Reply-To: "Udo von Massenbach" From: "Udo von Massenbach" Subject: Massenbach-Letter: NEWS 12/03/10 Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:59:58 +0100 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_01A4_01CAC123.2FCF95B0" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal Importance: Normal X-Unsent: 1 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V14.0.8089.726 Dies ist eine mehrteilige Nachricht im MIME-Format. ------=_NextPart_000_01A4_01CAC123.2FCF95B0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Guten Morgen. see our letter again on: http://www.massenbach-world.de/41259.html Side-by-Side Comparison of Major Health Care Reform Proposals GCC region well positioned to be world=E2=80=99s main aluminium = producers =20 =20 Die Libert=C3=A4re Plattform erh=C3=A4lt CD mit Finanzinformationen = deutscher Politiker=20 Rethinking Climate Diplomacy: New Ideas for Transatlantic Cooperation = post-Copenhagen Massenbach U.S. Enriches Companies Defying Its Policy on Iran Publicist The federal government has awarded more than $107 billion in contract = payments, grants and other benefits over the past decade to foreign and = multinational American companies while they were doing business in Iran, = despite Washington=E2=80=99s efforts to discourage investment there, = records show.=20 =20 Fernando Bizerra Jr./European Pressphoto Agency President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran, center, in Brazil last fall. The = nations agreed to share technical expertise on energy projects.=20 The federal government has awarded more than $107 billion in contract = payments, grants and other benefits over the past decade to foreign and = multinational American companies while they were doing business in Iran, = despite Washington=E2=80=99s efforts to discourage investment there, = records show.=20 Enlarge This Image =20 Vahid Salemi/Associated Press The Azadegan oil field in Iran, about 480 miles southwest of Tehran. = Iran has sought foreign investment to develop its oil fields.=20 Enlarge This Image =20 Vahid Salemi/Associated Press The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is heavily involved in Iran's = energy sector and oversees the nuclear and missile programs.=20 That includes nearly $15 billion paid to companies that defied American = sanctions law by making large investments that helped Iran develop its = vast oil and gas reserves.=20 For years, the United States has been pressing other nations to join its = efforts to squeeze the Iranian economy, in hopes of reining in = Tehran=E2=80=99s nuclear ambitions. Now, with the nuclear standoff = hardening and Iran rebuffing American diplomatic outreach, the Obama = administration is trying to win a tough new round of United Nations = sanctions.=20 But a New York Times analysis of federal records, company reports and = other documents shows that both the Obama and Bush administrations have = sent mixed messages to the corporate world when it comes to doing = business in Iran, rewarding companies whose commercial interests = conflict with American security goals.=20 Many of those companies are enmeshed in the most vital elements of = Iran=E2=80=99s economy. More than two-thirds of the government money = went to companies doing business in Iran=E2=80=99s energy industry = =E2=80=94 a huge source of revenue for the Iranian government and a = stronghold of the increasingly powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards = Corps, a primary focus of the Obama administration=E2=80=99s proposed = sanctions because it oversees Iran=E2=80=99s nuclear and missile = programs.=20 Other companies are involved in auto manufacturing and distribution, = another important sector of the Iranian economy with links to the = Revolutionary Guards. One supplied container ship motors to IRISL, a = government-owned shipping line that was subsequently blacklisted by the = United States for concealing military cargo.=20 Beyond $102 billion in United States government contract payments since = 2000 =E2=80=94 to do everything from building military housing to = providing platinum to the United States Mint =E2=80=94 the companies and = their subsidiaries have reaped a variety of benefits. They include = nearly $4.5 billion in loans and loan guarantees from the Export-Import = Bank, a federal agency that underwrites the export of American goods and = services, and more than $500 million in grants for work that includes = cancer research and the turning of agricultural byproducts into fuel.=20 In addition, oil and gas companies that have done business in Iran have = over the years won lucrative drilling leases for close to 14 million = acres of offshore and onshore federal land.=20 In recent months, a number of companies have decided to pull out of = Iran, because of a combination of pressure by the United States and = other Western governments, =E2=80=9Cterrorism free=E2=80=9D divestment = campaigns by shareholders and the difficulty of doing business with = Iran=E2=80=99s government. And several oil and gas companies are holding = off on new investment, waiting to see what shape new sanctions may = assume.=20 The Obama administration points to that record, saying that it has = successfully pressed allied governments and even reached out directly to = corporate officials to dissuade investment in Iran, particularly in the = energy industry. In addition, an American effort over many years to = persuade banks to leave the country has isolated Iran from much of the = international financial system, making it more difficult to do deals = there.=20 =E2=80=9CWe are very aggressive, using a range of tools,=E2=80=9D said = Denis McDonough, chief of staff to the National Security Council.=20 The government can, and does, bar American companies from most types of = trade with Iran, under a broad embargo that has been in place since the = 1990s. But as The Times=E2=80=99s analysis illustrates, multiple = administrations have struggled diplomatically, politically and = practically to exert American authority over companies outside the = embargo=E2=80=99s reach =E2=80=94 foreign companies and the foreign = subsidiaries of American ones.=20 Indeed, of the 74 companies The Times identified as doing business with = both the United States government and Iran, 49 continue to do business = there with no announced plans to leave.=20 One of the government=E2=80=99s most powerful tools, at least on paper, = to influence the behavior of companies beyond the jurisdiction of the = embargo is the Iran Sanctions Act, devised to punish foreign companies = that invest more than $20 million in a given year to develop = Iran=E2=80=99s oil and gas fields. But in the 14 years since the law was = passed, the government has never enforced it, in part for fear of = angering America=E2=80=99s allies.=20 That has given rise to situations like the one involving the South = Korean engineering giant Daelim Industrial, which in 2007 won a $700 = million contract to upgrade an Iranian oil refinery.=20 According to the Congressional Research Service, the deal appeared to = violate the Iran Sanctions Act, meaning Daelim could have faced a range = of punishments, including denial of federal contracts. That is because = the law covers not only direct investments, such as the purchase of = shares and deals that yield royalties, but also contracts similar to = Daelim=E2=80=99s to manage oil and gas development projects.=20 But in 2009 the United States Army awarded the company a $111 million = contract to build housing in a military base in South Korea. Just months = later, Daelim, which disputes that its contracts violated the letter of = the law, announced a new $600 million deal to help develop the South = Pars gas field in Iran.