade begins rotating through Europe next year, its headquarters will be here in Poland. In other words Poland will be seeing an increase in NATO and American personnel and in the most modern military equipment.&quot; 
 
Obama&#39;s announcement came as the Atlantic alliance began a two-day summit in the Polish capital, against a backdrop of Russia&#39;s intervention in Ukraine and billed as one of the most important such gatherings since the end of the Cold War. 
 
(AFP)

The US troops are a part of a larger NATO effort to shore up the country's defence in eastern Europe against Russian encroachment

The United States will deploy 1,000 troops and a separate brigade headquarters to Poland, President Barack Obama announced today, as the NATO alliance shores up its defences in eastern Europe. The US troops in Poland are part of a larger NATO effort which will see three other battalions led by Canada, Germany and Britain deployed to the three Baltic states to reassure the alliance's eastern allies in the face of a more aggressive Russia. "As the Alliance prepares to enhance our forward presence in eastern Europe, I can announce that the United States will be the lead nation for the NATO presence here in Poland," Obama told reporters as Poland's President Andrzej Duda welcomed him to the NATO summit in Warsaw. "And that means the United States will deploy a battalion, roughly 1,000 American soldiers here in Poland on a rotational basis to serve shoulder to shoulder with Polish soldiers," he said. "In addition, when a new US armoured brigade begins rotating through Europe next year, its headquarters will be here in Poland. In other words Poland will be seeing an increase in NATO and American personnel and in the most modern military equipment." Obama's announcement came as the Atlantic alliance began a two-day summit in the Polish capital, against a backdrop of Russia's intervention in Ukraine and billed as one of the most important such gatherings since the end of the Cold War. (AFP)

US to deploy 1,000 troops for NATO battalion in Poland

US President Barack Obama urged NATO leaders on Friday to stand firm against a resurgent Russia over its seizure of Crimea from Ukraine, saying Britain&#39;s vote to leave the European Union should not weaken the Western defence alliance. 
 
In an article published in the Financial Times newspaper as he arrived for his last summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation before he leaves office in January, Obama said America&#39;s &quot;special relationship&quot; with Britain would survive the referendum decision he had warned against. 
 
&quot;The special relationship between the US and the UK will endure. I have no doubt that the UK will remain one of NATO&rsquo;s most capable members,&quot; he said, but noted that the vote raised significant questions about the future of EU integration. 
 
The 28-nation EU will formally agree to deploy four battalions totalling 3,000 to 4,000 troops in the Baltic states and Poland on a rotational basis to reassure eastern members of its readiness to defend them against Russian aggression. 
 
Host nation Poland set the tone of mistrust of Russia. Its foreign minister, Witold Waszczykowski, told a pre-summit forum: &quot;We have to reject any type of wishful thinking with regard to a pragmatic cooperation with Russia as long as it keeps on invading its neighbours.&quot; 
 
Obama was more diplomatic, urging dialogue with Russia, but he too urged allies to keep sanctions on Moscow until it fully complies with a ceasefire agreement in Ukraine, and to help Kiev defend its sovereignty. Ukraine is not itself a member of NATO. 
 
&quot;In Warsaw, we must reaffirm our determination, our duty under Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, to defend every NATO ally,&quot; Obama said. 
 
&quot;We need to bolster the defence of our allies in central and eastern Europe, strengthen deterrence and boost our resilience against new threats, including cyber attacks.&quot; 
 
Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, all NATO members, have requested a permanent NATO presence. They fear Moscow will seek to destabilise their pro-Western governments through cyber attacks, stirring up Russian speakers, hostile broadcasting and even territorial incursions. Critics say the NATO plan is a minimal trip wire that might not deter Russian action. 
 
The head of NATO&#39;s military committee, Czech General Petr Pavel, said Russia was attempting to restore its status as a world power, an effort that includes using its military. 
 
&quot;We must accept that Russia can be a competitor, adversary, peer or partner and probably all four at the same time,&quot; he said. 
 
The Kremlin said it was absurd for NATO to talk of any threat coming from Russia and it hoped &quot;common sense&quot; would prevail at the Warsaw summit. Moscow was and remains open to dialogue with NATO and is ready to cooperate with it, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a conference call with journalists. 
 
Russia often depicts NATO as an aggressor, whose member states are moving troops and military hardware further into former Soviet territory, which it regards as its sphere of influence. 
 
Russian President Vladimir Putin made several gestures aimed at showing a cooperative face before the summit. At the same time, Moscow highlighted its intention to deploy nuclear-capable missiles in Kaliningrad, a Russian enclave between Poland and Lithuania. 
 
Putin agreed to a meeting of the NATO-Russia Council next week, the second meeting this year of a consultation body that was put on ice after Moscow&#39;s seizure of Crimea in 2014. Russia allowed a UN resolution authorising the EU to intercept arms shipments to Libya in the Mediterranean, and Putin spoke to Obama over the phone in the run-up to the NATO meeting. 
 
However, a White House spokesman said they reached no agreement on cooperation in fighting Islamic State militants in Syria during that call on Wednesday. 
 
Britain 
 
Outgoing British Prime Minister David Cameron, who said he will resign after losing the referendum on EU membership last month, will seek to emphasise an active commitment to Western security at his final NATO summit, to offset any concern about Europe&#39;s biggest military spender leaving the EU. 
 
The first item on the summit agenda was the signing of an agreement between the EU and NATO on deeper military and security cooperation. 
 
The US-led alliance is also expected to announce its support for the EU&#39;s Mediterranean interdiction operation. NATO already supports EU efforts to stem a flood of refugees and migrants from Turkey into Greece, in conjunction with an EU-Turkey deal to curb migration in return for benefits for Ankara. 
 
Obama and the other NATO leaders will have a more unscripted discussion of how to deal with Russia over dinner in the same room of the Polish Presidential Palace where the Warsaw Pact was signed in 1955, creating the Soviet-dominated military alliance that was NATO&#39;s adversary during the Cold War. 
 
NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg sought to balance the new military deployments and air patrols close to Russia&#39;s borders by stressing that the alliance would continue to seek &quot;meaningful and constructive dialogue&quot; with Moscow. 
 
&quot;We don&#39;t want a new Cold War,&quot; he told reporters. &quot;The Cold War is history and it should remain history.&quot; 
 
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told reporters before leaving Ankara to attend the summit that NATO also needed to adapt to do more to fight the threat from Islamic State militants, who were accused of last week&#39;s deadly attack on Istanbul airport. 
 
&quot;As we have seen from the terrorist attacks first in Istanbul and then in Iraq and Saudi Arabia, international security is becoming more fragile,&quot; Erdogan said. 
 
&quot;The concept of a security threat is undergoing a serious change. In this process, NATO needs to be more active and has to update itself against the new security threats,&quot; he said. 
 
