vladtepesblog.com
The office of German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, which announced on Saturday that it would not send a congratulatory telegram to Iran’s rulers for the anniversary of the Islamic revolution, mistakenly delivered the telegram to Tehran.The Berlin-based paper Tagesspiegel reported on Sunday that a “break down” in the communication system occurred.
According to paper, Steinmeier considered two options on how to communicate to Iran’s regime. The first plan was to send a critical telegram and the second option was to break with diplomatic tradition and not congratulate the Islamic Republic of Iran. Steinmeier chose the second plan. Steinmeier’s office notified the Foreign Ministry that it will not send a telegram.However, the prepared critical telegram was sent to Iran without approval of Steinmeier. The paper said the mistake was realized after Steinmeier’s announced on Saturday that he would not praise Iran’s regime via a telegram. The German ambassador in Tehran told Iran’s regime that Steinmeier will not laud Iran’s rulers in a telegram this year.When asked for a copy of the telegram sent to Iran, Esther Uleer, a spokeswoman for Steinmeier, told The Jerusalem Post: “The text is not available for publication, since it is an internal draft of the department of the Federal President’s Office – not just a telegram from the Federal President.”The Post exclusively reported last week that Germany’s Foreign Ministry overseen by social democratic Foreign Minister Heiko Maas will celebrate the 41st anniversary of the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Iranian regime is classified as the leading state sponsor of terrorism, and has been accused of Holocaust denial and antisemitism, according to the US State Department and the Anti-Defamation League.The Iranian regime-controlled Fars News on Sunday tweeted in Persian that Steinmeier sent a congratulatory telegram to Iran’s regime.
Two Iranian regime-controlled media outlets—Nasim and the Iranian Students’ News Agency–reported on the Post article. Dr. Yossi Mansharof, an expert on Iran and political Shi’ite Islam at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS) as well as the Ezri Center for Iran and Persian Gulf Studies at the University of Haifa, told he Post that “Both Iranian websites cited the report of the Jpost that the German President will not participate in the celebrations at the Iranian embassy in Berlin – following critique.”The Iranian reports reaffirm claims made by Post last week that the United States had urged Steinmeier not to send a personal message of congratulations to the Iranian regime.US Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell told FoxNews.com last week: “Germany has a moral responsibility to say to Iran very firmly and clearly that it is unacceptable to deny basic human rights to your people, or kill protesters in the streets or push gay people off buildings. Celebrating the regime’s ongoing existence sends the opposite message.”The Post learned last Wednesday from foreign ministry sources that “The usual practice in diplomatic relations also includes the celebration of national holidays in the other country. As the Federal Republic of Germany continues to maintain diplomatic relations with Iran, this also applies to the coming national holiday.”February 11 is the “Islamic Revolution’s Victory Day,” a national holiday with regime-sponsored demonstrations in every city. The government decision to honor Iran’s regime comes just days Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government, including Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, commemorated the liberation of Auschwitz.The Foreign Ministry sources added that “as in previous years, the diplomatic missions abroad were instructed to leave the event immediately in the event of anti-Israeli or antisemitic agitation and to explain the reason for this to the hosts.”The Federal Republic regularly addresses critical issues in all areas very openly to Iran.”In February 2019, Maas and Deputy Foreign Minister Niels Annen faced criticism for honoring the Iranian regime. Annen and a diplomat who oversees the Iran desk participated in a celebration of the founding of the Islamic Republic at Tehran’s embassy in Berlin. Annen said he had “no regrets” about celebrating the regime. Bild later wrote that Annen and Steinmeier help make “antisemitism socially respectable” in Germany.Post queries to Annen were not returned. Maas said he went into politics “because of Auschwitz.” His foreign ministry has been plagued by accusations of stoking Jew-hatred. The Simon Wiesenthal included Germany’s UN ambassador Christoph Huesgen on its 2019 top 10 list of the worst outbreaks of antisemitism and anti-Israel activity. Maas approved Heugen’s anti-Israel voting record at the UN. Heusgen said he delivered a personal statement that compared Israel to the terrorist entity Hamas.The Post sent a media query to Steinmeier, asking if he planned to again congratulate Iran’s regime in the name of the German people. Steinmeier was also cited by Bild as a contributing factor in making antisemitism socially respectable for his congratulatory note to the Mullah regime last year. Steinmeir also raised the Iranian regime flag at his palace residence last year.
The German president spoke last month at Yad Vashem for the remembrance of the 75th commemoration for the liberation of Auschwitz.When asked last year if Merkel’s administration classifies Iranian regime calls to wipe Israel off the map to be antisemitic, her government told Post it is merely “anti-Israel rhetoric.” Merkel’s government declined to comment on the foreign ministry again honoring the Iranian regime on February 11.
Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, the intended successor to Chancellor Angela Merkel as leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), has announced her intentions to step down as party leader.
Ms Kramp-Karrenbaurer, known as AKK in Germany, made her announcement Monday during a press conference saying that she did not want to run for Chancellor of Germany in the next federal election and that she would also resign as leader of the CDU, Bild reports.
The successor to Chancellor Merkel, who was voted party leader in December of 2018, claimed that there was a distinct lack of support for her among fellow party members and a poll released over the weekend showed only 15 per cent of Germans thought she was the right person for the job.
AKK is expected to remain on as party leader into the summer, with a new leadership race expected by December when the next CDU national party convention is held. She is also expected to remain defence minister, with Chancellor Merkel voicing her approval.
Reactions within the CDU to the announcement have been critical, most notably from former defence minister Volker Rühe who has also called for Chancellor Merkel to resign.