=20 Now, though, frustration over Iran=E2=80=99s intransigence has spawned a = growing, if still piecemeal, movement to more effectively use the power = of the government purse to turn companies away from investing there.=20 Nineteen states =E2=80=94 including New York, California and Florida = =E2=80=94 have rules that bar or discourage their pension funds from = investing in companies that do certain types of business in Iran. = Congress is considering legislation that would have the federal = government follow suit, by mandating that companies that invest in = Iran=E2=80=99s energy industry be denied federal contracts. The = provision is modeled on an existing law dealing with war-torn Sudan.=20 Obama administration officials, while indicating that they were open to = the idea, called it only one variable in a complex equation. Right now, = the president=E2=80=99s priority is on breaking down Chinese resistance = to the new United Nations sanctions, which apply across borders and are = aimed squarely at entities that support Iran=E2=80=99s nuclear program.=20 But Representative Ron Klein, a Florida Democrat who wrote the = contracting provision moving through Congress with the help of a = lobbying group called United Against Nuclear Iran, said it offered a way = forward with or without international agreement.=20 =E2=80=9CWe need to send a strong message to corporations that = we=E2=80=99re not going to continue to allow them to economically enable = the Iranian government to continue to do what they have been = doing,=E2=80=9D Mr. Klein said.=20 An Unused Tool=20 Sending a strong message was Congress=E2=80=99s intention when it passed = the Iran Sanctions Act in 1996.=20 The law gives the president a menu of possible punishments he can choose = to levy against offending companies. Not only do they risk losing = federal contracts, but they can also be prevented from receiving = Export-Import Bank loans, obtaining American bank loans over $10 million = in a given year, exporting their goods to the United States, purchasing = licensed American military technology and, in the case of financial = firms, serving as a primary dealer in United States government bonds or = as a repository for government funds.=20 Congress is now considering expanding its purview to a broader array of = energy-related activities, including selling gasoline to Iran, which = despite its vast oil and gas reserves has antiquated refineries that = leave it heavily dependent on imports.=20 From the beginning, though, the law proved difficult to enforce.=20 European allies howled that it constituted an improper attempt to apply = American law in other countries. Exercising an option to waive the law = in the name of national security, the Clinton administration in 1998 = declined to penalize the first violator =E2=80=94 a consortium led by = the French oil company TotalFina, now known as Total.=20 The administration also indicated that it would waive future penalties = against European companies, winning in return tougher European export = controls on technology that Iran could convert to military use.=20 Stuart E. Eizenstat, who as the deputy Treasury secretary handled those = negotiations, said the law let Iran =E2=80=9Cexploit divisions between = the U.S. and our European allies.=E2=80=9D=20 Waiving it, though, was followed by additional investments in Iran = =E2=80=94 and more government largesse for the companies making them.=20 In 1999, for instance, Royal Dutch Shell signed an $800 million deal to = develop two Iranian oil fields. Since then, Shell has won federal = contract payments and grants totaling more than $11 billion, mostly for = providing fuel to the American military, as well as $200 million in = Export-Import loan guarantee and drilling rights to federal lands, = records show.=20 Shell has a second Iranian development deal pending, but officials say = they are awaiting the results of a feasibility study. In the meantime, = the company continues to receive payments from Iran for its 1999 = investment and sells gasoline and lubricants there.=20 Records show Shell is one of seven companies that challenged the Iran = Sanctions Act and received federal benefits.=20 John R. Bolton, who dealt with Iran as an under secretary of state and = United Nations ambassador in the Bush administration, said failing to = enforce the law by punishing such companies both sent =E2=80=9Ca signal = to the Iranians that we=E2=80=99re not serious=E2=80=9D and undercut = Washington=E2=80=99s credibility when it did threaten action.=20 Mr. Bolton recalled what happened in 2004 when he suggested to the = Japanese ambassador that Japan=E2=80=99s state-controlled oil = exploration company, Inpex, might be penalized for a $2 billion = investment in the Azadegan field in Iran. =E2=80=9CThe Japanese = ambassador said, =E2=80=98Well, that=E2=80=99s interesting. How come = you=E2=80=99ve never sanctioned a European Union company?=E2=80=99 = =E2=80=9D Mr. Bolton recounted.=20 Inpex was never penalized, though several years later it decided to = reduce its stake in the Iranian project. And to Mr. Bolton=E2=80=99s = chagrin, the Bush administration did not act on reports about other such = investments, neither waiving the law nor penalizing violators.=20 Recently, after 50 lawmakers from both parties complained to President = Obama about the lack of enforcement and sent him a list of companies = that apparently violated the law, the State Department announced a = preliminary investigation. Officials said that they were looking at 27 = deals, and that while some appeared to have been =E2=80=9Ccarefully = constructed=E2=80=9D to get around the letter of the law, they had = identified a number of problematic cases and were focusing on companies = still active in Iran.=20 Competing Interests=20 Among the companies on the list Congress sent to the State Department is = the Brazilian state-controlled energy conglomerate Petrobras, which last = year received a $2 billion Export-Import Bank loan to develop an oil = reserve off the coast of Rio de Janeiro. The loan offers a case study in = the competing interests officials must confront when it comes to the = Iran Sanctions Act.=20 Despite repeated American entreaties, Petrobras had previously invested = $100 million to explore Iran=E2=80=99s offshore oil prospects in the = Persian Gulf.=20 But the Export-Import Bank loan could help create American jobs, since = Petrobras would use the money to buy goods and services from American = companies. Perhaps more important, it could help develop a source of oil = outside the Middle East.=20 After The Times inquired about the loan, bank officials said that they = asked for and received a letter of assurance from Petrobras that it had = finished its work in Iran. A senior White House official, in a Nov. 13 = e-mail message, said that while it was the administration=E2=80=99s = policy to warn companies against such investments, =E2=80=9CBrazil is an = important U.S. trading partner and our discussions with them are = ongoing.=E2=80=9D=20 But if the administration hoped that the loan would bring Brazil in line = with its objectives in Iran, it would soon prove mistaken.=20 On Nov. 23, Iran=E2=80=99s president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, visited = Brazil, and the two countries agreed to share technical expertise on = energy projects. Iranian officials said they might offer Petrobras = additional incentives for further investment.=20 The visit infuriated American officials, who felt it undercut efforts to = press Iran on its nuclear program while lending international legitimacy = to the Iranian president. Brazil=E2=80=99s relationship with Iran has = also complicated American maneuvering at the United Nations, where = Brazil holds a rotating seat on the Security Council. Just last week, = Brazil=E2=80=99s president, Luiz In=C3=A1cio Lula da Silva, restated his = opposition to the administration=E2=80=99s sanctions proposal, warning, = =E2=80=9CIt is not prudent to push Iran against a wall.