(Reuters)&nbsp;

EU will formally agree to deploy four battalions totalling 3,000 to 4,000 troops in the Baltic states and Poland on a rotating basis

US President Barack Obama urged NATO leaders on Friday to stand firm against a resurgent Russia over its seizure of Crimea from Ukraine, saying Britain's vote to leave the European Union should not weaken the Western defence alliance. In an article published in the Financial Times newspaper as he arrived for his last summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation before he leaves office in January, Obama said America's "special relationship" with Britain would survive the referendum decision he had warned against. "The special relationship between the US and the UK will endure. I have no doubt that the UK will remain one of NATO’s most capable members," he said, but noted that the vote raised significant questions about the future of EU integration. The 28-nation EU will formally agree to deploy four battalions totalling 3,000 to 4,000 troops in the Baltic states and Poland on a rotational basis to reassure eastern members of its readiness to defend them against Russian aggression. Host nation Poland set the tone of mistrust of Russia. Its foreign minister, Witold Waszczykowski, told a pre-summit forum: "We have to reject any type of wishful thinking with regard to a pragmatic cooperation with Russia as long as it keeps on invading its neighbours." Obama was more diplomatic, urging dialogue with Russia, but he too urged allies to keep sanctions on Moscow until it fully complies with a ceasefire agreement in Ukraine, and to help Kiev defend its sovereignty. Ukraine is not itself a member of NATO. "In Warsaw, we must reaffirm our determination, our duty under Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, to defend every NATO ally," Obama said. "We need to bolster the defence of our allies in central and eastern Europe, strengthen deterrence and boost our resilience against new threats, including cyber attacks." Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, all NATO members, have requested a permanent NATO presence. They fear Moscow will seek to destabilise their pro-Western governments through cyber attacks, stirring up Russian speakers, hostile broadcasting and even territorial incursions. Critics say the NATO plan is a minimal trip wire that might not deter Russian action. The head of NATO's military committee, Czech General Petr Pavel, said Russia was attempting to restore its status as a world power, an effort that includes using its military. "We must accept that Russia can be a competitor, adversary, peer or partner and probably all four at the same time," he said. The Kremlin said it was absurd for NATO to talk of any threat coming from Russia and it hoped "common sense" would prevail at the Warsaw summit. Moscow was and remains open to dialogue with NATO and is ready to cooperate with it, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a conference call with journalists. Russia often depicts NATO as an aggressor, whose member states are moving troops and military hardware further into former Soviet territory, which it regards as its sphere of influence. Russian President Vladimir Putin made several gestures aimed at showing a cooperative face before the summit. At the same time, Moscow highlighted its intention to deploy nuclear-capable missiles in Kaliningrad, a Russian enclave between Poland and Lithuania. Putin agreed to a meeting of the NATO-Russia Council next week, the second meeting this year of a consultation body that was put on ice after Moscow's seizure of Crimea in 2014. Russia allowed a UN resolution authorising the EU to intercept arms shipments to Libya in the Mediterranean, and Putin spoke to Obama over the phone in the run-up to the NATO meeting. However, a White House spokesman said they reached no agreement on cooperation in fighting Islamic State militants in Syria during that call on Wednesday. Britain Outgoing British Prime Minister David Cameron, who said he will resign after losing the referendum on EU membership last month, will seek to emphasise an active commitment to Western security at his final NATO summit, to offset any concern about Europe's biggest military spender leaving the EU. The first item on the summit agenda was the signing of an agreement between the EU and NATO on deeper military and security cooperation. The US-led alliance is also expected to announce its support for the EU's Mediterranean interdiction operation. NATO already supports EU efforts to stem a flood of refugees and migrants from Turkey into Greece, in conjunction with an EU-Turkey deal to curb migration in return for benefits for Ankara. Obama and the other NATO leaders will have a more unscripted discussion of how to deal with Russia over dinner in the same room of the Polish Presidential Palace where the Warsaw Pact was signed in 1955, creating the Soviet-dominated military alliance that was NATO's adversary during the Cold War. NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg sought to balance the new military deployments and air patrols close to Russia's borders by stressing that the alliance would continue to seek "meaningful and constructive dialogue" with Moscow. "We don't want a new Cold War," he told reporters. "The Cold War is history and it should remain history." Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told reporters before leaving Ankara to attend the summit that NATO also needed to adapt to do more to fight the threat from Islamic State militants, who were accused of last week's deadly attack on Istanbul airport. "As we have seen from the terrorist attacks first in Istanbul and then in Iraq and Saudi Arabia, international security is becoming more fragile," Erdogan said. "The concept of a security threat is undergoing a serious change. In this process, NATO needs to be more active and has to update itself against the new security threats," he said. (Reuters)

Obama urges NATO to stand firm against Russia despite Brexit

After 15 years of conflict in Afghanistan and no sign of peace, NATO members meeting in Warsaw this week are expected to confirm their support for the Kabul government, aware that they have little alternative if the country is to hold together. 
 
Foreign ministers agreed in May to extend assistance past 2016 and at the summit in the Polish capital on Friday and Saturday, alliance partners are also expected to continue their non-combat training and assistance mission. 
 
Total financial support is expected to be about $5 billion a year to 2020, with the United States, the largest donor, contributing about $3 billion. 
 
&quot;These decisions are very much about demonstrating NATO&#39;s enduring and steadfast commitment to Afghanistan,&quot; Ismail Aramaz, NATO&#39;s senior civilian representative in Afghanistan, told a media briefing in Kabul this week. 
 
&quot;Afghanistan will not stand alone.&quot; 
 
The summit comes as President Barack Obama considers whether to go ahead with plans that would see US forces in Afghanistan nearly halved from their current level of 9,800 to 5,500 by the beginning of next year. 
 
&#39;Stable Afghanistan is best guarantee that millitant networks&nbsp;cannot threaten the West&#39;&nbsp; 
 
The Taliban have made major gains since a NATO-led international force ended combat operations at the end of 2014 and now control more territory than at any time since they were driven from power in 2001. 
 
They briefly seized the northern city of Kunduz last year and control much of the southern province of Helmand, the largest source of opium. 
 
However, NATO officials point to signs of progress by Afghan forces. They say a better trained, better equipped force is at least holding its own against the Taliban and is building up air power while steadily improving in key areas from logistics and recruitment to operational planning. 
 
They also say a stable Afghanistan is the best guarantee that militant networks such as al Qaeda or Islamic State cannot re-establish bases to threaten the West and that the uncontrolled flow of migrants to Europe can be slowed. 
 
However, they are also aware that public support cannot be taken for granted and there is pressure to ensure that President Ashraf Ghani&#39;s government uses aid effectively, bringing costs down while continuing reforms the West wants to see. 
 
&quot;This is a two-way street,&quot; said Aramaz. 
 
NATO will be looking for &quot;demonstrable signs of continued political stability&quot; and &quot;tangible signs of progress&quot; in areas like women&#39;s rights, counter-corruption, electoral reform, and other human rights, he said. 
 
