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Une nouvelle inconnue s’est ajoutée à une équation grecque déjà passablement complexe : les deux partis les plus opposés à l’aide à la Grèce (le parti du Centre et les « Vrais Finlandais ») ont remporté les élections de dimanche en Finlande. Il va devenir difficile pour le gouvernement d’Alexis Tsipras d’invoquer en permanence se toute fraiche légitimité démocratique pour continuer à refuser d’établir la liste des réformes précises que ses créanciers lui réclament en échange d’un nouveau prêt de 7,2 milliards d’euros, le camp des « durs » au sein de l’Eurogroupe (les 19 ministres des Finances de la zone euro) se renforçant. Car, depuis deux mois, la Grèce « joue la montre », selon un diplomate européen, « espérant qu’on ne pourra pas faire autrement que de l’aider de peur de voir la zone euro se déliter : ont-ils raison ? Ou sommes-nous prêts à prendre le risque d’un Grexit ? C’est impossible à dire ». Quoi qu’il en soit, chaque jour qui passe rapproche dangereusement le pays d’un défaut de paiement, d’autant que l’incertitude politique grève dangereusement les espoirs de reprise économique.

Pourtant, la Grèce a pu mesurer son isolement au cours des dernières semaines : non seulement elle n’a trouvé aucun allié au sein de la zone euro, mais elle a indisposé par ses provocations (les réparations de guerre demandées à Berlin, les clins d’œil à Moscou et Pékin) et ses erreurs de manœuvre ses partenaires les mieux disposés à son égard. La zone euro « n’a jamais été aussi unie », a ainsi expliqué hier à Libération Pierre Moscovici, le commissaire chargé des affaires économiques et monétaires. Pis : elle n’a trouvé aucun allié extérieur : ni Moscou ni Pékin ne se sont montrés disposés à suppléer les Européens. Wolfgang Schäuble, le ministre allemand des Finances, n’a pas hésité à se moquer de Syriza, le parti de gauche radicale qui dirige la Grèce avec la droite radicale souverainiste d’ANEL, jeudi, à Washington : « si vous trouvez quelqu’un à Moscou ou à Pékin qui est prêt à vous prêter de l’argent, nous sommes d’accord ».

Les États-Unis, qui souhaitent pour des raisons stratégiques que la Grèce reste dans l’Union européenne et dans l’euro, se sont eux-mêmes lassés des tergiversations grecques : « aidez-vous vous-mêmes, faites des réformes difficiles : collectez l’impôt, réduisez votre bureaucratie, rendez de la flexibilité au marché du travail », a lancé le président américain Barack Obama, vendredi, lors d’une conférence de presse avec le Premier ministre italien Matteo Renzi. « Nous soutiendrons un degré de flexibilité sur la façon dont vous avancerez », a-t-il poursuivi, « mais vous devez montrer à vos créanciers et à ceux qui soutiennent votre système financier que vous essayez de vous aider vous-mêmes, et cela requiert le genre de décisions difficiles que Matteo commence à prendre ».

« Si le verre est à moitié vide, on pourra considérer qu’il est à moitié plein », espère un haut fonctionnaire européen : « tout le monde veut les aider. Mais pour l’instant, le verre est totalement vide et ça, c’est inacceptable ». Ce que confirme Pierre Moscovici : « les négociations avec la Grèce avancent très lentement. Ca n’a commencé à bouger que samedi, lors de la réunion du Club de Bruxelles –Commission, Banque centrale européenne, FMI- samedi à Paris ». « Ca coince sur tout : le gouvernement grec ne propose aucune réforme articulée et n’a aucune vue d’ensemble de ce qu’il faut faire », poursuit l’ancien ministre des finances français : « les Européens leur ont pourtant donné du temps et ont fait preuve de flexibilité. Le climat actuel est très très préoccupant ».

