Jangan Permisi

Selasa, 18 Juni 2019

Trump downplays tanker attacks in contrast to his national security team - CNN

The disconnect between Trump's comments in an interview with Time magazine -- in which he also warned that he would "certainly" go to war with Iran were the country to develop nuclear weapons -- and recent statements by national security adviser John Bolton and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo come at a time of escalating military posturing between the two countries and a heightened risk of confrontation.

Last week, two tankers -- one carrying oil and the other transporting chemicals -- were attacked near the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route that has been the focal point of regional tensions for decades. Roughly 30% of the world's sea-borne crude oil passes through the strategic choke point, making it a flashpoint for political and economic friction.

The United States has blamed Iran for the attack on the tankers in the Gulf of Oman, releasing video footage that it claims shows an Iranian patrol boat removing an unexploded mine from one of the vessels' hulls. Both Pompeo and Bolton have issued statements blaming Iran for the most recent attack, and Trump himself last week accused Iran of being behind the latest provocation, telling Fox News, "it was them that did it."

Tehran has categorically denied the accusations. In the Time interview, Trump downplayed the incidents.

"So far, it's been very minor," Trump said.

He also downplayed the importance of the Gulf of Oman, suggesting that the US doesn't rely on the region for oil and energy as much as other countries.

"We're not in the position that we used to be in in the Middle East," Trump said.

CNN has reached out to the White House for comment on Trump's remarks.

Recent actions by Washington and Tehran have again raised the possibility of military confrontation in the Persian Gulf. On Monday, acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said the US will send 1,000 additional US forces and more military resources to the Middle East, hours after Iran said it was ramping up enrichment of low-grade uranium and will pass the limit it is allowed to stockpile under the nuclear deal in 10 days, the latest blow to the nuclear deal agreed between Tehran and world powers in 2015.

And last month, Bolton announced that the Pentagon was deploying the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and a bomber task force to the region in response to a "number of troubling and escalatory indications and warnings" from Iran.

Asked by Time what moves would lead him to consider going to war with Iran, he said, "I would certainly go over nuclear weapons, and I would keep the other a question mark," referring to the possibility of military action to protect oil supplies.

But when asked if he was considering military action against Iran, the President told Time, "I wouldn't say that. I can't say that at all."

The mixed signals coming from the Trump administration have unnerved allies, House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff said Tuesday.

"The bigger problem is that the administration has been going it alone, escalating pressure on Iran, reneging on the Iran nuclear deal," Schiff, a California Democrat, told CNN's John Berman on "New Day." "And now, when you have Iran engaged in these provocative and belligerent acts attacking shipping, we can't find our allies anywhere. They're worried about this administration rushing to war. They don't have trust in the administration. The administration has ignored their warnings."

CNN's Joe Johns contributed to this report.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/18/politics/donald-trump-iran-tanker/index.html

2019-06-18 13:41:00Z
52780316583109

Trump characterizes alleged attacks by Iran on oil tankers as ‘very minor’ - The Washington Post

President Trump in an interview published Monday night characterized alleged attacks by Iran against two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman as “very minor” and suggested that the United States might not go to war to protect international oil supplies.

Trump’s assessment in Time magazine reflected a softer posture than that of senior administration officials at the Pentagon and the State Department, as well as some congressional Republicans, as tensions between the United States and Iran have flared recently.

In the interview, Trump said he would “certainly” go to war to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.

“I would keep the other a question mark,” he said when asked whether he would take military action in response to attacks on oil tankers.

Last week, Trump administration officials blamed Iran for attacks against Norwegian and Japanese oil tankers.

“So far, it’s been very minor,” he told Time, referring to those and other recent attacks the United States has blamed on Iran.

[Iran threatens to surpass uranium limits as tensions with the U.S. continue to grow]

In its effort to convince other nations of Iran’s culpability, the Pentagon released several photographs Monday that it said showed Iran’s involvement in the tanker attacks more clearly than a grainy video released last week.

Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan also announced Monday that he was sending about 1,000 additional troops to the Middle East “for defensive purposes to address air, naval, and ground-based threats.”

“The recent Iranian attacks validate the reliable, credible intelligence we have received on hostile behavior by Iranian forces and their proxy groups that threaten United States personnel and interests across the region,” he said in a statement.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Sunday that the Trump administration is considering a “full range of options” in response to the oil tanker attacks beyond the crippling sanctions it already has imposed, including on Iran’s oil exports.

“Of course, of course,” Pompeo told CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday when asked if those options include military action.

Trump told Time that the Gulf of Oman is less strategically important for the United States than it used to be.

“Other places get such vast amounts of oil there,” he said. “We get very little. We have made tremendous progress in the last two and a half years in energy. . . . So we’re not in the position that we used to be in the Middle East where . . . some people would say we were there for the oil.”

Meanwhile, Iran said Monday that its stockpile of enriched uranium will surpass limits set by the 2015 international nuclear deal in 10 days unless European partners in the agreement do more to help it circumvent U.S. sanctions.

The announcement, made by the spokesman for Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, was the first time Tehran explicitly said it was on track to violate the agreement. The increase in both quantity and quality of the enriched fuel could shorten the time, estimated at one year, that it would take to produce enough for a nuclear weapon.

Karen DeYoung contributed to this report.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-characterizes-alleged-attacks-by-iran-on-oil-tankers-as-very-minor/2019/06/18/4f2796f4-91c7-11e9-aadb-74e6b2b46f6a_story.html

2019-06-18 13:26:28Z
52780316583109

Hong Kong protests may continue as leaders reject Carrie Lam apology for China extradition bill turmoil today - CBS News

Hong Kong -- The leader of Hong Kong has apologized in person for the first time for the chaos and violence of the past week. Massive demonstrations forced her to hold up a controversial bill that would have paved the way for extraditions from the island to the China.

Protesters fear it could allow people accused of crimes in the semi-autonomous Chinese region to be transferred into the mainland's opaque legal system.

CBS News correspondent Ramy Inocencio reports that Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam, the Beijing-appointed leader of the island, offered her "most sincere apology" and said she was "sad" about the recent mass protests and violence. On Sunday some 2 million people took to the streets in Hong Kong, demanding a complete retraction of the extradition bill.

Inocencio said Lam's apology only brought more questions about her ability to carry on in the role.

The idea of losing face -- being publicly embarrassed -- is a major cultural touchstone in China. The fact that Lam showed her face at all on Tuesday was surprising, said Inocencio, but it appeared to be too little, too late for protesters, who want her to withdrawal the bill and step down.

Hong Kong residents protest increasing Chinese control

Asked by CBS News during her news conference whether her decision not to retract the bill might deepen distrust in her among Hong Kong residents, Lam said she would "not proceed again with this legislative exercise if these fears and anxieties cannot be adequately addressed."

After the news conference, protest organizers said they did not accept her apology, as Lam hasn't met any of their demands.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hong-kong-protest-carrie-lam-apology-china-extradition-bill-turmoil-today-2019-06/

2019-06-18 12:22:00Z
52780315047681

Egypt’s ousted president Morsi buried in Cairo after controversial courtroom death - The Washington Post

CAIRO — Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s first democratically elected president, was buried in a closed funeral on Tuesday, a day after his death inside a Cairo courtroom triggered calls for a probe into whether he had received adequate medical care in prison.

The 67-year-old Morsi was interred in a cemetery in Cairo’s eastern enclave of Nasr City, after Egyptian authorities refused to allow his family to bury him in his family’s graveyard in the Nile Delta province of Sharqiya, his son Ahmad Morsi said in a Facebook post.

The family attended funeral prayers in the mosque of the capital’s Tora prison, where they washed and shrouded his corpse and performed other traditional rites, said Morsi. Afterwords he was buried, in a ceremony only attended by family members, under heavy security.