Afghan leaders must also make sure the security services remain under civilian control and free from political interference, he said. 
 
(Reuters)

Total financial support is expected to be about $5 billion a year to 2020, with the US, the largest donor, contributing about $3 billion

After 15 years of conflict in Afghanistan and no sign of peace, NATO members meeting in Warsaw this week are expected to confirm their support for the Kabul government, aware that they have little alternative if the country is to hold together. Foreign ministers agreed in May to extend assistance past 2016 and at the summit in the Polish capital on Friday and Saturday, alliance partners are also expected to continue their non-combat training and assistance mission. Total financial support is expected to be about $5 billion a year to 2020, with the United States, the largest donor, contributing about $3 billion. "These decisions are very much about demonstrating NATO's enduring and steadfast commitment to Afghanistan," Ismail Aramaz, NATO's senior civilian representative in Afghanistan, told a media briefing in Kabul this week. "Afghanistan will not stand alone." The summit comes as President Barack Obama considers whether to go ahead with plans that would see US forces in Afghanistan nearly halved from their current level of 9,800 to 5,500 by the beginning of next year. 'Stable Afghanistan is best guarantee that millitant networks cannot threaten the West' The Taliban have made major gains since a NATO-led international force ended combat operations at the end of 2014 and now control more territory than at any time since they were driven from power in 2001. They briefly seized the northern city of Kunduz last year and control much of the southern province of Helmand, the largest source of opium. However, NATO officials point to signs of progress by Afghan forces. They say a better trained, better equipped force is at least holding its own against the Taliban and is building up air power while steadily improving in key areas from logistics and recruitment to operational planning. They also say a stable Afghanistan is the best guarantee that militant networks such as al Qaeda or Islamic State cannot re-establish bases to threaten the West and that the uncontrolled flow of migrants to Europe can be slowed. However, they are also aware that public support cannot be taken for granted and there is pressure to ensure that President Ashraf Ghani's government uses aid effectively, bringing costs down while continuing reforms the West wants to see. "This is a two-way street," said Aramaz. NATO will be looking for "demonstrable signs of continued political stability" and "tangible signs of progress" in areas like women's rights, counter-corruption, electoral reform, and other human rights, he said. Afghan leaders must also make sure the security services remain under civilian control and free from political interference, he said. (Reuters)

NATO expected to approve support for Afghanistan to hold country together

NATO leaders will this week formally endorse its biggest military revamp since the end of the Cold War at a landmark summit in Warsaw, in the shadow of a resurgent Russia and Britain&#39;s shock EU exit vote. 
 
The centrepiece of the summit in the former heart of the Soviet-led Warsaw pact is a &quot;Readiness Action Plan&quot; to counter a more aggressive Russia after Moscow&#39;s shock 2014 annexation of Crimea and intervention in Ukraine. 
 
But also important is an EU-NATO cooperation accord, laying out how the alliance -- which includes 22 of the 28 EU member states -- can work with the EU in face of failing states across the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. 
 
Security is heavy, especially around the National Stadium venue, as Poland prepares to welcome world leaders, including US President Barack Obama for his last NATO summit.&nbsp; 
 
Jens Stoltenberg, the Norwegian secretary general of NATO, said this week that the summit &quot;comes at a defining time for our security with threats and challenges from many directions&quot;. 
 
But while Russia is still the main theme, just as at the last NATO summit in Wales in 2014, it is the vote for a so-called &quot;Brexit&quot; that will be on everyone&#39;s lips. NATO insists Brexit makes no difference, but it clearly adds to uncertainty amid fears Russia may exploit any opening as Britain negotiates its way out of the EU in difficult and complex talks. 
 
The Ukraine crisis proved a rude wake-up call for NATO and the summit is meant to convey a clear message to Moscow that it will not be caught napping again. 
 
The Readiness Action Plan, agreed at the 2014 Wales summit, included a pledge to spend two per cent of annual economic output on defence, ending years of cuts. 
 
To reassure nervous east European allies, once ruled from Moscow, NATO also tripled the size of its fast Response Force to some 40,000 troops and created a 5,000-strong &quot;Spearhead&quot; unit to deploy within days to any new crisis point. 
 
Poland, the summit host, and the three Baltic states have however pushed hard for more, to get a NATO tripwire presence on the ground to deter any Russian adventurism. 
&nbsp; 
Leaders will accordingly approve sending one multinational battalion each to Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, up to 4,000 troops in all. Russia bitterly opposes NATO&#39;s expansion into its Soviet-era satellites, which it sees as a threat to its own security requiring an appropriate response. 
 
&quot;We don&#39;t intend to give in to this militaristic frenzy, but it seems that is what they are pushing us to, to provoke a costly and pointless arms race,&quot; Russian President Vladimir Putin said last month. 
 
Moscow reserves it direst warnings however for a Ballistic Missile Defence system the United States is building and which the summit is due to declare has reached an initial operating level. 
 
Washington says the shield is designed to counter missile threats from Iran or the Middle East, but Russia says that once the system becomes fully operational in 2018, it will undercut its strategic nuclear deterrent. 
 
The NATO upgrade has largely been driven by the Ukraine crisis, but leaders are increasingly worried by threats to the south in the shape of massive flows of illegal migrants across the Mediterranean and terror groups such as Islamic State gaining ground in Libya. 
 
NATO leaders are expected to endorse plans to &quot;project stability&quot; by providing advice and assistance in the region to head off future problems. 
 
NATO diplomatic sources say that while the alliance has a role to play, it does not consider itself to be the &quot;first responder&quot; which should be the EU&#39;s role. 
 
(AFP)

The 'Readiness Action Plan' to counter a more aggressive, Crimea-annexing Russia will be the Warsaw summit's main theme