=E2=80=9D=20 Carter Lawson, the Export-Import Bank=E2=80=99s deputy general counsel, = acknowledged that Mr. Ahmadinejad=E2=80=99s visit was = =E2=80=9Cproblematic for us, and it raised our antenna.=E2=80=9D He said = that since December the bank had been operating under a new budget rule = requiring borrowers to certify that they had no continuing operations in = Iran=E2=80=99s energy industry, and was carefully monitoring = Petrobras=E2=80=99s activities.=20 In the meantime, Petrobras=E2=80=99s Tehran office remains open. And = Diogo Almeida, the acting economic attach=C3=A9 at the Brazilian Embassy = in Iran, said that while Petrobras was currently assessing how much it = could invest in Iran, given the huge discovery off Rio de Janeiro, = company officials were in active discussions with the Iranian government = and were interested in pursuing new business.=20 Opportunities for Profit=20 For all the American rules and focus, there is still plenty of room for = companies to profit in crucial areas of Iran=E2=80=99s economy without = fear of reprisal or loss of United States government business.=20 Auto companies doing business in Iran, for instance, received $7.3 = billion in federal contracts over the past 10 years. Among them was = Mazda, whose cars in Iran are assembled by a company called the Bahman = Group. A 45 percent share in Bahman is held by the Sepah Cooperative = Foundation, a large investment fund linked to the Revolutionary Guards, = according to Iranian news accounts and a 2009 RAND Corporation report = prepared for the Defense Department.=20 A Mazda spokesman declined to comment, saying the company was unaware of = the links.=20 Even companies based in the United States, including some of the biggest = federal contractors, can invest in Iran through foreign subsidiaries run = independently by non-Americans.=20 Honeywell, the aviation and aerospace company, has received nearly $13 = billion in federal contracts since 2005. That year it acquired Universal = Oil Products, whose British subsidiary is working on a project to expand = gasoline production at the Arak refinery in Iran. Universal recently = received a $25 million federal grant for a clean-energy project in = Hawaii.=20 In a statement, Honeywell said it had told the State Department in = January that while it was fulfilling its Arak contract, it would not = undertake new projects in Iran.=20 Ingersoll Rand, another American company with foreign subsidiaries, says = it is evaluating its =E2=80=9Cminor=E2=80=9D business in Iran in light = of the political climate. But for now, according to a spokesman, Paul = Dickard, it continues to sell air-compression systems with a = =E2=80=9Cwide variety of applications,=E2=80=9D including in the oil and = gas industries and in nuclear power plants.=20 Senator Byron L. Dorgan, a North Dakota Democrat, tried to close the = foreign subsidiary loophole after a furor erupted in 2004 over = Halliburton, former Vice President Dick Cheney=E2=80=99s old company, = which had used a Cayman Islands subsidiary to sell oil-field services to = Iran. But he said he was unable to overcome business opposition.=20 William A. Reinsch, president of the National Foreign Trade Council, = lobbied against Mr. Dorgan=E2=80=99s bill and has opposed other = unilateral sanctions. He argues that their futility can be seen in the = intransigence of the Iranian government and the way American oil = companies have simply been replaced by foreign competitors. Moreover, = many foreign companies with business interests in Iran are also large = American employers; deny them federal contracts and other benefits, Mr. = Reinsch said, =E2=80=9Cand it=E2=80=99s those workers who will pay the = price.=E2=80=9D=20 But Hans Sandberg, senior vice president of Atlas Copco, which is based = in Sweden, offered a different perspective. Atlas Copco=E2=80=99s sales = of mining and construction equipment to Iran are dwarfed by its American = business, including military contracts. If forced to choose, he said: = =E2=80=9CIt would be no problem. We wouldn=E2=80=99t trade with = Iran.=E2=80=9D =20 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/07/world/middleeast/07sanctions.html?th=3D= &emc=3Dth&pagewanted=3Dall *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= ************************** *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= ************************** = Social Policy=20 = People are not unintelligent, merely uninformed = =20 Freudenberg-Pilster Rechtsanw=C3=A4ltin- Staatssekret=C3=A4rin a.D. = What=E2=80=99s Next for US Health Care Reform The House and Senate each passed different health bills last year. = Lawmakers are talking about having the House vote to accept the Senate = bill, then working out compromises in a separate reconciliation bill = that would have to be voted on in both chambers but would need only a = simple majority. Reconciliation is intended for budget-related items, so some portions of = health reform could not be addressed in the new bill. And Republicans = complained loudly at the summit that changing 17 percent of the = nation=E2=80=99s economy=E2=80=94which health care = represents=E2=80=94with a parliamentary maneuver was wrong. Craig = Orfield, spokesman for Sen. Michael Enzi, R-Wyo., calls it =E2=80=9Can = end run around public opposition.=E2=80=9D President Obama is pushing for a new Medicare tax on wealthy Americans = (individuals earning more than $200,000, and families with more than = $250,000). The new 2.9 percent tax would apply to unearned income like = dividends, interest and rent. http://bulletin.aarp.org/yourhealth/policy/articles/what_s_next_for_healt= h_care_reform_reconciliation_.html?cmp=3DNLC-WBLTR-CTRL-30510-F1-1 Side-by-Side Comparison of Major = Health Care Reform Proposals As health reform discussions continue, many proposals for overhauling = our health care system have been advanced. This interactive side-by-side = provides detailed, up-to-date summaries of leading comprehensive reform = proposals focusing on several key plan components and is designed to = allow for comparisons of plans across these characteristics. Included in = this side-by-side are proposals for moving toward universal coverage = that have been put forward by the President and Members of Congress, = including those that have been formally introduced as legislation as = well as those that have been offered as draft proposals or as policy = options. It will be regularly updated to reflect changes in the = proposals and to incorporate major new proposals as they are announced. = In addition to the summaries offered here, the Foundation also has = prepared detailed descriptions of the Medicare and Medicaid provisions, = and a summary of the coverage provisions, in the legislation moving = through Congress.=20 Download a printable comparison of the House and Senate-passed Bills and = the President's Proposal (.pdf)=20 Download a printable version of the three Congressional authorizing = committee proposals (.pdf) Download a printable side-by-side comparison of all proposals and topics = (.pdf)=20 http://www.kff.org/healthreform/sidebyside.cfm =20 *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= ************************* *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= ************************* = Politics: from Vision to Action =E2=80=A6 good governance: focus on sharing = benefits, not ownership - setting rules, monitoring, binding methods of = settling disputes =E2=80=A6 = *** =20 Barandat = =20 Bundeswehr Troubled Partnership - U.S.