Egyptian security agents prevented reporters and photographers from attending the funeral and barred journalists from traveling to Morsi’s village.

Morsi, a senior leader of the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood movement, was elected president in 2012, a year after Egypt’s Arab Spring uprising toppled longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak. That vote is still considered the country’s only fairly-contested presidential election and for many Egyptians, Morsi’s victory represented hope that democracy would take root after decades of military-led rule.

But within a year, Morsi had lost much of his political goodwill. Critics accused him of seeking to usurp power, mismanaging the economy and to Islamize the government and nation.

In July 2013, the military ousted Morsi after massive demonstrations erupted against his government, arresting him and other top Islamist leaders.

[Egypt’s ousted president Mohamed Morsi collapses in court, dies while facing trial]

Tuesday’s burial comes as Morsi’s supporters and human rights groups have demanded an impartial and transparent investigation by an international body into the circumstances surrounding his death. They allege that Morsi, who suffered from diabetes and liver disease, was denied vital medical care by Egyptian authorities in prison, causing his health to deteriorate.

Egyptian authorities and local media reports suggest Morsi died of a possible heart attack or stroke. The nation’s public prosecutor said a report was being prepared into the cause of the death. It’s unclear if that was completed before Tuesday’s burial, which in Islam is usually within 24 hours of death.

The Muslim Brotherhood, whose top members are now in exile in Turkey and other parts of the world, described Morsi’s death as “murder.”

Morsi was held in solitary confinement for six years, largely denied access to family, friends and lawyers. His family was permitted to visit him only three times.

In calling for an investigation, Human Rights Watch’s Middle East and North Africa director, Sarah Leah Whitson, said that Morsi’s death “followed years of government mistreatment” and that his medical care was “inadequate.”

“At the very least, the Egyptian government committed grave abuses against Morsi by denying him prisoners’ rights that met minimum standards.”

In a statement Tuesday, Egypt’s State Information Service called the allegations a “new ethical low” and “an attempt to prematurely reach outcomes with the most politicized intentions.” It added that the accusations of medical mistreatment are “unfounded.”

A month after the military toppled Morsi, Egyptians troops raided protest camps, killing hundreds of Morsi’s supporters in Cairo’s Rabaa al-Adawiya Square and other areas. Human Rights Watch called it “one of the world’s largest killings of demonstrators in a single day in recent history.”

The Muslim Brotherhood was outlawed as a “terrorist group.”

During the coup and the massacre, the army was led by Gen. Abdel Fatah al-Sissi. He became Egypt’s president in 2014 and was reelected last year after all his credible opponents dropped out due to arrest, intimidation or the lack of a level playing field.

Sissi’s government has jailed tens of thousands of Brotherhood members and supporters, all but crushing the movement. His authoritarianism has spread since 2017, silencing most forms of dissent, including shutting down hundreds of websites deemed critical and most independent media.

The government also continued to target Morsi and other top Muslim Brotherhood leaders even while they were in prison. A death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment, but Morsi kept facing multiple trials for inciting violence and other charges.

When he collapsed inside a glass cage where defendants are held in the courtroom on Monday, he was on trial on charges of engaging in espionage with Hamas, the Palestinian militant group.

Trump calls Egypt’s Sissi a ‘great president’ as U.S. plays down human rights concerns

Today’s coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/egypts-ousted-president-morsi-buried-in-cairo-after-controversial-courtroom-death/2019/06/18/d4f0988a-919f-11e9-b570-6416efdc0803_story.html

2019-06-18 10:45:03Z
CAIiEJGCvarGjrbTOu7iHBsRAaUqGAgEKg8IACoHCAowjtSUCjC30XQwn6G5AQ

Hong Kong’s Leader Publicly Apologizes for Extradition Bill - The New York Times

HONG KONG — Backpedaling under mounting pressure, Hong Kong’s top leader publicly apologized on Tuesday for having proposed contentious legislation that would allow extraditions to mainland China.