NATO leaders will this week formally endorse its biggest military revamp since the end of the Cold War at a landmark summit in Warsaw, in the shadow of a resurgent Russia and Britain's shock EU exit vote. The centrepiece of the summit in the former heart of the Soviet-led Warsaw pact is a "Readiness Action Plan" to counter a more aggressive Russia after Moscow's shock 2014 annexation of Crimea and intervention in Ukraine. But also important is an EU-NATO cooperation accord, laying out how the alliance -- which includes 22 of the 28 EU member states -- can work with the EU in face of failing states across the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. Security is heavy, especially around the National Stadium venue, as Poland prepares to welcome world leaders, including US President Barack Obama for his last NATO summit. Jens Stoltenberg, the Norwegian secretary general of NATO, said this week that the summit "comes at a defining time for our security with threats and challenges from many directions". But while Russia is still the main theme, just as at the last NATO summit in Wales in 2014, it is the vote for a so-called "Brexit" that will be on everyone's lips. NATO insists Brexit makes no difference, but it clearly adds to uncertainty amid fears Russia may exploit any opening as Britain negotiates its way out of the EU in difficult and complex talks. The Ukraine crisis proved a rude wake-up call for NATO and the summit is meant to convey a clear message to Moscow that it will not be caught napping again. The Readiness Action Plan, agreed at the 2014 Wales summit, included a pledge to spend two per cent of annual economic output on defence, ending years of cuts. To reassure nervous east European allies, once ruled from Moscow, NATO also tripled the size of its fast Response Force to some 40,000 troops and created a 5,000-strong "Spearhead" unit to deploy within days to any new crisis point. Poland, the summit host, and the three Baltic states have however pushed hard for more, to get a NATO tripwire presence on the ground to deter any Russian adventurism. Leaders will accordingly approve sending one multinational battalion each to Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, up to 4,000 troops in all. Russia bitterly opposes NATO's expansion into its Soviet-era satellites, which it sees as a threat to its own security requiring an appropriate response. "We don't intend to give in to this militaristic frenzy, but it seems that is what they are pushing us to, to provoke a costly and pointless arms race," Russian President Vladimir Putin said last month. Moscow reserves it direst warnings however for a Ballistic Missile Defence system the United States is building and which the summit is due to declare has reached an initial operating level. Washington says the shield is designed to counter missile threats from Iran or the Middle East, but Russia says that once the system becomes fully operational in 2018, it will undercut its strategic nuclear deterrent. The NATO upgrade has largely been driven by the Ukraine crisis, but leaders are increasingly worried by threats to the south in the shape of massive flows of illegal migrants across the Mediterranean and terror groups such as Islamic State gaining ground in Libya. NATO leaders are expected to endorse plans to "project stability" by providing advice and assistance in the region to head off future problems. NATO diplomatic sources say that while the alliance has a role to play, it does not consider itself to be the "first responder" which should be the EU's role. (AFP)

NATO faces up to Russia in Brexit's shadow

Serbia is performing a delicate balancing act between its European aspirations, partnership with the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and its centuries-old religious, ethnic and political alliance with Russia. 
 
Belgrade is being wooed by the West, which has sought to bring it into the fold since the fall of Slobodan Milosevic in 2000. Serbia is now a European Union membership candidate and the bloc is its top trade partner and benefactor. 
 
Belgrade is also quietly moving towards NATO despite the reservations of most Serbians but it is wary of damaging its loudly proclaimed friendship with Russia that wants to boost its influence in the region and which is hostile to the military alliance. 
 
&quot;Serbia cannot entirely turn to NATO, it will maintain the maximum level of cooperation with it, without changing its (membership) status,&quot; said Genady Sysoev, Balkan correspondent for Russia&#39;s Kommersant newspaper and an expert on Moscow&#39;s policy in the region. 
 
&quot;Serbia cannot turn to Russia because no Serbian leadership would risk losing Western investment and aid.&quot; 
 
Serbia is one of the few Balkan countries not in the 28-member NATO which is hugely unpopular among Serbs after its 1999 bombing campaign to drive Serbian forces out of Kosovo. 
 
Alliance peacekeepers are also still deployed in Kosovo, Serbia&#39;s former southern province, whose independence in 2008 has not been accepted by Belgrade. 
 
But in 2006 Serbia, which adopted military neutrality, joined NATO&#39;s Partnership for Peace programme and in 2015 Belgrade signed the Individual Partnership Action Plan - the highest rung of cooperation between the alliance and a country not aspiring to join. 
 
&quot;Serbia has demonstrated great enthusiasm for the partnership with NATO, relations between NATO and Serbia will be developing, benefits for Serbia will increase,&quot; Gordon Duguid, Deputy Chief of the United States mission to Serbia, was quoted by the Tanjug news agency as saying on June 28. 
 
Serbia is however, highly emotional about non-NATO member Russia, an ally that, for example, prevented Kosovo from becoming a member of the United Nations, at Belgrade&#39;s request. 
 
Serbia also shares Slavic and Orthodox Christian traditions with Russia and depends on it for energy. The largest Serbian oil company, Naftna Industrija Srbije, is majority-owned by Russia&#39;s Gazprom and its gas imports come from Russia. 
 
As a token of good relations, Belgrade in 2012 also allowed Moscow to set up a base for rapid response in emergency situations such as forest fires and floods in Serbia&#39;s southern city of Nis. 
 
The Serbian military is loosely based on Russian technology, a legacy of former Yugoslavia&#39;s ties with the Soviet Union. 
 
FINE LINE 
 
Serbian politicians do not want to openly acknowledge the full extent of the partnership with NATO, because they do not want to alienate those inside the country who look to Russia or resent the Alliance. 
 
&quot;They are afraid that every mention of it (NATO) will affect their ratings as the alliance is very unpopular,&quot; said Milan Karagaca, a former military diplomat and a member of Belgrade&#39;s Center for Foreign Policy think-tank. 
 
Belgrade, which refused to join the West&#39;s sanctions on Russia even though its pledged its respect for the territorial integrity of Ukraine, also treads a fine line to avoid upsetting Moscow. 
 
Since 2000, Russia&#39;s Vladimir Putin, as President and prime minister, has visited Serbia several times, including a trip in 2014 when he was guest of honour at the military parade marking the liberation of Belgrade from Nazi Germany. 
 
Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic and Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic have also travelled to Moscow on several occasions and their visits were followed by media reports of large-scale weapons purchases. On June 28, Vucic said Serbia wants to buy four Russian MIG-29 fighters for 260 million euros. 
 
Pro-government media have speculated that a visit by Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev tentatively set for this fall will also address military cooperation. 
 
But so far the results have been modest. On June 28, the country received two Russian Mi17 utility helicopters, which it bought for 25 million euros. Their arrival, with Vucic present, was shown live on national TV, unlike comparable events involving NATO. 
 
&quot;Military-political cooperation (between Serbia and Russia) has not expanded significantly ... there has been a lot of talk,&quot; Sysoev said. 
 
By contrast, in 2015, the Serbian army took part in 197 activities with NATO and another 370 bilateral activities with countries that are alliance members. Only 36 were organised with Russia. Out of 21 multinational training exercises, the Serbian military participated in only two with Russia. 
 
&quot;Serbia&#39;s goal is to join the European Union and the process will also include the EU&#39;s Common Security and Defence Policy agenda. Most NATO policies fit in that agenda,&quot; a Serbian defence official said, on condition of anonymity. &quot;Russia remains a partner, we will not join NATO, but our road heads to the West.&quot; he said. 
 
