Derek Mitchell appoined US envoy to Myanmar

 

Veteran diplomat Derek Mitchell will be appointment as America's first Ambassador to Myanmar in 22 years.His appointment has been confirmed by the Senate, the latest in a series of efforts by the US to bring the country out of isolation after five decades of military rule.

Forty seven -year-old Mitchell, who was till now the Special US Representative and Policy Coordinator for Myanmar, is expected to leave for that country soon.

San Suu Kyi is back to Myanmar

San Suu Kyi is back to Myanmar on Saturday after her five-nation European tour.
She arrived in Yangon after an exhausting two-week visit to Europe was given a reception normally reserved for heads of state and toasted for her peaceful resistance to dictatorship.Suu Kyi, 67, to prepare for the re-opening of Myanmar's fledgling parliament in Naypyidaw on Wednesday when she will take her place -- alongside her National League for Democracy (NLD) colleagues as an elected MP for the first time.

On her first visit to Europe in more than two decades the Nobel Peace laureate visited Switzerland, Norway, Ireland, Britain and France.She delivered a long delayed Nobel lecture, was honoured at her alma mater Oxford University, met pop stars and politicians and charmed the European public with speeches on her decades of struggle and her hopes for Myanmar.On Thursday in Paris she said she was ready to lead the country if required and pledged to work towards embedding reforms ahead of scheduled 2015 national elections.She also expressed delight at her reception and the support the Myanmar democracy campaign has garnered in Europe over the years."So many people from different parts of the world seem to be aware of what we have been struggling for in Burma," she said. "I felt such a tremendous sense of solidarity with us. That has been a surprise."

Parliamentary session is to discuss recent deadly communal violence which flared in western Myanmar, among other issues, and marks the NLD's entry into mainstream political institutions in the country.
The party was repressed for years by the army junta that ruled Myanmar for decades, but a reformist government under ex-general President Thein Sein has made a number of changes since it took office last year.Media agencies

Mercosur Suspends Paraguay

By sagarmedia on June 30, 2012 | 

South American trading bloc Mercosur has suspended Paraguay’s membership in the organization while approving Venezuela as a new member, Mexican media reported.
Presidents of Mercosur member-countries gathered on Friday in Mendoza, Argentina, for an emergency summit following the recent impeachment of Paraguay’s President Fernando Lugo by the country’s parliament.
Mercosur leaders voted to suspend Paraguay’s membership until presidential elections in the country in April 2013, but decided against imposing economic sanctions on one of Latin America’s poorest nations as Paraguay’s economy heavily depends on trade with other Mercosur members.
Mercosur, which comprises Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay as full members, and Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru as associate members, earlier condemned Lugo’s ouster and barred Paraguay’s interim president Federico Franco, whose party supported the impeachment, from attending the summit.
At the summit, the leaders of the bloc approved Venezuela as a new full member starting July 31.
Caracas had been trying to get the full membership for six years, but the move had been blocked by Paraguayan lawmakers despite Lugo’s support of Venezuela’s aspirations.
Venezuela’s President Hugo Chávez said in an interview with Telesur television network on Friday that the country’s full membership in Mercosur would have a powerful “political, geopolitical, and social” impact as it meant “a defeat for imperialism and Paraguayan bourgeoisie.”

Annan calls to end the bloodshed in Syria

By sagarmedia on June 30, 2012 | Leave a Comment | Edit

 

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov believes that the international community has a good chance in Geneva of finding a path forward to stimulate the implementation of Kofi Annan’s Plan on the Syrian conflict.
“We have a very good chance tomorrow in Geneva to find a common denominator and find a path forward in order to stimulate the implementation of of Annan’s Plan from both sides of the Syrian [conflict],” Lavrov said during a briefing after a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in St. Petersburg.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said the Syrian government is ready to withdraw its armed forces from the country’s cities in parallel with the forces of the Syrian opposition.
Russia has said the Geneva conference should include all the permanent members of the UN Security Council, Syria’s neighbors (Iraq, Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon), as well as key players in the region (Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iran) and international organizations (League of Arab States, European Union).
According to UN estimates, some 10,000 people have been killed in Syria since the beginning of a popular uprising against President Bashar al-Assad in March 2011. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Lodon-based organization with a network of activists in Syria, has put the death toll at 12,000.
UN-Arab League joint envoy Kofi Annan on Friday appealed to participants in a Saturday meeting on Syria to “act in unison” to end the bloodshed in the Middle East country, pointing to deep involvement by external powers which is contributing to a worsening situation there.
“Many external powers are deeply involved,” the former UN chief wrote in an article for The Washington Post, noting “Despite formal unity behind the six-point plan, mutual mistrust has made them work at cross-purposes.”
The six-point peace plan devised by Annan has won widespread support but has failed to halt the raging violence and bloodshed in Syria. The envoy blamed the plan’s non-implementation for its failure, and lamented the situation in the Arab nation as one that “could hardly be more grave.”
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Tuesday that his country is “in a state of a real war,” calling for all polices and directives directed to win the war.
Without naming any countries, Annan said the external powers, ” intentionally or otherwise,” “have encouraged the government and parts of the opposition to believe that force is the only option.”
“This serves no one’s interest — least of all that of the Syrian people,” he asserted.
Annan announced on Wednesday that an Action Group for Syria, involving world powers and regional players, will meet on Saturday in Geneva to identify “steps and measures” to secure full implementation of the peace plan and UN Security Council resolutions 2042 and 2043, including “an immediate cessation of violence in all its forms.”