“I offer my most sincere apology to all people of Hong Kong,” the leader, Carrie Lam, said at a news conference at government headquarters.

“I’ve still got much to learn and do in better balancing diverse interests, in listening more to all walks of life in taking our society forward,” she added.

Mrs. Lam, who had already announced the extradition bill’s indefinite suspension, did not concede to protesters’ demands that it be withdrawn entirely. But she said that as long as there were public disputes over its contents, legislative work on it would not be resumed.

She also said that she would not resign as Hong Kong’s chief executive, but acknowledged that “as for my governance in the future, it will be difficult.”

Mrs. Lam was trying to strike a difficult balance on Tuesday, showing contrition to protesters without further giving in to their demands. She avoided antagonizing the Chinese leaders who appointed her by taking the blame for the legislation herself, not mentioning Beijing’s support for it. She also tried to express concern for injured protesters without undercutting the Hong Kong police, whose use of force has added to public anger.

About 100 people gathered on Tuesday outside the offices of the central government and listened as Mrs. Lam’s words boomed from a loudspeaker. Many booed as she spoke.

Samuel Chan, an electronics trader, said he did not believe Mrs. Lam was listening to the protesters.

As many as two million people marched in Hong Kong on Sunday, according to organizers. Though the extradition bill has been suspended, protesters say it should be fully withdrawn.CreditLam Yik Fei for The New York Times

“They are just responding to the issue according to a government mind-set,” said Mr. Chan, 56. “Not the people’s will.”

Mrs. Lam faces broad public anger following three large-scale demonstrations over the past 10 days by protesters fearful that the extradition bill would encroach on their civil liberties. Even after her announcement on Saturday that the legislation was being suspended indefinitely, protesters turned out the next day in larger numbers than ever, with organizers providing an unverified estimate of close to two million of the territory’s seven million residents.

The extradition bill would make it easier for Hong Kong, a semiautonomous Chinese territory, to send people suspected of crimes to jurisdictions with which it does not have extradition agreements. That would include mainland China, where the judicial system is notoriously opaque and under the tight control of the ruling Communist Party.

Opponents worry that if the bill were to become law, anyone in the city could potentially be sent to the mainland, including dissidents.

Sunday evening, the Hong Kong government responded to the march with a conciliatory written statement that ended with a rare apology from Mrs. Lam, who is known for almost never backing down in a fight.

That was not enough to satisfy Mrs. Lam’s critics, many of whom have called for her to withdraw the bill outright and resign. As long as it is merely suspended, experts say, the approval process could be quickly restarted at any time in the Hong Kong legislature, which is controlled by pro-Beijing lawmakers.

The Civil Human Rights Front, one of the broader groups that helped organize the recent protests, said in a statement late Monday that it still wanted Mrs. Lam to resign.

A bigger priority for the group, however, is that the government drop all charges against those who were arrested during the protests.

The police have arrested at least 32 people since Wednesday, when a demonstration outside the Hong Kong legislature turned violent. A group of protesters attempting to storm the building threw umbrellas and other objects at the police, who responded with tear gas and rubber bullets.

Image

Protesters outside Mrs. Lam’s office on Monday. They have demanded her resignation.CreditLam Yik Fei for The New York Times

The Hong Kong police commissioner, Lo Wai-chung, said on Monday that the government would pursue rioting charges against five people accused of being involved in the violence. Protesters had objected to his earlier characterization of the Wednesday protest as a riot.

On Tuesday, Mrs. Lam did not elaborate on Mr. Lo’s remarks except to say that those who protested peacefully would not face legal action.

Her remarks represented the clearest apology for a major public initiative by any chief executive of Hong Kong since Britain returned sovereignty over the territory to China in 1997. Tung Chee-hwa, the territory’s first chief executive, did not apologize in 2003 when he shelved Beijing-backed national security legislation that would have allowed warrantless police searches and the closing of newspapers deemed seditious.