(Reuters)

The road forward for EU membership candidate Serbia is towards the West, even if many citizens and politicians are loyal to Moscow

Serbia is performing a delicate balancing act between its European aspirations, partnership with the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and its centuries-old religious, ethnic and political alliance with Russia. Belgrade is being wooed by the West, which has sought to bring it into the fold since the fall of Slobodan Milosevic in 2000. Serbia is now a European Union membership candidate and the bloc is its top trade partner and benefactor. Belgrade is also quietly moving towards NATO despite the reservations of most Serbians but it is wary of damaging its loudly proclaimed friendship with Russia that wants to boost its influence in the region and which is hostile to the military alliance. "Serbia cannot entirely turn to NATO, it will maintain the maximum level of cooperation with it, without changing its (membership) status," said Genady Sysoev, Balkan correspondent for Russia's Kommersant newspaper and an expert on Moscow's policy in the region. "Serbia cannot turn to Russia because no Serbian leadership would risk losing Western investment and aid." Serbia is one of the few Balkan countries not in the 28-member NATO which is hugely unpopular among Serbs after its 1999 bombing campaign to drive Serbian forces out of Kosovo. Alliance peacekeepers are also still deployed in Kosovo, Serbia's former southern province, whose independence in 2008 has not been accepted by Belgrade. But in 2006 Serbia, which adopted military neutrality, joined NATO's Partnership for Peace programme and in 2015 Belgrade signed the Individual Partnership Action Plan - the highest rung of cooperation between the alliance and a country not aspiring to join. "Serbia has demonstrated great enthusiasm for the partnership with NATO, relations between NATO and Serbia will be developing, benefits for Serbia will increase," Gordon Duguid, Deputy Chief of the United States mission to Serbia, was quoted by the Tanjug news agency as saying on June 28. Serbia is however, highly emotional about non-NATO member Russia, an ally that, for example, prevented Kosovo from becoming a member of the United Nations, at Belgrade's request. Serbia also shares Slavic and Orthodox Christian traditions with Russia and depends on it for energy. The largest Serbian oil company, Naftna Industrija Srbije, is majority-owned by Russia's Gazprom and its gas imports come from Russia. As a token of good relations, Belgrade in 2012 also allowed Moscow to set up a base for rapid response in emergency situations such as forest fires and floods in Serbia's southern city of Nis. The Serbian military is loosely based on Russian technology, a legacy of former Yugoslavia's ties with the Soviet Union. FINE LINE Serbian politicians do not want to openly acknowledge the full extent of the partnership with NATO, because they do not want to alienate those inside the country who look to Russia or resent the Alliance. "They are afraid that every mention of it (NATO) will affect their ratings as the alliance is very unpopular," said Milan Karagaca, a former military diplomat and a member of Belgrade's Center for Foreign Policy think-tank. Belgrade, which refused to join the West's sanctions on Russia even though its pledged its respect for the territorial integrity of Ukraine, also treads a fine line to avoid upsetting Moscow. Since 2000, Russia's Vladimir Putin, as President and prime minister, has visited Serbia several times, including a trip in 2014 when he was guest of honour at the military parade marking the liberation of Belgrade from Nazi Germany. Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic and Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic have also travelled to Moscow on several occasions and their visits were followed by media reports of large-scale weapons purchases. On June 28, Vucic said Serbia wants to buy four Russian MIG-29 fighters for 260 million euros. Pro-government media have speculated that a visit by Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev tentatively set for this fall will also address military cooperation. But so far the results have been modest. On June 28, the country received two Russian Mi17 utility helicopters, which it bought for 25 million euros. Their arrival, with Vucic present, was shown live on national TV, unlike comparable events involving NATO. "Military-political cooperation (between Serbia and Russia) has not expanded significantly ... there has been a lot of talk," Sysoev said. By contrast, in 2015, the Serbian army took part in 197 activities with NATO and another 370 bilateral activities with countries that are alliance members. Only 36 were organised with Russia. Out of 21 multinational training exercises, the Serbian military participated in only two with Russia. "Serbia's goal is to join the European Union and the process will also include the EU's Common Security and Defence Policy agenda. Most NATO policies fit in that agenda," a Serbian defence official said, on condition of anonymity. "Russia remains a partner, we will not join NATO, but our road heads to the West." he said. (Reuters)

With Russia as an ally, Serbia edges towards NATO

Republican Donald Trump said today that if elected president on November 8 he would be open to drawing NATO forces into the fight against Islamic State militants in a new mission for an alliance he has called obsolete. 
 
Trump made the comments in an interview with ABC News. The presumptive Republican presidential nominee has for months raised questions about the money the United States pours into NATO, which he says needs to be reconfigured to take account of today&#39;s threats. 
 
&ldquo;I like the idea of using NATO and also neighbours that aren&rsquo;t in NATO and take them out. You gotta take them out,&rdquo; Trump said. 
 
Under President Barack Obama, the United States has relied heavily on US airstrikes to attack Islamic State targets in Syria and Iraq. Republicans have criticised this policy as not enough to stop the militants. 
 
Trump said the idea of using the Cold War-era alliance would be to ease the load on American forces. 
 
&quot;I don&rsquo;t want to get too much of ours involved. I want NATO to be involved,&rdquo; Trump said. &ldquo;We spend a tremendous amount of money on NATO. We take care of countries that frankly should be taking care of themselves in terms of economically.&rdquo; 
 
Trump&#39;s comments came amid an uproar over a meeting between former president Bill Clinton and attorney general Loretta Lynch at a time when Clinton&#39;s wife, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, is under federal investigation. 
 
The private meeting took place on Lynch&#39;s plane after she landed in Phoenix on Monday night and Bill Clinton was leaving the airport after a rally he held for his wife earlier that day. 
 
Hillary Clinton is under an FBI investigation for her use of a private email server when she was President Barack Obama&#39;s first-term secretary of state. 
 
Trump told conservative radio talk show host Mike Gallagher that the meeting was proof of his charge that the US political system is &quot;rigged&quot; in favor of political elites. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s unheard of,&quot; Trump told ABC News. &quot;You have this massive investigation on emails and they&#39;d have a meeting like this.&quot; 
 
Lynch, appointed to her position by Obama more than a year ago, said she did not discuss the email investigation or other pending matters before the justice department with Bill Clinton. 
 
&quot;When I was landing at the airport, I did see president Clinton at the Phoenix airport as I was leaving and he spoke to myself and my husband on the plane,&quot; Lynch told reporters. 
 
&quot;Our conversation was a great deal about grandchildren. It was primarily social and about our travels. He mentioned the golf he played in Phoenix and he mentioned travels he had to West Virginia...But there was no discussion of any matter pending for the department or any matter pending before any other body,&quot; Lynch said. 
 
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating Hillary Clinton about her email use and has already interviewed some of her aides. The investigation into whether laws were broken as a result of the server kept in her New York home has overshadowed Clinton&#39;s campaign. 
 
Special counsel 
 
Obama is preparing to campaign with Hillary Clinton for the first time in her 2016 White House bid. They are to appear together in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Tuesday. A Reuters/Ipsos poll this week showed Clinton 11 points ahead of the billionaire businessman 
 
At the White House, spokesman Josh Earnest made clear that Obama believes an impartial investigation is crucial and noted that Lynch had said the conversation was benign. 
 
&quot;I think the bottom line is simply that both the president and the attorney general understand how important it is for the department of justice to conduct investigations that are free of political interference,&quot; Earnest told reporters. 
 