Mongolian Democratic Party to form coalition govt

By sagarmedia on June 30, 2012 |

2012-06-30 08:22:33 – ULAANBAATAR, MONGOLIA .Sagar Media Inc;
The main opposition Mongolian Democratic Party, or MDP, is expected to become the largest force in the country’s parliament. It took the most votes but failed to gain a majority in Thursday’s general election.The pro-free market party is expected to soon begin talks with other parties to form a coalition government.
The election commission said that with 97 percent of the votes counted on Friday afternoon, the MDP had won about 32 percent, followed by the ruling Mongolian People’s Party, or MPP, with 28 percent.
The breakaway party from the MPP, the Mongolian People’s Revolutionary Party, or MPRP, led by former president Nambaryn Enkhbayar, garnered about 20 percent of total vote. MDP has secured 20 seats . The MPP has 15, and the MPRP 4.
The final results will not be known for a while as 28 seats for the proportional representation constituencies have yet to be allocated.
Davaa Batbayar, a candidate from the MDP who was called Kyokushuzan when he was a sumo wrestler in Japan, lost his bid.Retired Yokozuna grand champion Asashoryu’s
elder brother Dolgorsuren Sumiyabazar, from the MPP, lost despite support from his younger brother.
From the Office of the President of Mongolia: The following is a statement released by Mongolian President Tsakhia Elbegdorj to international journalists and organizations observing Mongolia’s seventh parliamentary election upon the conclusion of voting:
“I am proud that the people of Mongolia have cast their ballots today in the seventh free and fair national parliamentary elections since our revolution. On the heels of these elections, we have moved further down the path of democracy and progress for this great nation.
As the democratic anchor of the East, Mongolia has an obligation to our people and to our global allies to continue on the course of expanding freedom and opportunity for all. The votes of our citizens in this week’s elections serve as a reminder that our people hold their leaders accountable for their actions, and that continuing to eliminate corruption, promoting transparency and building economic success for all Mongolians remain national priorities.
To best serve the interests of our people and to advance our global role as a stable democracy, members of all political parties must work together to ensure that Mongolia will meet the challenges of the 21st century. This objective is critical, as only cooperative governance will ensure a proper standard of living for our people, and opportunities for generations to come.
I urge the members of the new parliament to work together to ensure the sustainability of our nation’s precious resources as we pursue meaningful economic opportunities that these assets offer all Mongolians.
Today is a great day in Mongolia’s history. We should be justifiably proud of completing another free and fair election. However, we cannot forget the tremendous, important work that lies before us. I am committed to working closely with the new parliament, civil society groups, business and community leaders to move Mongolia forward. I truly believe that in doing so our people will reap the rewards for themselves and their children that their hopes, votes, and their voices have brought them.”

EU leaders &German parliament approves EU bailout fund

By sagarmedia 

Germany’s Parliament finally approves a permanent euro zone bailout scheme. A new budget rules drawn up by German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Both the bills were ratified by Germany’s lower house Bundestag and upper house Bundesrat with the required two third majority.With the ratification of the European Stability Mechanism and “fiscal pact” also called fiscal compact for budget discipline, Germany clarified its intentions to stand by the euro.The 500 billion euro fund ESM will be used to bailout the faltering economies of Italy and Spain.

European leaders have agreed to allow the use of rescue funds to recapitalize ailing banks directly.
European Council President Herman Van Rompuy told reporters about the agreement on Friday following overnight meetings at the EU summit in Brussels.The agreement states that by the end of this year bailout funds will be provided directly to banks rather than through their national governments.The decision comes as the governments of Italy and Spain are urging action to bring down their borrowing costs for financing public debt.Van Rompuy said the EU countries hope to finalize the plans when the region’s finance ministers meet on July 9th.The EU summit agreed to spend 120 billion euro, or about 149 billion dollars, to stimulate economic growth.