De fait, selon nos informations, ce n’est pas seulement sur la réforme des retraites, la flexibilisation du marché du travail ou l’augmentation de la TVA, c’est-à-dire les mesures d’austérité budgétaires, que les négociations bloquent : tout se passe comme si Syriza ne s’attendait pas à accéder au pouvoir et n’avait pas préparé une feuille de route précise d’une réforme d’un État qu’il juge lui-même dysfonctionnel. Ainsi, la lutte contre l’évasion et la fraude fiscale n’est pour l’instant qu’une proclamation et n’a pas été accompagnée de mesures concrètes n’a été prise, comme, par exemple, le rattachement du SDOE (l’élite des agents du fisc) au secrétaire général chargé des recettes publiques (un poste indépendant). Or, la capacité de l’État grec de lever enfin l’impôt est sans doute l’un des plus gros abcès de fixation des créanciers de la Grèce qui veulent éviter que le pays ne replonge dans ses vieux travers (la fraude fiscale est estimée entre 20 et 40 milliards d’euros par an selon les sources). « Non seulement il ne se passe rien entre la Grèce et la zone euro, mais il ne se passe rien à l’intérieur du pays », affirme un diplomate européen : « on ne sait vraiment pas ce qu’ils veulent ». Or, sans réformes précises, pas d’aide, mais aussi pas de négociation sur un allègement de la dette ou du surplus primaire budgétaire (avant charge de la dette).

Le problème est que le temps presse : selon le FMI, il faudra non seulement boucler rapidement le plan d’aide actuel, mais mettre sur les rails d’ici fin juin un troisième plan qui pourrait être compris entre 30 et 50 milliards afin de mettre le pays à l’abri des marchés jusqu’en 2030. Ce qui s’annonce difficile, car, là aussi, il faudra qu’Athènes s’engage sur des réformes structurelles précises. Si la Grèce continue à trainer des pieds, le nouveau gouvernement finlandais ne manquera pas de s’opposer à un troisième plan d’aide. Le Grexit est-il devenu inéluctable ? « Tous les scénarios sont sur la table », soupire le diplomate européen déjà cité.

N.B.: article paru dans Libération du 21 avril 2015

Nyolcszáz ember halála kellett ahhoz, hogy a Földközi-tengeren átkelő bevándorlókkal a legmagasabb szinten foglalkozzon az EU.

Armateurs de France se félicite de la signature, le 17 avril 2015, d’un accord de branche sur la formation professionnelle des personnels navigants et sédentaires. Faisant suite au vote de la loi n° 2014-288 du 5 mars 2014 relative à la formation professionnelle, le nouvel accord met en place le compte personnel de formation (CPF) pour les marins et les personnels à terre, en remplacement du droit individuel à la formation (DIF). Il est accompagnée d’une liste de formations maritimes ciblées par la branche et éligibles pour le salarié au titre du CPF.

• Lire la suite de Formation : signature d’un accord pour les navigants et sédentaires

Nagyon-nagyon szubjektív Lenin poszt a szülinapra.

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Titulaire de la chaire de cybersécurité de Saint-Cyr, Daniel Ventre revient sur l'attaque informatique subie par TV5Monde. Interview.

(Own report) - The Jewish Community of Thessaloniki and the "Train of Commemoration" are demanding, in a joint letter addressed to the Board of Management of the Deutsche Bahn AG (DB AG), that the receipts extorted from Greece during the anti-Semitic deportations of the "Reichsbahn" be reimbursed. In 1943, the State-owned railway company had collected through its complicity in the mass murder of more than 58,000 Jewish Greeks, more than 2 million reichsmark in ticket fares. This money found its way into the coffers of the German Ministry of Finances and has never been reimbursed. The Jewish Community of Thessaloniki and the "Train of Commemoration" have calculated the debt - including the 72 years of accumulated interests - to be more than 89 million Euros. The debtors are the DB AG and the Federal Republic of Germany. The joint open letter of the Greek-German cooperation partners accuses Berlin of withholding money obtained through crimes against humanity. The "Train of Commemoration" calls for launching an international appeal to add emphasis to their joint initiative.

Press Release April 21, 2015  Contact: Yakira Heller
NGO Monitor
058-668-9603
yakira.heller@ngo-monitor.org Statement on Amnesty International-UK's Rejection of a Resolution to Campaign against Antisemitism
Jerusalem - Amnesty International-UK's (AIUK) decision to reject a campaign against antisemitism in the UK highlights the hypocrisy and moral bankruptcy of what was once a leader in human rights advocacy.

On April 19, AIUK held its 2015 Annual General Meeting, and adopted 16 of 17 motions. The only proposed resolution that was rejected called on AIUK to "Campaign against anti-Semitism in the UK," as well as "Lobby the UK Government to tackle the rise in anti-Semitic attacks in Britain" and "monitor anti-semitism closely." According to the motion, "neither AIUK nor the [Amnesty] International Secretariat have undertaken research or campaigning work specifically on anti-Semitism in the UK."