US senator John Cornyn of Texas, the Number 2 Senate Republican, cited the incident in renewing his call for an independent counsel to take over the Clinton probe from the FBI. 
 
(Reuters)

'I like the idea of using NATO and also neighbours that aren?t in NATO and take them out. You gotta take them out,' he told ABC News

Republican Donald Trump said today that if elected president on November 8 he would be open to drawing NATO forces into the fight against Islamic State militants in a new mission for an alliance he has called obsolete. Trump made the comments in an interview with ABC News. The presumptive Republican presidential nominee has for months raised questions about the money the United States pours into NATO, which he says needs to be reconfigured to take account of today's threats. “I like the idea of using NATO and also neighbours that aren’t in NATO and take them out. You gotta take them out,” Trump said. Under President Barack Obama, the United States has relied heavily on US airstrikes to attack Islamic State targets in Syria and Iraq. Republicans have criticised this policy as not enough to stop the militants. Trump said the idea of using the Cold War-era alliance would be to ease the load on American forces. "I don’t want to get too much of ours involved. I want NATO to be involved,” Trump said. “We spend a tremendous amount of money on NATO. We take care of countries that frankly should be taking care of themselves in terms of economically.” Trump's comments came amid an uproar over a meeting between former president Bill Clinton and attorney general Loretta Lynch at a time when Clinton's wife, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, is under federal investigation. The private meeting took place on Lynch's plane after she landed in Phoenix on Monday night and Bill Clinton was leaving the airport after a rally he held for his wife earlier that day. Hillary Clinton is under an FBI investigation for her use of a private email server when she was President Barack Obama's first-term secretary of state. Trump told conservative radio talk show host Mike Gallagher that the meeting was proof of his charge that the US political system is "rigged" in favor of political elites. "It's unheard of," Trump told ABC News. "You have this massive investigation on emails and they'd have a meeting like this." Lynch, appointed to her position by Obama more than a year ago, said she did not discuss the email investigation or other pending matters before the justice department with Bill Clinton. "When I was landing at the airport, I did see president Clinton at the Phoenix airport as I was leaving and he spoke to myself and my husband on the plane," Lynch told reporters. "Our conversation was a great deal about grandchildren. It was primarily social and about our travels. He mentioned the golf he played in Phoenix and he mentioned travels he had to West Virginia...But there was no discussion of any matter pending for the department or any matter pending before any other body," Lynch said. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating Hillary Clinton about her email use and has already interviewed some of her aides. The investigation into whether laws were broken as a result of the server kept in her New York home has overshadowed Clinton's campaign. Special counsel Obama is preparing to campaign with Hillary Clinton for the first time in her 2016 White House bid. They are to appear together in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Tuesday. A Reuters/Ipsos poll this week showed Clinton 11 points ahead of the billionaire businessman At the White House, spokesman Josh Earnest made clear that Obama believes an impartial investigation is crucial and noted that Lynch had said the conversation was benign. "I think the bottom line is simply that both the president and the attorney general understand how important it is for the department of justice to conduct investigations that are free of political interference," Earnest told reporters. US senator John Cornyn of Texas, the Number 2 Senate Republican, cited the incident in renewing his call for an independent counsel to take over the Clinton probe from the FBI. (Reuters)

If elected president, Trump pledges to use NATO in fight against ISIS

Armenia&#39;s Parliament on Thursday approved the government&#39;s decision to join Russia&#39;s air defence system in a move criticised by the opposition as surrendering the country&#39;s sovereignty. 
 
Moscow is working on merging the air defence capabilities of its former Soviet partners that are now its military allies in the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), a regional answer to NATO. 
 
Lawmakers in the landlocked Caucasus country approved the initiative with 102 votes for and eight against and Armenia&#39;s deputy defence minister Ara Nazaryan applauded it as a boost to its defences. 
 
Nazaryan said the command of the joint air defences will be in Russia, but that Armenia&#39;s military will control separate air defence systems.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;With this agreement we will be able to use the technical capabilities and resources of Russia&#39;s air defence, including weapons, aircraft, and the ability to use fighter aircraft,&quot; he said in parliament. 
 
Some opposition forces have decried the decision, saying it cedes the impoverished country&#39;s sovereignty to Moscow, which also has sizeable military cooperation with Yerevan&#39;s arch-foe Azerbaijan. 
 
&quot;This is an attempt to hand over the last bits of Armenian sovereignty to a foreign state that sold $5 billion worth of weapons to Azerbaijan,&quot; the pro-Western Heritage party said in a statement. 
 
Moscow has stepped up military cooperation with its CSTO allies since becoming embroiled in its worst standoff with the West since the Cold War over its 2014 annexation of the Crimea peninsula from Ukraine and the subsequent start of a pro-Russian uprising in Ukraine&#39;s east. 
 
Russia, for its part, accuses NATO of expanding its military reach close to its borders. 
 
In May, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Washington that Moscow will consider measures to &quot;end threats&quot; from NATO&#39;s anti-missile systems in Europe that are based essentially on US technology. 
 
The Western military bloc&#39;s missile shield includes the progressive deployment of missile interceptors and powerful radar in eastern Europe and Turkey. 
 
(AFP)

?Russia accuses NATO of expanding military reach close to its borders and is merging air defence capabilities with former Soviet partners

Armenia's Parliament on Thursday approved the government's decision to join Russia's air defence system in a move criticised by the opposition as surrendering the country's sovereignty. Moscow is working on merging the air defence capabilities of its former Soviet partners that are now its military allies in the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), a regional answer to NATO. Lawmakers in the landlocked Caucasus country approved the initiative with 102 votes for and eight against and Armenia's deputy defence minister Ara Nazaryan applauded it as a boost to its defences. Nazaryan said the command of the joint air defences will be in Russia, but that Armenia's military will control separate air defence systems. "With this agreement we will be able to use the technical capabilities and resources of Russia's air defence, including weapons, aircraft, and the ability to use fighter aircraft," he said in parliament. Some opposition forces have decried the decision, saying it cedes the impoverished country's sovereignty to Moscow, which also has sizeable military cooperation with Yerevan's arch-foe Azerbaijan. "This is an attempt to hand over the last bits of Armenian sovereignty to a foreign state that sold $5 billion worth of weapons to Azerbaijan," the pro-Western Heritage party said in a statement. Moscow has stepped up military cooperation with its CSTO allies since becoming embroiled in its worst standoff with the West since the Cold War over its 2014 annexation of the Crimea peninsula from Ukraine and the subsequent start of a pro-Russian uprising in Ukraine's east. Russia, for its part, accuses NATO of expanding its military reach close to its borders. In May, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Washington that Moscow will consider measures to "end threats" from NATO's anti-missile systems in Europe that are based essentially on US technology. The Western military bloc's missile shield includes the progressive deployment of missile interceptors and powerful radar in eastern Europe and Turkey. (AFP)

Armenia ratifies joint air defence with Moscow

NATO today appointed Rose Gottemoeller as deputy head of the US-led alliance, the first woman to hold the post, a statement said. 
 