The extradition fight has been compared to the one under Mr. Tung, who stayed in office for 21 more months but did not finish his term. Those who say Ms. Lam should resign are not willing to wait that long.

“Carrie has apologized but refuses to budge on withdrawing the bill and resigning,” Anson Chan, a democracy advocate who was Hong Kong’s second-highest official until her retirement in 2001, said on Tuesday. “It seems every concession has to be dragged out of her.”

Some democracy activists are quietly nervous about the possibility of a resignation by Mrs. Lam, a lifelong civil servant, because her political heir apparent, Paul Chan, has a reputation for being even more strongly pro-Beijing.

Others are adamant that Mrs. Lam step down. They contend that the Hong Kong public should press for full and free elections rather than accept the current system, in which a pro-Beijing committee of fewer than 1,200 people selects the chief executive.

Protesters made similar demands for open elections five years ago, when they occupied major roadways for almost three months in what is known as the Umbrella Movement. While that movement did not achieve its short-term objectives, it had a major influence on this year’s anti-extradition protests.

Emily Lau, a former chairwoman of the Democratic Party who is still an influential voice on democracy issues, said the politics of Mr. Chan, the financial secretary, should not deter critics from calling for Mrs. Lam’s resignation.

“It would be a disaster to have him as chief executive,” Ms. Lau said. “But we should not say, ‘Because we don’t want Paul Chan, maybe Carrie should stay.’”

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/18/world/asia/hong-kong-carrie-lam-apology.html

2019-06-18 10:36:53Z
52780315047681

Hong Kong’s Leader Publicly Apologizes for Extradition Bill - The New York Times

“I would like to tender my sincere apologies to the citizens of Hong Kong,” the leader, Carrie Lam, said at a news conference at government headquarters. “I have come to understand I could have done better, I should have done a better job.”

She also said that she would not resign as Hong Kong’s chief executive, but acknowledged that “as for my governance in the future, it will be difficult.”

About 100 people gathered on Tuesday outside the offices of the central government and listened as Mrs. Lam’s words boomed from a loudspeaker. Many booed as she spoke.

Samuel Chan, an electronics trader, said he did not believe Mrs. Lam was listening to the protesters.

“They are just responding to the issue according to a government mind-set,” said Mr. Chan, 56. “Not the people’s will.”

Opponents worry that if the bill were to become law, anyone in the city could potentially be sent to the mainland, including dissidents.

That was not enough to satisfy Mrs. Lam’s critics, many of whom have called for her to withdraw the bill outright and resign. As long as it is merely suspended, experts say, it could be reintroduced at any time in the Hong Kong legislature, which is controlled by pro-Beijing lawmakers.

The Civil Human Rights Front, one of the broader groups that helped organize the recent protests, said in a statement late Monday that it still wanted Mrs. Lam to resign.

A bigger priority for the group, however, is that the government drop all charges against those who were arrested during the protests.

Image

Protesters outside Mrs. Lam’s office on Monday. They have demanded her resignation.CreditLam Yik Fei for The New York Times

On Tuesday, Mrs. Lam did not elaborate on Mr. Lo’s remarks except to say that those who protested peacefully would not face legal action.

“It would be a disaster to have him as chief executive,” Ms. Lau said. “But we should not say, ‘Because we don’t want Paul Chan, maybe Carrie should stay.’”

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/18/world/asia/hong-kong-carrie-lam-apology.html

2019-06-18 10:30:00Z
52780315047681

Hong Kong’s Leader Publicly Apologizes for Extradition Bill - The New York Times

HONG KONG — Backpedaling under mounting public pressure, Hong Kong’s top leader publicly apologized on Tuesday for having proposed contentious legislation that would allow extraditions to mainland China.

“I would like to tender my sincere apologies to the citizens of Hong Kong,” Carrie Lam, the chief executive of Hong Kong, said at a news conference at government headquarters. “I have come to understand I could have done better, I should have done a better job.”

Mrs. Lam, who had already announced the bill’s indefinite suspension, said on Tuesday that as long as there were public disputes over its contents, legislative work on it would not be resumed.