The AIUK vote also took place in the context of repeated antisemitic incidents within the organization itself -- in particular the activities of staff member Kristyan Benedict, who currently is listed as "crisis response manager." Benedict has a history of obsessive anti-Israel attacks and antisemitic outbursts. One example involved a threat of physical violence against a pro-Israel attendee of an event that Benedict chaired. A second example (November 2011), Benedict tweeted an attack on three British MPs whom he characterized as war-mongers, all of whom are Jewish. This prompted an inquiry into Amnesty by the UK All-Party Parliamentary Group against Anti-Semitism, seeking clarification on the organizations policies towards preventing antisemitism. He has investigated by AUIK for some of his rhetoric; however, serious steps have not been taken.
Amnesty-UK's refusal to condemn antisemitism also comes at a time when levels of antisemitism in Europe are at levels unparalleled since the end of World War II. Nevertheless, an Amnesty-UK official offered a misleading technical justification, claiming that "our membership decided not to pass this resolution calling for a campaign with a single focus." In fact, AIUK has initiated "single focus" campaigns frequently in the past, for instance, approving "overwhelmingly" a 2010 resolution on Sinti and Roma Communities, and stating: "Within the last year widespread discrimination and violence against Sinti and Roma communities has intensified in a number of European countries, which Amnesty International has published within respective country reports." AUIK's silence on antisemitism stands in sharp contrast.


Antisemitism in Europe. Picture is from March 2014 -- before Gaza war.
Credit: Arutz Sheva. Photo not from original press release

In this context, we note that NGO Monitor research has repeatedly shown that Amnesty International and AIUK disproportionately single out Israel for condemnations, and focus attacks on Israel while ignoring severe and systematic human rights violations in the region. Many Amnesty officials and "researchers" have a history of intense anti-Israel activisms, promoting the narrative of Palestinian victimhood and Israeli guilt, to the exclusion of universal human rights. AUIK's decision to turn its back on antisemitism is consistent with this immoral record.-----------------------------------------Anti-Israel and Antisemitic tweets by AIUK staff member, Kristyan BenedictTweet (November 19, 2012): "Louise Ellman, Robert Halfon & Luciana Berger walk into a bar...each orders a round of B52s (inspired by @KarlreMarks Bar quips) #Gaza.Tweet (November 5, 2014): Israeli regimes response to our Gaza report: Amnesty is "a propaganda tool for Hamas & other terror groups" (#JSIL?) http://t.co/gqwN9O2JrK
NGO Monitor, an independent research institution, was founded in 2002 in the wake of the World Conference against Racism in Durban, South Africa. At this conference, 1,500 NGOs formulated the "Durban Strategy" which aims to isolate Israel through measures such as boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaigns, lawfare, delegitimization and demonization.  NGO Monitor (www.ngo-monitor.org), is the leading source of expertise on the activities and funding of political advocacy NGOs involved in the Arab-Israeli conflict. NGO Monitor provides detailed and fully sourced information and analysis, promotes accountability, and supports discussion on the reports and activities of NGOs (non-governmental organizations) claiming to advance human rights and humanitarian agendas.
  # # #mail@ngo-monitor.orgwww.ngo-monitor.org

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Last week, I was once again in attendance at the Russian MOD’s Moscow Conference on International Security (MCIS). As I did last year, over the next couple of weeks I’ll write up some of the key speeches and then conclude with some takeaway thoughts on the event.

The Russian speakers at the plenary session included Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov. Security Council Secretary Nikolay Patrushev delivered greetings from Vladimir Putin. So pretty much the same lineup as last year, with the addition of Patrushev. The links above go to video of the speeches, with Russian language audio. Texts of the speeches have also been posted: Shoigu, Lavrov, Gerasimov, Patrushev.