Gottemoeller is a career US diplomat whose nomination to the NATO post in March by President Barack Obama ran into stiff Republican criticism that she was too soft on Russia. 
 
&quot;I am delighted to announce the appointment of Rose Gottemoeller, who will bring to NATO a wealth of experience in international security policy, and in areas such as arms control and relations with Russia,&quot; alliance head Jens Stoltenberg said in a statement. 
 
Stoltenberg said the appointment of the first woman to the deputy post was a &quot;milestone&quot; for NATO. 
 
The Ukraine crisis and Russia`s 2014 annexation of Crimea have plunged relations into a deep freeze, with NATO responding by launching a major revamp to counter a more assertive Moscow. 
 
Gottemoeller, currently under secretary for arms control and international security, will replace Alexander Vershbow, another career US diplomat, in October. 
 
(AFP)

Rose Gottemoeller, currently under secretary for arms control and international security, will replace Alexander Vershbow

NATO today appointed Rose Gottemoeller as deputy head of the US-led alliance, the first woman to hold the post, a statement said. Gottemoeller is a career US diplomat whose nomination to the NATO post in March by President Barack Obama ran into stiff Republican criticism that she was too soft on Russia. "I am delighted to announce the appointment of Rose Gottemoeller, who will bring to NATO a wealth of experience in international security policy, and in areas such as arms control and relations with Russia," alliance head Jens Stoltenberg said in a statement. Stoltenberg said the appointment of the first woman to the deputy post was a "milestone" for NATO. The Ukraine crisis and Russia`s 2014 annexation of Crimea have plunged relations into a deep freeze, with NATO responding by launching a major revamp to counter a more assertive Moscow. Gottemoeller, currently under secretary for arms control and international security, will replace Alexander Vershbow, another career US diplomat, in October. (AFP)

NATO appoints first woman as deputy head

Nuclear-armed North Korea conducted two back-to-back tests of a powerful new medium-range missile today, with both achieving a significant increase in flight distance over previous failed launches, South Korea&#39;s defence ministry said. 
 
Both tests were believed to be of a much-hyped, intermediate-range Musudan missile -- theoretically capable of reaching US bases as far away as Guam. 
 
International condemnation was swift, with the United States, North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and Japan labelling the launches a clear violation of UN resolutions, and South Korea vowing to push for tighter sanctions on Pyongyang. 
 
Existing UN Security Council measures ban North Korea from any use of ballistic missile technology. 
 
The first test shortly before 6:00 am (2100 GMT Tuesday) was deemed to have failed after reportedly flying around 150 kilometres (90 miles) over the East Sea (Sea of Japan). 
 
According to Japanese military monitors, the second missile attained a height of 1,000 kilometers and a range of 400 kilometers -- a trajectory some experts suggested was calculated to avoid any violation of Japanese air space. 
 
Four failed Musudan tests earlier this year all either exploded on the mobile launch pad or shortly after take-off. 
 
A successful test would mark a major step forward for a weapons programme that ultimately aspires to develop a proven nuclear strike capability against the US mainland. 
 
Worrying progress&nbsp; 
 
Melissa Hanham, an expert on North Korea&#39;s weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programme at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in California, said today&#39;s launches represented a worrying step forward. 
 
&quot;The second was likely a success. Testing is iterative and they are learning from each flight,&quot; Hanham said. 
 
&quot;Policymakers need to focus on a testing ban to prevent this from becoming a working missile,&quot; she added. 
 
US state department spokesman John Kirby said the latest launches would only increase global efforts to counter North Korea&#39;s illicit weapons programme. 
 
&quot;W&lrm;e intend to raise our concerns at the UN to bolster international resolve in holding (North Korea) accountable for these provocative actions,&quot; Kirby said in a statement. 
 
Japanese broadcaster NHK quoted Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as saying such tests &quot;cannot be tolerated&quot;, while NATO &quot;strongly condemned&quot; the launch in a statement from its secretary general. 
 
South Korea&#39;s foreign ministry warned that North Korea would face even stronger sanctions and said the tests underlined &quot;the hypocrisy and deceptiveness&quot; of Pyongyang&#39;s recent offers of military talks with Seoul. 
 
China, traditionally the North&#39;s closest ally, cautioned against &quot;any action that may escalate tension&quot; and called for a resumed dialogue on the North&#39;s nuclear programme. 
 
First unveiled as an indigenous missile at a military parade in Pyongyang in October 2010, the Musudan has a theoretical range of anywhere between 2,500 and 4,000 kilometres. 
 
The lower estimate covers the whole of South Korea and Japan, while the upper range would include US military bases on Guam. 
 
String of failures&nbsp; 
 
Three failed launches in April were seen as an embarrassment for North Korea&#39;s leadership, coming ahead of a rare ruling party congress that was meant to celebrate the country&#39;s achievements. 
 
Another attempt in May was also deemed to have failed. 
 
Markus Schiller, a German aerospace engineer who has written extensively on North Korea&#39;s missile programme, said a lot of information on the Musudan was highly speculative and warned against drawing too many conclusions from today&#39;s launches. 
 
&quot;We do not even know if these were indeed Musudan missiles that were launched today,&quot; Schiller said. 
 
The latest tests came with military tensions on the divided Korean peninsula still running high following Pyongyang&#39;s fourth nuclear test in January and a long-range rocket launch a month later that saw the UN Security Council impose its toughest sanctions to date on the North. 
 
In recent months, North Korea has claimed a series of technical breakthroughs in developing an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of delivering a nuclear warhead to targets across the continental United States. 
 
(AFP)

A successful test would be a major fillip for a weapon's programme that aspires to get the US mainland within striking range