-Turkish Relations = in an Era of Global Geopolitical Change =20 A strong security partnership with Turkey has been an important element = of U.S. policy in the Mediterranean and the Middle East since the early = 1950s. It is even more important today. Turkey stands at the nexus of = four areas that have become increasingly critical to U.S. security since = the end of the Cold War: the Balkans, the Middle East, the Caucasus = /Central Asia, and the Persian Gulf region.=20 In all four areas, Turkey=E2=80=99s cooperation is vital for achieving = U.S. policy goals. However, in the last few years=E2=80=94and especially since = 2003=E2=80=94U.S.-Turkish relations have seriously deteriorated. The = origins of many of the strains can be traced back to the first Gulf War. = However, the strains were significantly exacerbated by the fallout from = the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, which resulted in a serious = deterioration in Turkey=E2=80=99s security environment. As a consequence = of the invasion, sectarian violence in Iraq increased, and the Iraqi = Kurds=E2=80=99 drive for autonomy and eventual independence gained = greater momentum. (See pp. 11=E2=80=9320.) Turkish officials fear that = the creation of a Kurdish state on Turkey=E2=80=99s southern border = could intensify separatist pressures in Turkey and pose a threat to its = territorial integrity.=20 These fears have been exacerbated by the resumption of an insurgency by = the Kurdistan Workers=E2=80=99 Party (PKK), which has stepped up = cross-border terrorist attacks against Turkish territory from = sanctuaries in northern Iraq. These terrorist attacks are = Turkey=E2=80=99s number-one security concern. (See pp. 25=E2=80=9329.) The U.S. reluctance to take military action against the PKK or to allow = Turkey to take unilateral military action against PKK sanctuaries in = northern Iraq after the 2003 invasion caused serious strains in = Washington=E2=80=99s relations with Ankara. It also provoked a sharp = rise in anti-American sentiment in Turkey, which, if not halted, = threatens to pose serious long-term consequences for the U.S. security = partnership with Turkey. These strains have been compounded=E2=80=94and to some extent = reinforced=E2=80=94by differences over policy toward Iran and Syria. = Whereas the United States sought until very recently to isolate both = countries, Turkey has pursued a policy of rapprochement with Iran and = Syria. As a result, U.S. and Turkish policies toward Iran and Syria have been = increasingly at odds. This divergence began to manifest itself before = the assumption of power in Ankara by the Justice and Development Party = in 2002, but it has become more pronounced since then. (See pp. = 34=E2=80=9340.) Iran=E2=80=99s nuclear ambitions could become a further source of = strain. Turkey is concerned by Iran=E2=80=99s nuclear program because = such a program could stimulate a regional arms race, which could force = Turkey to take compensatory measures. However, Turkey is strongly = opposed to a military strike against Iran, fearing that a strike would = lead to further destabilization of the Middle East. A U.S. military = strike against Iran would create a crisis in U.S.-Turkish relations and = could prompt the Erdo=C4=9Fan government to halt or curtail U.S. use of = Turkish military facilities, particularly the air base at =C4=B0ncirlik. = (See pp. 36=E2=80=9337.) U.S. defense cooperation with Turkey has undergone a downturn in the = last few years. Congress has held up a number of major weapon sales to = Turkey due to Turkey=E2=80=99s human-rights policy and policy toward = Cyprus. Turkey has begun to regard the United States as a = less-thanreliable defense partner and has expanded its defense = relationships with countries that impose fewer procurement restrictions, = particularly Israel and Russia. The U.S.-Turkish defense-industry = relationship has stagnated lately. Until Sikorsky finalized a sale of 17 = Seahawk helicopters in fall 2006, no U.S. firm had won a major direct = commercial sale in Turkey since 2002. (See pp. 77=E2=80=9387.) Revitalizing U.S.-Turkish Relations: The Policy AgendaThe arrival of a = new administration in Washington presents an important opportunity for = repairing the fissures in the U.S.-Turkish security partnership and = putting relations on a firmer footing. President Barack Obama=E2=80=99s = visit to Ankara in April 2009 helped to set a new tone in relations. But = the visit needs to be followed up by concrete steps in a number of areas = outlined below if the U.S.-Turkish security partnership is to be infused = with new vitality and strength. http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/2009/RAND_MG899.pdf=20 =20 *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= ********************************************** *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= ********************************************** Rethinking Climate Diplomacy: New Ideas = for Transatlantic Cooperation post-Copenhagen Nigel Purvis=20 GMF and Climate Advisers; Andrew Stevenson, Resources for the Future Brussels Forum Paper Series=20 March 8, 2010 In this paper, the authors argue that the most dangerous thing Europe = and the United States could do is ignore the strategic implications of = Copenhagen and fall back into old strategies with a new sense of = patience. They recommend a fundamental shift in thinking.=20 In the news: a.. Europe and US need fundamental shift in climate thinking = (Euroactiv)=20 b.. International Climate Progress May Require Modified Focus = (Resources for the Future Blog)=20 c.. New report lays out cold climate truths for U.S., China, E.U. = (E&E)=20 d.. For Developing Nations, Exports Boost CO2 Emissions (NPR)=20 e.. GMF says EU should rethink climate diplomacy (Europoltics)=20 f.. Global Must Reads for February 2010 (Atlantic-Community.org) Download File, Format: PDF, Size: 642 KB = http://www.gmfus.org//doc/GMF%20Purvis%20Climate%20Paper%20030910%20web.p= df http://www.gmfus.org/publications/article.cfm?id=3D867&parent_type=3DP=20 =20 *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= ************************************************ *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= ************************************************************************ = Middle East: Alert = sharing news on global affairs / oil / gas / politics GCC = region well positioned to be world=E2=80=99s main aluminium producers =20 Dubai, March 10th, 2010 (WAM) -- As the price of aluminium continues its = quick recovery from the impact of the global crisis, with experts = agreeing that the worst of the price slumps are over and producers = beginning to dust off expansion plans, especially for downstream = value-adding developments, MEED, the Middle East=E2=80=99s premier = business intelligence provider, is preparing to host the 4th Middle East = Aluminium Conference. Entitled "Building a sustainable downstream industry", the Conference, = which will take place at the Dubai Marina Address Hotel on 16-17 March = 2010, provides a comprehensive overview of the MENA aluminium production = and processing sector and its place in the global market, with focus on = building a sustainable downstream sector for the region=E2=80=99s = industry.=20 Over the past ten years, GCC member states have begun implementing = long-term strategies that aim to develop the region=E2=80=99s aluminium = industry, and the region is now well positioned to be one of the = world=E2=80=99s main aluminium producers. In 2000, the GCC share of = global aluminium production was 1.8 million metric tonnes per annum. By = 2008, this figure had risen to 2.2 million metric tonnes per annum (5.4% = of global production), and it is expected to continue to increase - to 6 = million metric tonnes per annum in 2015, and to 9 million metric tonnes = per annum in 2020 (13% of global production).