For those who don’t understand Russian, here are some highlights of the speeches:

First up, the greeting from Vladimir Putin, as read by Nikolay Patrushev. The greeting highlighted the significance of holding the conference just before the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, noting that it is a reminder that history cannot be forgotten and of the threats presented by the glorification of Nazism, the encouragement of xenophobia and extremism, and pretensions of any country to world domination. The speech also noted that the current system of international security was developed collectively in the aftermath of the second World War on the basis of mutual interests and partnership. Any distancing from these rules leads to one-sided and non-workable efforts to resolve global threats. Furthermore, crude interference in any country’s internal affairs through scenarios such as “color revolutions” just increases the space where violence and chaos are rampant. The rise of the Islamic State highlights the rapid growth and global spread of extremism and terrorism that no single country or grouping of states can defeat. Coordinated action by the entire global community, based on international law, is the only way to address this threat.

Sergei Shoigu gave the first substantive speech, expanding on the themes in Putin’s greeting. He highlighting the leading role played by the Soviet Union in defeating Nazism, while noting the contributions of all countries that participating in the fight. He then transitioned to the need for the world to unite to fight the rebirth of fascism, xenophobia, racism and militarism and to tie Russia’s perceptions of the current international situation to the fight against Nazism. Specifically, he focused on the threat posed by “countries that consider themselves winners of the Cold War and want to force their will on others” to the stability of the international system that was created after World War II. He warned against unilateralism in international affairs and against efforts by any one country to develop absolute military superiority.

He then returned to the previous year’s theme of the threat posed to the world by color revolutions, noting events over the last year in Hong Kong and Venezuela as continuing the effort by the United States and its allies to sow chaos in states that oppose US policies. He then turned to Ukraine, calling it the greatest tragedy caused by the color revolutions policy. He said that in its efforts to make Ukraine into its satellite, the US had crossed all conceivable lines in promoting an anti-constitutional overthrow of the legal government that resulted in a civil war and forced Russia to react. With the war having already resulted in 6,000 deaths, “how many more victims will be needed to force Ukrainians in the southeastern part of the country to feel themselves European?”

Shoigu also highlighted the Kosovo precedent: While Western countries blame Russia for unilaterally changing European borders for the first time since World War II, they ignore the planned dismemberment of Yugoslavia that “served as a laboratory for Western efforts to develop techniques to destroy a sovereign state” and culminated in the removal of Kosovo from Serbia without any respect for international law. Shoigu also blames the West for sowing chaos around the world through its ill-conceived military interventions, particularly in Iraq and Libya, which have resulted in the long-term destabilization of entire regions of the world. As a result, he denies that critics of Russia’s actions in Crimea have any moral right to blame Russia for violating international law.

Instead of adopting Russian ideas for building a common system for European security, Western states have enacted sanctions and launched an information war against Russia. They have renewed talk about containment and how to use NATO to deal with a growing Russian threat. The main goal is to break countries that have long cultural and historical ties with Russia free of its influence. Previous talk of NATO-Russia partnership has ended. Instead non-nuclear NATO states are being involved in exercises on how to use American tactical nuclear weapons that have been placed in a number of European states. The world should remember that the United States is the only country in history to have actually used nuclear weapons. “What consequences might have such eagerness to use nuclear weapons have had for Europe, had the US Army developed such weapons a little earlier.”

Shoigu also noted that Russian fears of the threat to global stability caused by American missile defense systems are also coming to pass. He said that It is becoming clear that the US has been bluffing about potential missile threats emanating from Iran, since no moves have been made to reconsider US missile defense plans now that a nuclear deal with Iran has been completed. Instead, the US is making moves to expand missile defense systems in the Asia-Pacific region.

Shoigu then turned to the threat to international security posed by terrorism. As with the rest of the speech, he went out of his way to highlight the role played by the United States and other countries in encouraging the development of terrorist organizations around the world. Pointing to the Taliban, Al Qaeda, and the Islamic State, he noted that such organizations have commonly gotten out of the control of their patrons and become a problem for international security.

In the final part of his speech, Shoigu turned to the importance of working together to solve international security. He argued that the liquidation of chemical weapons in Syria and the recently achieved nuclear agreement with Iran show what can be done with diplomacy when the international community comes together. He noted that similar breakthroughs could be achieved in the development of non-strategic missile defense in Europe and the establishment of a new multilateral security architecture in the Asia-Pacific region.

Shoigu was followed by Sergei Lavrov, who highlighted that peace can only be achieved through a collective international effort. NATO’s euphoria about winning the Cold War resulted in a belief that the West would be on top of the world forever. Meanwhile, international processes were actually heading in the direction of multi-lateralism. As a result, the world now stands at a crossroads where it must choose between cooperation and deadly conflicts. Lavrov highlighted the need to create a global security infrastructure to deal with the arc of instability stretching from northern Africa to Afghanistan.