She also said that she would not resign, but acknowledged that “as for my governance in the future, it will be difficult.”

About 100 people gathered outside the offices of the central government and listened as Mrs. Lam’s words boomed from a loudspeaker. Many booed as she spoke.

Samuel Chan, an electronics trader, said he did not believe Mrs. Lam was listening to the demands of protesters, including their call to withdraw the extradition bill entirely.

“They are just responding to the issue according to a government mind-set,” said Mr. Chan, 56. “Not the people’s will.”

Mrs. Lam faces broad public anger and continued demands for her resignation following three large-scale protests over the past 10 days. Despite her announcement on Saturday that the legislation was being suspended indefinitely, protesters turned out the next day in larger numbers than ever, with organizers providing an unverified estimate of close to two million of the territory’s seven million people.

On Sunday evening, the Hong Kong government responded to that march with a conciliatory written statement that ended with a rare apology from Mrs. Lam, who is known for almost never backing down in a fight.

“The chief executive apologized to the people of Hong Kong for this and pledged to adopt a most sincere and humble attitude to accept criticisms and make improvements in serving the public,” the statement said.

That was not enough to satisfy Mrs. Lam’s many critics. The Civil Human Rights Front, one of the broader groups that helped organize the recent protests, said in a statement on Monday night that it still wanted her to resign.

Its first priority, however, is that the government drop all charges against those who have been arrested during the protests.

The police have arrested 32 people since Wednesday, when a demonstration outside the Hong Kong legislature turned violent. A group of protesters attempting to storm the building threw umbrellas and other objects at the police, who responded with tear gas and rubber bullets.

The Hong Kong police commissioner, Lo Wai-chung, said on Monday evening that the government would pursue rioting charges against only five people accused of being involved in the violence. Protesters had objected to his earlier characterization of the Wednesday protest as a riot.

On Tuesday, Mrs. Lam did not elaborate on Mr. Lo’s remarks except to say that those who protested peacefully would not face legal action.

Image

Protesters outside Mrs. Lam’s office on Monday. They have demanded her resignation.CreditLam Yik Fei for The New York Times

“It would be a disaster to have him as chief executive,” Ms. Lau said. “But we should not say, ‘Because we don’t want Paul Chan, maybe Carrie should stay.’”

Many critics have also called for the extradition bill to be withdrawn outright rather than merely suspended. Otherwise, experts say, it could be reintroduced at any time, although government advisers have made it clear that there is no plan to do so.

Hong Kong’s legislature is controlled by pro-Beijing lawmakers, who hold 43 of 70 seats. When she announced the extradition bill’s suspension on Saturday, Mrs. Lam said that if she had wanted to force it through, she would have had enough votes to do so.

Anthony Cheung, a former transport and housing secretary, said the government should withdraw the bill because there was so much disagreement over what it should say.

“Definitely there is no consensus within the community, including the legal community, on the contents of the bill,” he said in a telephone interview on Tuesday morning.

The bill would make it easier for Hong Kong to send people suspected of crimes to jurisdictions with which it does not have extradition agreements. That would include mainland China, where the judicial system is notoriously opaque and under the tight control of the ruling Communist Party.

Opponents fear that if the bill becomes law, anyone in the city would be at risk of being sent to the mainland, including dissidents. Under the terms of Hong Kong’s return to Chinese rule in 1997, the former British colony has its own legal and economic systems, as well as civil liberties unknown on the mainland. But in recent years, those freedoms have eroded.

Mrs. Lam has said many times that she introduced the bill to resolve the case of a local man accused of murdering his girlfriend in Taiwan, which does not have an extradition treaty with Hong Kong. But Taiwan, which China considers its territory, has said it would not seek the man’s extradition under the legislation, which it fears could undermine its sovereignty.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/18/world/asia/hong-kong-carrie-lam-apology.html

2019-06-18 08:31:49Z
52780315047681