=20 According to Edmund O=E2=80=99Sullivan, Chairman at MEED Events, "There = are huge opportunities for investments in the region to capitalise on = the production of primary metal by the region=E2=80=99s major smelters. = This year=E2=80=99s event is bigger than ever, with dedicated streams = for the upstream production and smelter side of the industry, and for = the downstream processing and fabrication sector. The Middle East = Aluminium 2010 Conference presents an ideal opportunity for the local = aluminium sector to forge strategic partnerships and alliances with = international and regional partners that will help them expand and keep = the Middle East at the cutting edge of aluminium sector growth." 2010 is = set to be an important year for aluminium production in the Middle East, = with two of the biggest smelters in the world - Qatalum and Emal - = preparing to ramp up production. CEOs of both projects will be on hand = at the conference, offering attendees business-critical insight into = their challenges and ambitions as they move from the project phase to = full operations.=20 O=E2=80=99Sullivan added: "Those attending the conference will have the = chance to hear global experts build the business model for a sustainable = downstream sector for the Middle East, and to do business with real = decision makers from across the aluminium supply chain. The networking = opportunities are also exceptional, and offer the chance to discover = opportunities for investment in high value downstream production and get = essential updates on global market conditions and pricing trends that = impact business."=20 =C2=A9 Copyright Emirates News Agency (WAM) 2010 = =20 =20 http://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidWAM20100310115044140/GCC%20region%20wel= l%20poseditioned%20to%20be%20world?s%20main%20aluminium%20producers&alert= id=3D02RZNL6878TROJ5633ESUT9144LQLD44 *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= *********************************************** *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= *********************************************** = =20 Massenbach'sRecommendation =20 =20 = DHL collaborates with German-Jordanian University in educational = partnership 10 March 2010 DHL announced on Tuesday a collaboration with the German-Jordanian = University (GJU) in a strategic educational partnership. A memorandum of = understanding (MoU) between DHL Express Jordan and GJU paves the way for = a partnership that will provide training and enable knowledge transfer = of logistics and supply chain management to students. Through this = framework, students will have the opportunity to undertake training and = internships, lectures, research, joint workshops and field trips with = support from DHL Express Jordan, as part of their training. "Through = this collaboration, DHL is delighted we can leverage our core expertise = in logistics to help nurture and develop the capabilities of Jordan's = students. This initiative is DHL's way of contributing back to the = communities we serve and operate in," said Turgay Sarikaya, the general = manager, DHL Express Jordan.=20 The MoU was designed to maintain sustainable industry linkages, = providing students with first-hand experience by involving its industry = partners in study plans and field trips. The cooperation between GJU's = logistics department and DHL Express Jordan will provide training = opportunities for students of logistics sciences internationally in DHL = hubs, offices in Jordan and potentially the DHL Innovation Centre in = Bonn. Training will involve at least 160 hours for each student locally, = and for six months internationally.=20 http://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100310053029/lok053000100310=20 *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= ************************* *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= ************************* Die Libert=C3=A4re Plattform erh=C3=A4lt CD mit = Finanzinformationen deutscher Politiker Bei der Libert=C3=A4ren Plattform ist am 5. M=C3=A4rz 2010 eine = verbl=C3=BCffende Sendung eingetroffen. Der Briefumschlag mit dem Poststempel vom 3. Februar 2010(!), der an ein = Mitglied der Libert=C3=A4ren Plattform adressiert ist, enthielt eine CD = mit der Aufschrift =E2=80=9CFin_Pol_Germany_2010=E2=80=B3. Darauf enthalten sind Daten, die namentlich genannten deutschen = Politikern und Beh=C3=B6rdenmitarbeitern in- und ausl=C3=A4ndische = Konten und Finanzinformationen zuordnen. Warum die Daten an die LP gesandt wurde, ist bisher nicht ersichtlich. = Nach einer oberfl=C3=A4chlichen Sichtung der Daten ist aber folgendes = erkennbar: a.. Die CD enth=C3=A4lt Namen von Politikern und = Beh=C3=B6rdenmitarbeitern verschiedener Parteizugeh=C3=B6rigkeit=20 b.. Aufgef=C3=BChrt sind neben in- und ausl=C3=A4ndischen Konten auch = Nebeneink=C3=BCnfte, Geldzuwendungen und Firmenbeteiligungen dritter = Personen=20 c.. Die englische Bezeichnung der CD und die Dateinamen lassen darauf = schlie=C3=9Fen, dass die Daten nicht in Deutschland oder der Schweiz = gesammelt worden sind.=20 d.. Die Unterschiedlichkeit der Daten schlie=C3=9Ft eine einzige = Datenquelle aus. Es ist davon auszugehen, dass die Daten zu einem noch = nicht bekannten Zweck gezielt gesammelt worden sind und von jemandem, = der Zugriff auf die Daten hatte, an die =C3=96ffentlichkeit gegeben = wurden.=20 e.. Es sind =C3=BCberraschenderweise auch Namen von Politikern = enthalten, die sich in der Diskussion um den Ankauf der Schweizer = Daten-CDs f=C3=BCr einen Ankauf der gestohlenen Daten ausgesprochen = haben. Das l=C3=A4dt zur Spekulation ein, ob die der LP zugesandten = Daten vielleicht Informationen enthalten, die gezielt aus anderen = Datensammlungen entfernt worden sind und nun von einem Mitwisser nach = au=C3=9Fen gespielt wurden. Die Libert=C3=A4re Plattform l=C3=A4sst sich derzeit durch einen Anwalt = beraten, welche M=C3=B6glichkeiten und rechtlichen Implikationen mit dem = Erhalt der Daten-CD verbunden sind. Die CD selbst wurde einem = Treuh=C3=A4nder zur sicheren Verwahrung =C3=BCbergeben. Rechtlich gepr=C3=BCft werden die Optionen, die erhaltenen Daten zu = vernichten, im In- oder Ausland weiterzugeben oder zu = ver=C3=B6ffentlichen. Er=C3=B6rtert wird auch die Frage eines = Austausches der CD gegen widerrechtlich erlangte Kontodaten deutscher = B=C3=BCrger, die durch deutsche Beh=C3=B6rden angekauft worden sind. Da der weitere Umgang mit den Daten der Kl=C3=A4rung bedarf, wird = betroffenen Politikern und Beamten geraten, in der Zwischenzeit die = M=C3=B6glichkeit zur Selbstanzeige zu nutzen, um einem m=C3=B6glichen = Strafverfahren zuvorzukommen. Nachtrag:9. M=C3=A4rz 2010, 14 Uhr Aufgrund der vielen einzeln nicht zu bew=C3=A4ltigenden Anfragen zu = diesem Artikel wurde eine separate Seite erstellt, auf der die neuesten = Informationen jeweils ver=C3=B6ffentlicht werden. http://libertaer.wordpress.com/2010/03/08/lp-erhaelt-finanzdaten-von-poli= tikern/#more-800=20 *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= ************************** *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= ************************** see our letter on: http://www.massenbach-world.de/41259.html Wir w=C3=BCnschen Ihnen ein angenehmes Wochenende. Ihr Team. *************************************************************************= **************************************** Udo von Massenbach - B=C3=A4rbel Freudenberg-Pilster - J=C3=B6rg = Barandat =20 UdovonMassenbach@t-online.de Mail@Freudenberg-Pilster.de =20 JoergBarandat@yahoo.de ------=_NextPart_000_01A4_01CAC123.2FCF95B0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Guten Morgen.
 
