NEW CUBAN NUKE CRISIS THREAT
July 24, 2008 SpaceWar.com reported: "Is Russia serious about deploying its nuclear bombers in Cuba to retaliate against U.S. ballistic missile defense deployments in Poland or Lithuania? The story broke Monday this week when the Russian newspaper Izvestia, citing what it described as "a high placed source" in the Russian government, said if the United States went ahead with its plans to deploy Ground-based Mid-course Interceptors in Poland or Lithuania, the Kremlin could retaliate by basing its Tupolev Tu-160 White Swan supersonic nuclear bombers -- NATO codename Blackjack -- in Cuba. The U.S. government took the threat seriously and lost no time in responding to it. On Tuesday, Gen. Norton Cuba A. Schwartz, head of USAF Transport Command who has been nominated to succeed Gen. T. Michael Moseley as chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force, told his confirmation hearing in the Senate Armed Services Committee that Russia would cross "a red line" if it made such a move. "I certainly would offer best military advice that we should engage the Russians not to pursue that approach," he said. "And if they did, I think we should stand strong and indicate that that is something that crosses a threshold, crosses a red line for the United States of America." It should be noted the Russian government has carefully sought to avoid making any open threat or incendiary comments about the potential threat and it has carefully avoided being drawn out on the issue. The Defense Ministry in Moscow issued a statement saying the Izvestia story was palpably false and that it was even written under a pseudonym and quoted a non-existent organization among its sources. Nevertheless, the very possibility that Russia would deploy first-line strategic weapons systems capable of delivering nuclear weapons to the U.S. homeland from bases in Cuba, only 90 miles from the coast of Florida, would throw the entire strategic calculus of successive U.S. governments -- Republican and Democrat alike -- into complete disarray. Such a possibility has never been seriously threatened in the 46 years since the world came closer than ever before or since in its history to all-out thermonuclear war in the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. Then U.S. President John F. Kennedy and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev reached a deal whereby the successive U.S. administrations left communist Cuba alone and in return the Soviets refrained from basing any offensive nuclear weapons systems or offensive weapons capable of delivering nuclear warheads to the U.S. mainland on the island. But all of a sudden this cornerstone agreement of Cold War and post-Cold War stability and security looks as if it might disappear overnight."

MILITARY STRIKE NOT AN OPTION ON IRAN, EU MINISTERS SAY
July 23, 2008 The EU Observer reported: "European Union foreign ministers on Tuesday...called for further diplomacy in dealing with concerns over Iran's nuclear programme and ruled out a military strike as an option. UK foreign secretary David Miliband said following the meeting: "We are 100 percent focussed on a diplomatic resolution to the Iranian issue." The EU's foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, said there was "no other route" apart from diplomacy. "The position of the European Union is clear," said Mr Solana according to the AP. "We want to find a diplomatic solution to this, in particular to clarify to the fullest the nature of their nuclear programme." Mr Solana outlined for the ministers the results of a meeting on Saturday between Iran and diplomats from the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, China, and Russia, where Tehran was encouraged to halt its uranium enrichment in return for a package of economic and political carrots."... The six nations and the EU have given Iran a fortnight to reply to the latest offer. If the response is unsatisfactory, further sanctions could be considered."

HU: CHINA SEES RELATIONSHIP WITH RUSSIA AS DIPLOMATIC PRIORITY
July 21, 2008 Xinhua reported: "President Hu Jintao said on Monday that the relationship with Russia has been China's diplomatic priority. He made the comment while meeting with Russia's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergei Lavrov. "We will work with Russia to deepen strategic coordination and upgrade the partnership to new heights," said Hu. Describing current Sino-Russian relations as stable and healthy, Hu mentioned his two meetings with Russian President Dmitri Medvedev and comprehensive cooperation and consultation in international affairs. Hu particularly expressed thanks for the support of Russia on the Taiwan, Tibetan and Olympics issues, as well as its assistance after the May 12 earthquake in Sichuan Province. "All these demonstrate the friendship between the two states and peoples," Hu said, calling the two countries good neighbors, friends and partners."

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