Afghanistan Document: Foreign Troops Out by 2014? (Owen/Brady)

Jonathan Owen and Brian Brady write for The Independent of London (note the lack of clarity as to whether the document covers US troops):

British troops are to pull out of Afghanistan by 2014, under a secret blueprint for drawing down coalition forces that is set to begin in a matter or months, it emerged last night. A leaked communiqué – a copy of which has been seen by The Independent on Sunday – reveals how President Hamid Karzai will announce the timetable for a "conditions-based and phased transition" at the International Conference on Afghanistan to be held in Kabul on Tuesday.

Afghanistan: The Failing Strategy to Train Local Forces (Owen/Brady)

The meeting --- which is set to map out the way ahead for the war-torn country --- will be attended by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the Foreign Secretary, William Hague, and foreign ministers from more 70 countries. An agreed version of the document, marked "not for circulation", was sent to senior diplomats yesterday by Staffan de Mistura, the United Nations Special Representative in Afghanistan.

It states: "The international community expressed its support for the President of Afghanistan's objective that the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) should lead and conduct military operations in all provinces by the end of 2014." This comes just weeks after Mr Hague hinted that British troops could leave by 2014, and is the first formal confirmation of the timescale that governments have been working towards behind the scenes to agree in recent months."

The communiqué goes on to pledge that the international community will continue to "provide the support necessary to increase security during this time, and the continued support in training, equipping and providing interim financing to the ANSF at every level to take on the task of securing their country". It adds: "The government of Afghanistan and the international community agreed to jointly assess provinces, with the aim of announcing by the end of 2010 that the process of transition is under way."

The announcement is one of many issues surrounding development and governance that will be addressed at the conference, as well as an $800m (£523m) five-year Afghan peace and reintegration programme that "aims to reintegrate in five years up to 36,000 ex-combatants and to reach 4,000 communities in 220 districts of 22 provinces". The document also outlines short-term goals for coalition troops. These include combating the opium trade by maintaining the provinces that are currently free of drug cultivation, and increasing the number of poppy-free provinces in Afghanistan to 24 within 12 months. It also describes transparent elections in future as a matter of paramount importance.

President Karzai will tell delegates that the conference represents "a turning point" in Afghanistan's "transition to an era of Afghan-led peace, justice and more equitable development". He will also pledge that "expanding the day-to-day choices and capabilities of the Afghan people and ensuring their fundamental rights" will "remain the cornerstones of my government's approach to peace-building and comprehensive recovery".

A senior source in the British military confirmed yesterday that the blueprint was "a significant map laying out the stages on the way to withdrawal". He said: "The British government has been talking in terms of a 2014 withdrawal, but nobody has been able to produce a timetable identifying how and when things would happen. This document demonstrates that there is a will in the international community to have it done by then.

Read rest of article....

China This Week: Concern over US-South Korea Drill, Internet Openings and Closings, China Relations with UK, France, & EU

China Calls for Restraint as US, South Korea Plan Military Drill:  China on Thursday called for  an avoidance of tensions on the Korean Peninsula in response to a possible naval drill by the US and South Korea.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang reiterated China's opposition to foreign warships or aircraft entering the Yellow Sea area and adjacent waters, engaging in activities that would affect Chinese security and interests.

Answering a question on whether China and North Korea would plan a military exercise if US and South Korea proceeded, Qin called the hypothesis "a typical Cold War mindset."

"Times have changed," said Qin. "No single country or military alliance can resolve issues like regional security and stability."

China Comments on  South Korea warship sinking:  China urged the involved parties to "flip over the page", after the sinking of the South Korean warship Cheonan warship, and restart the six-party talks over nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang made the comment after the United Nations Security Council released a Presidential statement on the Cheonan incident. The statement has encouraged the settlement of the outstanding issues on the Korean Peninsula by peaceful means and the resumption of direct dialogue and negotiations between the two Koreas.

Copper PlPant closed after Waste Leakage:  Zijin Mining Group Co., China's largest gold producer, has shut down a copper smelter in East China after a leakage of acidic water.

The plant in Fujian Province, producing 12,800 metric tons of copper a year, will only be reopened after checks by local environmental authorities, Lan Fuyan, vice-mayor of Shanghang County, said at a press conference.

According to initial estimates, the acidic water killed more than 1.9 million kilogrammes of fish.

New Government Transparency Rules:  A new regulation extends the list of declarable assets for officials and introduces dismissal as the maximum penalty for failing to report assets honestly and promptly.

The newly added items include the official's salary and subsidies; income from other sources such as lecturing; housing owned by the family; the family's investments in unlisted companies; the family's investment in stocks, investment-oriented insurance, and other financing products; and the employment of a spouse and children at home or abroad.

However, according to Zhu Lijia, an anti-corruption professor with the Chinese Academy of Governance, the new regulation fails to make a breakthrough in making officials' assets transparent. While the regulation requires officials to report to higher officials, it does not make that information public.

China and Britain seek stronger relations:  British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Wednesday that Britain hopes to further its relationship with China, as he met with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi in Beijing.

Hague said the new British government stands ready to develop its relationship with China and would take the bilateral strategic partnership to a new level. He added that the two countries maintained close coordination and communication on issues such as development in African countries, the global economy, climate change, and the Iranian nuclear issue.

China, France Pledge to Strengthen Co-operation:  Chinese top legislator Wu Bangguo met with Marseilles Mayor Jean-Claude Gaudin on Tuesday, vowing to further cooperation at the local level between China and France.

Wu hoped Marseille would take the opportunity of the Shanghai Exposition to build links on new energy and materials, public transportation. and port construction. Gaudin said he hoped to cement cooperation with China on scientific, educational, cultural, and tourism matters.