see our letter again = on: http://www.massenbach-world.de/41259.html
 
GCC=20 region well positioned to be world=E2=80=99s main aluminium = producers =20       
           &n= bsp;           &nb= sp;  =20
Die=20 Libert=C3=A4re Plattform erh=C3=A4lt CD mit Finanzinformationen=20 deutscher Politiker 
 
Rethinking=20 Climate Diplomacy: New Ideas for Transatlantic Cooperation=20 post-Copenhagen
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href=3D"https://www.openbc.com/hp/Udo_FreiherrvonMassenbach/17.751"><= FONT=20 color=3D#800080 size=3D2 face=3DGeorgia><= /FONT><= FONT=20 color=3D#800080 size=3D2 face=3DGeorgia><= A=20 href=3D"https://www.openbc.com/hp/Udo_FreiherrvonMassenbach/17.751"><= FONT=20 color=3D#800080 size=3D2 face=3DGeorgia><= FONT=20 color=3D#800080 size=3D2 face=3DGeorgia><= /FONT><= FONT=20 color=3D#800080 size=3D2 face=3DGeorgia><= A=20 href=3D"https://www.openbc.com/hp/Udo_FreiherrvonMassenbach/17.751"><= FONT=20 color=3D#800080 size=3D2 face=3DGeorgia><= /FONT><= FONT=20 color=3D#800080 size=3D2 face=3DGeorgia><= A=20 href=3D"https://www.openbc.com/hp/Udo_FreiherrvonMassenbach/17.751"><= FONT=20 color=3D#800080 size=3D2 face=3DGeorgia><= FONT=20 color=3D#800080 size=3D2 face=3DGeorgia><= /FONT>Massenbach           U.S. Enriches Companies = Defying Its=20 Policy on Iran
Publicist
 

The federal government has = awarded more=20 than $107 billion in contract payments, grants and other benefits over = the past=20 decade to foreign and multinational American companies while they were = doing=20 business in Iran, despite Washington=E2=80=99s efforts = to discourage=20 investment there, records=20 show.

3D""=20

Fernando Bizerra = Jr./European=20 Pressphoto Agency
President = Mahmoud=20 Ahmadinejad of Iran, center, in Brazil last fall. The nations agreed to = share=20 technical expertise on energy projects.

The federal government has awarded more than $107 billion in contract = payments, grants and other benefits over the past decade to foreign and=20 multinational American companies while they were doing business in Iran, despite Washington=E2=80=99s efforts to = discourage=20 investment there, records show.

Enlarge This = Image
Vahid Salemi/Associated Press

The Azadegan oil field in Iran, about 480 miles = southwest of=20 Tehran. Iran has sought foreign investment to develop its oil fields. =

Enlarge This = Image
Vahid Salemi/Associated Press

The Islamic = Revolutionary Guard Corps=20 is heavily involved in Iran's energy sector and oversees the nuclear and = missile=20 programs.

That includes nearly $15 billion paid to companies that = defied=20 American sanctions law by making large investments that helped Iran = develop its=20 vast oil and=20 gas reserves.

For years, the United States has been = pressing=20 other nations to join its efforts to squeeze the Iranian economy, in = hopes of=20 reining in Tehran=E2=80=99s nuclear ambitions. Now, with the nuclear = standoff hardening=20 and Iran rebuffing American diplomatic outreach, the Obama = administration is=20 trying to win a tough new round of United Nations sanctions.

But a New York Times = analysis of federal records, company reports and other = documents=20 shows that both the Obama and Bush administrations have sent mixed = messages to=20 the corporate world when it comes to doing business in Iran, rewarding = companies=20 whose commercial interests conflict with American security goals. =

Many of those companies are enmeshed in = the most=20 vital elements of Iran=E2=80=99s economy. More than two-thirds of the = government money=20 went to companies doing business in Iran=E2=80=99s energy industry = =E2=80=94 a huge source of=20 revenue for the Iranian government and a stronghold of the increasingly = powerful=20 Islamic Revolutionary = Guards Corps, a = primary focus of the Obama administration=E2=80=99s proposed sanctions = because it=20 oversees Iran=E2=80=99s nuclear and missile programs.

Other companies are involved in auto = manufacturing=20 and distribution, another important sector of the Iranian economy with = links to=20 the Revolutionary Guards. One supplied container ship motors to = IRISL, a=20 government-owned shipping line that was subsequently blacklisted by the = United=20 States for concealing military cargo.

Beyond $102 billion in United States = government=20 contract payments since 2000 =E2=80=94 to do everything from building = military housing=20 to providing platinum to the United States Mint =E2=80=94 the companies = and their=20 subsidiaries have reaped a variety of benefits. They include nearly $4.5 = billion=20 in loans and loan guarantees from the Export-Import Bank, a federal=20 agency that underwrites the export of American goods and services, and = more than=20 $500 million in grants for work that includes cancer research and the = turning of=20 agricultural byproducts into fuel.

In addition, oil and gas companies that = have done=20 business in Iran have over the years won lucrative drilling leases for = close to=20 14 million acres of offshore and onshore federal land.