In turning to the conflict in Ukraine, Lavrov argued that there is no military solution and that efforts to punish Russia for “its independent foreign policy, for standing up for truth and justice, for defending its compatriots” are absurd. He noted that many European leaders agree that the effort of some countries to break Russia is a huge and unforgivable risk to international security. Instead, the only solution is to carry out all parts of the second Minsk agreement, including not just the ceasefire, but also the end of Kiev’s economic blockade of the Donbas and the start of a real political process that leads to constitutional reform that takes into account all of Ukraine’s regions. In keeping with the theme of mentioning the anniversary of the end of World War II at every opportunity, Lavrov made sure to point out that the West must force the Kiev government to stop “glorifying Nazism and persecuting those who saved Europe from fascism.”

While Washington keeps talking about Russia coming to the gates of Europe, the reality is that NATO has brought its military infrastructure closer to Russia’s borders while US naval vessels are now regularly appearing in the Black Sea and US missile defense sites are being built in Romania and Poland. Russia sees US missile defense as part of a global project to reduce the effectiveness of Russia’s strategic deterrence forces. Like Shoigu, Lavrov highlighted that the continuation of missile defense plans in the aftermath of the Iran nuclear agreement shows that missile defense has always been aimed primarily against Russia.

Meanwhile, Lavrov noted that real threats to international security, including terrorism and the rise of extremist forces in the Middle East and North Africa, require international partnership to resolve. The exacerbation of Sunni/Shi’a divisions require a serious effort to create a compromise based on principles of international law. Instead, Western states have been using it as a pretext for interference in internal affairs in the region. Lavrov asks how the US can support the coalition operation in Yemen to restore by force a president who fled the country while in Ukraine it pursued the exact opposite policy. The double standards of US policy are in plain view in comparing the two situations.

Lavrov concludes by reinforcing the point made by Shoigu that unilateralism and forcing one country’s values on another leads to escalation of conflicts and an ever-growing region of chaos. Positive results can only come from combining forces, such as took place with the elimination of chemical weapons in Syria and the conclusion of a framework agreement on Iran’s nuclear program. Iran can now be included in the discussion on regional security in the Middle East and in the amelioration of conflicts in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and Lebanon, as well as in solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Similar partnerships can be developed in other regions and conflict zones, including in Afghanistan and in East Asia. International organizations such as the Arab League, OIC, UN, and SCO can all be used to promote international security.

Valery Gerasimov spoke next, but his speech deserves a separate post, while I will endeavor to have up in the next few days.

The rest of the first session included presentations by Amb. Michael Moeller, the Director General of the UN Office in Geneva and by Amb. Marcel Pesco, the Director of the Office of the OSCE Secretary General. These speakers highlighted the role of their respective international organizations in promoting peace and resolving conflicts. Moeller focused on the threat posed by transnational violent extremist organizations such as the Islamic State and Boko Haram. He called for the international community to come together, to prevent the international system from being undermined. He argued that having power does not give states the power to take unilateral action. Instead, the international community should focus on rebuilding trust among leading actors, working on preventing conflicts, and improving early warning systems.

Marcel Pesco argued for the need for the members of the international community to commit to developing a common security infrastructure. He noted that the crisis in Ukraine has called into question some of the fundamental premises of the international system of cooperative security. He argued that the international community needs to build on the Minsk agreement to try to settle the conflict.

As a result of the Ukraine conflict, confrontation now exceeds cooperation in Europe, preventing forward momentum on other issues such as arms control. Pesco noted that the OSCE remains a platform for dialog in Europe but needs to become the basis for regional security.

Kpanou Abla Norberte vagy ahogy a zenekedvelők számára jobban ismert, Norberka egyike a tradícionális benini zene fő művelőinek, muzsikája mellett pedig ruházata is a hagyományos kultúra jegyeit viseli magán és 9 éves korában kezdődött zenei pályafutása ma már igen komoly magasságokba jutott, Nyugat-Afrika színpadjai mellett már körbetúrázta Európát is és tucatnyi kisebb-nagyobb zenei díj sorakozik már polcain. Eddig három albuma jelent meg, lentebb meghallgatható második albumának címadó dala, az “Eljött az én időm”.

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