China, EU enhance space technology co-op:  China and the European Union have strengthened their cooperation in space technology to better monitor climate change and improve the ability to prevent and control natural disasters.

At a conference entitled "Let's Embrace Space", Reinhard Schulte Braucks, head of the European Commission's Unit Space Research and Development said air pollution is a problem facing the entire world and China and the EU should strengthen cooperation to improve air quality monitoring.

China's Ministry of Science and Technology and the European Space Agency are conducting a cooperation project-DRAGONESS, which is China's largest international cooperation project in the field of earth observation.

China, Serbia vow to expand cooperation:  The top Chinese legislator Wu Bangguo and Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic met on Thursday and agreed to expand cooperation between two countries.

Thanks to their joint efforts, the two countries have made remarkable achievements in their cooperation in infrastructure construction, automobile manufacturing and other areas, noted Wu Bangguo, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China.

Wu added that China and Serbia should make a full use of such advantages and seize opportunities to deepen bilateral collaboration in infrastructure construction including roads, bridges, and power plants.

Nokia to be awarded online map license:  China's State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping said it plans to give Nokia a license to provide online mapping services in China, making it the first foreign firm to get such approval.

The announcement may open doors for other foreign applicants such as Google and Microsoft, which have also reportedly applied for such licenses.

To avoid State secrets being disclosed and uncertified maps published online, the bureau launched a regulation in May requiring all companies providing online maps and location services in China to apply for approval.

It is unclear if the bureau will also approve Google's application. The US search engine had its Internet Content Provider license renewed by the Chinese government last weekend.

Filter software Green Dam "Closure" refuted:  The "Green Dam --- Youth Escort" Internet content-filtering software, which aroused opposition due to privacy and security concerns at home and abroad last year when it was launched, is facing funding difficulties, the Beijing Times reported.

One of two companies linked to the nationwide Internet pornography-filtering project refuted reports on Tuesday that the controversial software has been halted.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced in May last year that starting 1 July, all computers sold in the country must pre-install Green Dam. But after strong opposition from both foreign and domestic computer manufacturers makers as well as users over security concerns, the installation was restricted to schools and Internet cafes.

China's Population Statistics:  China's population on the mainland will reach 1.39 billion by the end of 2015, with as many as 700 million living in urban areas. This will be the first time that the urban population exceeds the rural population in China.

The Chinese aging population, senior citizens over 60 years of age, had reached 167 million, accounting for 12.5% of the country's population. The average life expectancy in China has surpassed 73, and 18.99 million people are more than 80 years old.

China's population of floating migrant workers reached a record 211 million by 2009 and will hit 350 million by 2050 if government policies remain unchanged.

UPDATED "Praising Fadlallah" Follow-Up: The Public Apology of the British Ambassador

UPDATED 12 July: Frances Guy, Britain's Ambassador to Lebanon, has now paid public penance for her original comments --- now removed by the Foreign Office as incompatible with British policy --- on the death of Grand Ayatollah Fadlallah.

Guy's latest entry in her Foreign Office blog, "The Problem with Diplomatic Blogging", no longer makes any reference to Fadlallah and the possibilities of inter-faith discussion, "a real debate, a respectful argument" and "leav[ing] his presence feeling a better person". Instead:

UPDATED Middle East: CNN Senior Editor Fired over Twitter Remark about Lebanon’s Sheikh Fadlallah

I have no truck with terrorism wherever it is committed in whoever’s name. The British Government has been clear that it condemns terrorist activity carried out by Hizballah. I share that view....

I have spent most of my career in the Arab world working to combat terrorism, and the extremism and prejudice which can fuel it. I am sorry that an attempt to acknowledge the spiritual significance to many of Sayid Fadlallah and the views that he held in the latter part of his life has served only to further entrench divisions in this complex part of the world. I regret any offence caused.

In our coverage of the firing of CNN editor Octavia Nasr over her Twitter comment offering "sadness" for the passing of the late Grand Ayatollah Fadlallah and her respect for him, we noted that --- before Nasr's comments --- the British Ambassador to Lebanon, Frances Guy, had offered her own praise for the cleric on her blog on the Foreign Office's pages. The entry was titled, "The Passing of Decent Men". We later noted that, with Nasr gone, pressure was building on the British Government to denounce Guy's words.

Well, well, looks like Foreign Secretary William Hague has courageously ordered the removal of the blog entry. Before he did so, however, The Guardian of London saved a copy:

One of the privileges of being a diplomat is the people you meet; great and small, passionate and furious. People in Lebanon like to ask me which politician I admire most.

It is an unfair question, obviously, and many are seeking to make a political response of their own. I usually avoid answering by referring to those I enjoy meeting the most and those that impress me the most. Until yesterday my preferred answer was to refer to Sheikh Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, head of the Shia clergy in Lebanon and much admired leader of many Shia muslims throughout the world. When you visited him you could be sure of a real debate, a respectful argument and you knew you would leave his presence feeling a better person. That for me is the real effect of a true man of religion; leaving an impact on everyone he meets, no matter what their faith.

Sheikh Fadlallah passed away yesterday. Lebanon is a lesser place the day after, but his absence will be felt well beyond Lebanon's shores. I remember well when I was nominated ambassador to Beirut, a Muslim acquaintance sought me out to tell me how lucky I was because I would get a chance to meet Sheikh Fadlallah. Truly he was right. If I was sad to hear the news I know other peoples' lives will be truly blighted. The world needs more men like him willing to reach out across faiths, acknowledging the reality of the modern world and daring to confront old constraints.

May he rest in peace.