In recent months, a number of companies = have=20 decided to pull out of Iran, because of a combination of pressure by the = United=20 States and other Western governments, =E2=80=9Cterrorism free=E2=80=9D = divestment campaigns by=20 shareholders and the difficulty of doing business with Iran=E2=80=99s = government. And=20 several oil and gas companies are holding off on new investment, waiting = to see=20 what shape new sanctions may assume.

The Obama administration points to that = record,=20 saying that it has successfully pressed allied governments and even = reached out=20 directly to corporate officials to dissuade investment in Iran, = particularly in=20 the energy industry. In addition, an American effort over many years to = persuade=20 banks to leave the country has isolated Iran from much of the = international=20 financial system, making it more difficult to do deals there. =

=E2=80=9CWe are very aggressive, using = a range of tools,=E2=80=9D=20 said Denis McDonough, chief of staff to the National Security = Council.

The government can, and does, bar = American=20 companies from most types of trade with Iran, under a broad embargo that = has=20 been in place since the 1990s. But as The Times=E2=80=99s analysis = illustrates, multiple=20 administrations have struggled diplomatically, politically and = practically to=20 exert American authority over companies outside the embargo=E2=80=99s = reach =E2=80=94 foreign=20 companies and the foreign subsidiaries of American ones.

Indeed, of the 74 companies The Times = identified as=20 doing business with both the United States government and Iran, 49 = continue to=20 do business there with no announced plans to leave.

One of the government=E2=80=99s most = powerful tools, at=20 least on paper, to influence the behavior of companies beyond the = jurisdiction=20 of the embargo is the Iran Sanctions Act, devised to punish foreign = companies=20 that invest more than $20 million in a given year to develop = Iran=E2=80=99s oil and gas=20 fields. But in the 14 years since the law was passed, the government has = never=20 enforced it, in part for fear of angering America=E2=80=99s allies. =

That has given rise to situations like = the one=20 involving the South Korean engineering giant Daelim Industrial, which in=20 2007 won a $700 million contract to upgrade an Iranian oil refinery. =

According to the Congressional Research = Service,=20 the deal appeared to violate the Iran Sanctions Act, meaning Daelim = could have=20 faced a range of punishments, including denial of federal contracts. = That is=20 because the law covers not only direct investments, such as the purchase = of=20 shares and deals that yield royalties, but also contracts similar to = Daelim=E2=80=99s to=20 manage oil and gas development projects.

But in 2009 the United States = Army awarded the company a $111 million contract to build = housing in a=20 military base in South Korea. Just months later, Daelim, which disputes = that its=20 contracts violated the letter of the law, announced a new $600 million = deal to=20 help develop the South Pars gas field in Iran.

Now, though, frustration over = Iran=E2=80=99s intransigence=20 has spawned a growing, if still piecemeal, movement to more effectively = use the=20 power of the government purse to turn companies away from investing = there.=20

Nineteen states =E2=80=94 including New = York, California=20 and Florida =E2=80=94 have rules that bar or discourage their pension = funds from=20 investing in companies that do certain types of business in Iran. = Congress is=20 considering legislation that would have the federal government follow = suit, by=20 mandating that companies that invest in Iran=E2=80=99s energy industry = be denied federal=20 contracts. The provision is modeled on an existing law dealing with = war-torn=20 Sudan.

Obama administration officials, while = indicating=20 that they were open to the idea, called it only one variable in a = complex=20 equation. Right now, the president=E2=80=99s priority is on breaking = down Chinese=20 resistance to the new United Nations sanctions, which apply across = borders and=20 are aimed squarely at entities that support Iran=E2=80=99s nuclear = program.

But Representative Ron Klein, a Florida = Democrat=20 who wrote the contracting provision moving through Congress with the = help of a=20 lobbying group called United Against Nuclear Iran, said it offered a way = forward=20 with or without international agreement.

=E2=80=9CWe need to send a strong = message to corporations=20 that we=E2=80=99re not going to continue to allow them to economically = enable the=20 Iranian government to continue to do what they have been doing,=E2=80=9D = Mr. Klein said.=20

An Unused Tool=20

Sending a strong message was = Congress=E2=80=99s intention=20 when it passed the Iran Sanctions = Act in 1996.

The law gives the president a menu of = possible=20 punishments he can choose to levy against offending companies. Not only = do they=20 risk losing federal contracts, but they can also be prevented from = receiving=20 Export-Import Bank loans, obtaining American bank loans over $10 million = in a=20 given year, exporting their goods to the United States, purchasing = licensed=20 American military technology and, in the case of financial firms, = serving as a=20 primary dealer in United States government bonds or as a repository for=20 government funds.

Congress is now considering expanding = its purview=20 to a broader array of energy-related activities, including selling = gasoline to=20 Iran, which despite its vast oil and gas reserves has antiquated = refineries that=20 leave it heavily dependent on imports.

From the beginning, though, the law = proved=20 difficult to enforce.

European allies howled that it = constituted an=20 improper attempt to apply American law in other countries. Exercising an = option=20 to waive the law in the name of national security, the Clinton = administration in=20 1998 declined to penalize the first violator =E2=80=94 a consortium led = by the French=20 oil company TotalFina, now known as Total.

The administration also indicated that = it would=20 waive future penalties against European companies, winning in return = tougher=20 European export controls on technology that Iran could convert to = military use.=20

Stuart E. = Eizenstat, who as the deputy Treasury=20 secretary handled those negotiations, said the law let Iran = =E2=80=9Cexploit divisions=20 between the U.S. and our European allies.=E2=80=9D

Waiving it, though, was followed by = additional=20 investments in Iran =E2=80=94 and more government largesse for the = companies making=20 them.

In 1999, for instance, Royal Dutch = Shell signed an $800 million deal to develop two Iranian oil = fields.=20 Since then, Shell has won federal contract payments and grants totaling = more=20 than $11 billion, mostly for providing fuel to the American military, as = well as=20 $200 million in Export-Import loan guarantee and drilling rights to = federal=20 lands, records show.

Shell has a second Iranian development = deal=20 pending, but officials say they are awaiting the results of a = feasibility study.=20 In the meantime, the company continues to receive payments from Iran for = its=20 1999 investment and sells gasoline and lubricants there.