“Respect for the decision! However, we must not forget who suggested Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer to the post of party leader, who proposed her for it,” he said.
Wolfgang Bosbach, a noted conservative figure in the CDU, blamed the crisis in the state of Thuringia for the resignation of AKK, saying: “Without the events in Thuringia, it would not have come that far, I am certain.”
Thuringia’s regional government was placed into crisis after the populist Alternative for Germany, led by firebrand Bjorn Hocke, supported libertarian Free Democrat (FDP) candidate Thomas Kemmerich to be elected Minister-President, alongside the CDU.
The cooperation between the AfD and the CDU was the first-ever and caused nationwide condemnation across the mainstream political spectrum. Kemmerich was forced to resignjust 24 hours after his election.
Former leader of the Social Democrats Sigmar Gabriel predicted that the announcement could have serious effects on the future of the grand coalition between the SPD and the CDU, saying: “I suspect it won’t be long before there will be new elections.”
Dietmar Gerhard Bartsch, chairman of the far-left party Die Linke in the Bundestag, went even further saying: “The CDU is currently not capable of governing. Stop that government.”
Last weekend, members of the Wenden fire brigade were shocked to discover that the St. Florian chapel on the cycle path between Wenden and Altenhof was again the target of vandalism. Between Saturday and Sunday, unknown persons threw stones, slate-plates and other objects at the furnishings in the chapel, causing material damage of about 150EUR. Unfortunately, this incident is one of a number of similar cases of damage to property that have occurred in Wenden in recent weeks.
presseportal.de/blaulicht/pm/128090/4516776
Robberies against children and young people are becoming more common and more serious in Sweden, according to the police. Many victims also dare not report the crimes because they are afraid of retaliation.
Susanne Thonberg, a police inspector in Haninge, outside Stockholm, states that many youth robberies involve genuinely criminal elements, Sveriges radio reports.
“They don’t just rob, they bully their victims as well. They force them into the woods and pee on them,” Thornberg told the broadcaster.
In recent years, robberies committed against youths have increased in Sweden. In 2019, 2,500 robberies were reported against children under the age of 18. Haninge, a municipality that has been particularly plagued by such robberies, has seen a significant uptick in these types of crimes in the last 1.5 years.
After being robbed, many victims are traumatized. Following the traumatic event, they are often afraid to sleep alone and lose interest in things that they previously enjoyed.
Another issue that the police have noticed is that few youth victims dare to file a report and testify after a robbery.
“Many youths don’t want to contact, or cooperate with the police because they are afraid of reprisals. They get accused of snitching, so many don’t want to be involved,” said Thonberg.
voiceofeurope.com/2020/02/new-trend-foreigners-rob-swedish-kids-before-peeing-on-them/
The Italian Navy is heading for Cyprus: the frigate Virginio Fasan in the waters of Nicosia is a sign of extreme interest in Mediterranean politics, given that it is the second time that an Italian war ship has stopped (within a few weeks) in a Cypriot port.
And it happens at the most critical phase of the internal power relations in the Mare Nostrum between Turkey and the EU.
The signal from the Italian and NATO forces is obvious. And it is no mystery that the Italian, French, Greek and Cypriot maneuvers in the sovereign waters of the island also have the meaning of a warning to Turkey, since the Italian Navy itself speaks, in the press release, of “activities, presence and surveillance of maritime spaces, in compliance with international law and to protect national interests”.
It is a sparse but eloquent statement since, in theory, it is sovereign waters of an allied country, surrounded by Italy’s commercial and strategic partners. Even so, ships are constantly sent to monitor this particular maritime sector.
The response stems from two needs. The first is to monitor the waters of the block in which Italian oil concern Eni operates, given that the gas from the Cypriot seabed is extremely important for Italian national interests.
But control stems above all from a need to curb the moves of Turkey, which for some time, have been present in the waters of Cyprus. And the eastern Mediterranean it is likely to blow up at any moment, given that Recep Tayyip Erdogan does nothing to hide his will to expand his country’s maritime borders. This was confirmed also by the agreement reached between Ankara and Tripoli for the new limit of the respective exclusive economic zones.
Europe, and especially the countries involved in Cypriot gas and the Levant basin, are watching these developments with great concern. Turkey has set its sights on the seabed of Cyprus and is above all concerned with preventing the East-Med pipeline – a project of fundamental importance for Israel, Cyprus, Greece and the European Union – to take shape.
The desire of Ankara is to extend its network of influence throughout the enlarged Mediterranean starting from Syria, the eastern Mediterranean and northern Cyprus, and it is clear that the European powers involved in this part of the sea are worried, especially because gas interests are an integral part of any country’s national strategy, also for southern European countries.
Clearly France and Italy do not have the same interests. And relations with Turkey are not the same. But the Mediterranean crisis has a significant impact on mutual relations, considering that France has a naval base in Cyprus, has a strong interest in the Cypriot fields, has strategic interests in Lebanon and Syria and in Libya it sides with the opponent of Turkey: Khalifa Haftar.
Italy, on the other hand, is in a rather uncomfortable position. The solid relations with Cyprus are paired with the necessary relations with Erdogan’s Turkey, with whom they share a very difficult coexistence in Tripoli and in the western part of Libya and intense commercial ties.
But the gas from the Nicosia block, where Eni has long ago started its explorations, is a key point on the Italian political agenda. And also the recent military orders of Egypt (which in fact undermine Paris) indicate the Italian will to emphasize its convergence with the anti-Erdogan blockade.
freewestmedia.com/2020/02/10/french-and-italian-war-ships-head-for-cyprus/