Nuclear-armed North Korea conducted two back-to-back tests of a powerful new medium-range missile today, with both achieving a significant increase in flight distance over previous failed launches, South Korea's defence ministry said. Both tests were believed to be of a much-hyped, intermediate-range Musudan missile -- theoretically capable of reaching US bases as far away as Guam. International condemnation was swift, with the United States, North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and Japan labelling the launches a clear violation of UN resolutions, and South Korea vowing to push for tighter sanctions on Pyongyang. Existing UN Security Council measures ban North Korea from any use of ballistic missile technology. The first test shortly before 6:00 am (2100 GMT Tuesday) was deemed to have failed after reportedly flying around 150 kilometres (90 miles) over the East Sea (Sea of Japan). According to Japanese military monitors, the second missile attained a height of 1,000 kilometers and a range of 400 kilometers -- a trajectory some experts suggested was calculated to avoid any violation of Japanese air space. Four failed Musudan tests earlier this year all either exploded on the mobile launch pad or shortly after take-off. A successful test would mark a major step forward for a weapons programme that ultimately aspires to develop a proven nuclear strike capability against the US mainland. Worrying progress Melissa Hanham, an expert on North Korea's weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programme at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in California, said today's launches represented a worrying step forward. "The second was likely a success. Testing is iterative and they are learning from each flight," Hanham said. "Policymakers need to focus on a testing ban to prevent this from becoming a working missile," she added. US state department spokesman John Kirby said the latest launches would only increase global efforts to counter North Korea's illicit weapons programme. "W‎e intend to raise our concerns at the UN to bolster international resolve in holding (North Korea) accountable for these provocative actions," Kirby said in a statement. Japanese broadcaster NHK quoted Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as saying such tests "cannot be tolerated", while NATO "strongly condemned" the launch in a statement from its secretary general. South Korea's foreign ministry warned that North Korea would face even stronger sanctions and said the tests underlined "the hypocrisy and deceptiveness" of Pyongyang's recent offers of military talks with Seoul. China, traditionally the North's closest ally, cautioned against "any action that may escalate tension" and called for a resumed dialogue on the North's nuclear programme. First unveiled as an indigenous missile at a military parade in Pyongyang in October 2010, the Musudan has a theoretical range of anywhere between 2,500 and 4,000 kilometres. The lower estimate covers the whole of South Korea and Japan, while the upper range would include US military bases on Guam. String of failures Three failed launches in April were seen as an embarrassment for North Korea's leadership, coming ahead of a rare ruling party congress that was meant to celebrate the country's achievements. Another attempt in May was also deemed to have failed. Markus Schiller, a German aerospace engineer who has written extensively on North Korea's missile programme, said a lot of information on the Musudan was highly speculative and warned against drawing too many conclusions from today's launches. "We do not even know if these were indeed Musudan missiles that were launched today," Schiller said. The latest tests came with military tensions on the divided Korean peninsula still running high following Pyongyang's fourth nuclear test in January and a long-range rocket launch a month later that saw the UN Security Council impose its toughest sanctions to date on the North. In recent months, North Korea has claimed a series of technical breakthroughs in developing an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of delivering a nuclear warhead to targets across the continental United States. (AFP)

North Korea test fires two powerful, mid-range ballistic missiles

The NATO alliance agreed today to hold onto its broad geographic layout of bases in Afghanistan, a move that could make it easier for the United States to keep more troops there as Kabul struggles with a resurgent Taliban threat. 
 
President Barack Obama has planned to slash the number of US forces in Afghanistan from about 9,800 to 5,500 before he leaves office in 2017, despite calls from former commanders and envoys to halt the drawdown. 
 
NATO defence ministers gathered in Brussels signalled a willingness to stay, with Britain&#39;s Michael Fallon saying flatly: &quot;This is the wrong time to walk away from Afghanistan.&quot; 
 
He warned any collapse of the country would send thousands more migrants heading to Europe at a time when the continent already faces uncontrolled migration flows. 
 
Fallon told reporters that US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter told the ministers during closed-door talks that America troop levels &quot;are being looked at again&quot;. 
 
Carter declined to confirm that however, telling a news conference it was &quot;not a topic of discussion&quot; and saying only that Obama would be willing to consider security conditions in Afghanistan and their impact on force levels later in the year. 
 
NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said several nations today committed to a troop presence next year in Afghanistan, underscoring a theme likely to figure prominently at next month&#39;s NATO summit in Warsaw. 
 
&quot;With a regional presence, we will continue to advise, train and assist the Afghan national forces because we are very committed to continuing to support Afghans,&quot; Stoltenberg said. 
 
The United States contributes 6,800 troops to NATO&#39;s training mission in Afghanistan, which will fall to 3,400 under the current plan, a NATO diplomat said. Washington also carries out a unilateral counter-terrorism mission in Afghanistan. 
 
NATO&#39;s &quot;hub-and-spoke&quot; model for troops training and advising Afghan forces extends well beyond the capital Kabul to allow an international military presence at regional hubs. But NATO policymakers had been examining whether it was possible to keep those posts open, even as force levels fall. 
 
&quot;I believe we&#39;ll have sufficient resources, and our military commanders have told us we&#39;ll have sufficient resources, to stay in the basic posture,&quot; the diplomat said. 
 
The senior diplomat, speaking to a small group of reporters on condition of anonymity, also expected NATO leaders to agree to some $5 billion in funding to sustain Afghan security forces at the current levels through 2020. 
 
The current NATO commitment to fund the Afghan security forces only extends through 2017. 
 
The funding is based on maintaining a goal of 352,000 Afghan soldiers and police. The official roster currently includes about 320,000 members of the security forces, a US military commander said earlier this week. 
(Reuters)

Obama had planned to cut the number of US forces in Afghanistan, but NATO defence ministers have signalled they have other ideas

The NATO alliance agreed today to hold onto its broad geographic layout of bases in Afghanistan, a move that could make it easier for the United States to keep more troops there as Kabul struggles with a resurgent Taliban threat. President Barack Obama has planned to slash the number of US forces in Afghanistan from about 9,800 to 5,500 before he leaves office in 2017, despite calls from former commanders and envoys to halt the drawdown. NATO defence ministers gathered in Brussels signalled a willingness to stay, with Britain's Michael Fallon saying flatly: "This is the wrong time to walk away from Afghanistan." He warned any collapse of the country would send thousands more migrants heading to Europe at a time when the continent already faces uncontrolled migration flows. Fallon told reporters that US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter told the ministers during closed-door talks that America troop levels "are being looked at again". Carter declined to confirm that however, telling a news conference it was "not a topic of discussion" and saying only that Obama would be willing to consider security conditions in Afghanistan and their impact on force levels later in the year. NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said several nations today committed to a troop presence next year in Afghanistan, underscoring a theme likely to figure prominently at next month's NATO summit in Warsaw. "With a regional presence, we will continue to advise, train and assist the Afghan national forces because we are very committed to continuing to support Afghans," Stoltenberg said. The United States contributes 6,800 troops to NATO's training mission in Afghanistan, which will fall to 3,400 under the current plan, a NATO diplomat said. Washington also carries out a unilateral counter-terrorism mission in Afghanistan. NATO's "hub-and-spoke" model for troops training and advising Afghan forces extends well beyond the capital Kabul to allow an international military presence at regional hubs. But NATO policymakers had been examining whether it was possible to keep those posts open, even as force levels fall. "I believe we'll have sufficient resources, and our military commanders have told us we'll have sufficient resources, to stay in the basic posture," the diplomat said. The senior diplomat, speaking to a small group of reporters on condition of anonymity, also expected NATO leaders to agree to some $5 billion in funding to sustain Afghan security forces at the current levels through 2020. The current NATO commitment to fund the Afghan security forces only extends through 2017. The funding is based on maintaining a goal of 352,000 Afghan soldiers and police. The official roster currently includes about 320,000 members of the security forces, a US military commander said earlier this week. (Reuters)

NATO approves holding onto Afghan bases to keep with Taliban threat

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