Records show Shell is one of seven = companies that=20 challenged the Iran Sanctions Act and received federal benefits. =

John R. Bolton, who dealt with Iran as an under secretary of state and = United=20 Nations ambassador in the Bush administration, said failing to enforce = the law=20 by punishing such companies both sent =E2=80=9Ca signal to the Iranians = that we=E2=80=99re not=20 serious=E2=80=9D and undercut Washington=E2=80=99s credibility when it = did threaten action.=20

Mr. Bolton recalled what happened in = 2004 when he=20 suggested to the Japanese ambassador that Japan=E2=80=99s = state-controlled oil=20 exploration company, Inpex, might be penalized for a $2 billion = investment in=20 the Azadegan field in Iran. =E2=80=9CThe Japanese ambassador said, = =E2=80=98Well, that=E2=80=99s=20 interesting. How come you=E2=80=99ve never sanctioned a European Union company?=E2=80=99 =E2=80=9D Mr. Bolton recounted. =

Inpex was never penalized, though = several years=20 later it decided to reduce its stake in the Iranian project. And to Mr. = Bolton=E2=80=99s=20 chagrin, the Bush administration did not act on reports about other such = investments, neither waiving the law nor penalizing violators. =

Recently, after 50 lawmakers from both = parties=20 complained to President Obama about the lack of enforcement and sent him a list of companies that = apparently violated the=20 law, the State Department = announced a=20 preliminary investigation. Officials said that they were looking at 27 = deals,=20 and that while some appeared to have been =E2=80=9Ccarefully = constructed=E2=80=9D to get around=20 the letter of the law, they had identified a number of problematic cases = and=20 were focusing on companies still active in Iran.

Competing = Interests=20

Among the companies on the list = Congress sent to=20 the State Department is the Brazilian state-controlled energy = conglomerate=20 Petrobras, which last year received a $2 billion Export-Import Bank loan = to=20 develop an oil reserve off the coast of Rio de Janeiro. The loan offers = a case=20 study in the competing interests officials must confront when it comes = to the=20 Iran Sanctions Act.

Despite repeated American entreaties, = Petrobras had=20 previously invested $100 million to explore Iran=E2=80=99s offshore oil = prospects in the=20 Persian Gulf.

But the Export-Import Bank loan could = help create=20 American jobs, since Petrobras would use the money to buy goods and = services=20 from American companies. Perhaps more important, it could help develop a = source=20 of oil outside the Middle East.

After The Times inquired about the = loan, bank=20 officials said that they asked for and received a letter of assurance = from=20 Petrobras that it had finished its work in Iran. A senior White House = official,=20 in a Nov. 13 e-mail message, said that while it was the = administration=E2=80=99s policy=20 to warn companies against such investments, =E2=80=9CBrazil is an = important U.S. trading=20 partner and our discussions with them are ongoing.=E2=80=9D

But if the administration hoped that = the loan would=20 bring Brazil in line with its objectives in Iran, it would soon prove = mistaken.=20

On Nov. 23, Iran=E2=80=99s president, = Mahmoud = Ahmadinejad, <= FONT=20 color=3D#004276 size=3D1 face=3DVerdana>visited Brazil, and the two countries agreed to share technical = expertise on=20 energy projects. Iranian officials said they might offer Petrobras = additional=20 incentives for further investment.

The visit infuriated American = officials, who felt=20 it undercut efforts to press Iran on its nuclear program while lending=20 international legitimacy to the Iranian president. Brazil=E2=80=99s = relationship with=20 Iran has also complicated American maneuvering at the United Nations, = where=20 Brazil holds a rotating seat on the Security Council. Just last week, = Brazil=E2=80=99s=20 president, Luiz In=C3=A1cio Lula da = Silva, restated his opposition to the = administration=E2=80=99s sanctions=20 proposal, warning, =E2=80=9CIt is not prudent to push Iran against a = wall.=E2=80=9D

Carter Lawson, the Export-Import = Bank=E2=80=99s deputy=20 general counsel, acknowledged that Mr. Ahmadinejad=E2=80=99s visit was = =E2=80=9Cproblematic for=20 us, and it raised our antenna.=E2=80=9D He said that since December the = bank had been=20 operating under a new budget rule requiring borrowers to certify that = they had=20 no continuing operations in Iran=E2=80=99s energy industry, and was = carefully monitoring=20 Petrobras=E2=80=99s activities.

In the meantime, Petrobras=E2=80=99s = Tehran office remains=20 open. And Diogo Almeida, the acting economic attach=C3=A9 at the = Brazilian Embassy in=20 Iran, said that while Petrobras was currently assessing how much it = could invest=20 in Iran, given the huge discovery off Rio de Janeiro, company officials = were in=20 active discussions with the Iranian government and were interested in = pursuing=20 new business.

Opportunities for = Profit=20

For all the American rules and focus, = there is=20 still plenty of room for companies to profit in crucial areas of = Iran=E2=80=99s economy=20 without fear of reprisal or loss of United States government business.=20

Auto companies doing business in Iran, = for=20 instance, received $7.3 billion in federal contracts over the past 10 = years.=20 Among them was Mazda, whose cars in Iran are assembled by a company = called the=20 Bahman Group. A 45 percent share in Bahman is held by the Sepah = Cooperative=20 Foundation, a large investment fund linked to the Revolutionary Guards,=20 according to Iranian news accounts and a 2009 RAND Corporation = report prepared for the Defense Department. =

A Mazda spokesman declined to comment, = saying the=20 company was unaware of the links.

Even companies based in the United = States,=20 including some of the biggest federal contractors, can invest in Iran = through=20 foreign subsidiaries run independently by non-Americans.

Honeywell, the = aviation and=20 aerospace company, has received nearly $13 billion in federal contracts = since=20 2005. That year it acquired Universal Oil Products, whose British = subsidiary is=20 working on a project to expand gasoline production at the Arak refinery = in Iran.=20 Universal recently received a $25 million federal grant for a = clean-energy=20 project in Hawaii.

In a statement, Honeywell=20 said it had told the State Department in January that while it was = fulfilling=20 its Arak contract, it would not undertake new projects in Iran. =

Ingersoll Rand, another American company with foreign subsidiaries, = says it is=20 evaluating its =E2=80=9Cminor=E2=80=9D business in Iran in light of the = political climate. But=20 for now, according to a spokesman, Paul Dickard, it continues to sell=20 air-compression systems with a =E2=80=9Cwide variety of = applications,=E2=80=9D including in the=20 oil and gas industries and in nuclear power plants.

Senator Byron L. Dorgan, a North Dakota Democrat, tried to close the foreign = subsidiary=20 loophole after a furor erupted in 2004 over Halliburton, former Vice President Dick Cheney=E2=80=99s old company, which had used a Cayman Islands = subsidiary to sell=20 oil-field services to Iran. But he said he was unable to overcome = business=20 opposition.

William A. Reinsch, president of the = National=20 Foreign Trade Council, lobbied against Mr. Dorgan=E2=80=99s bill and has = opposed other=20 unilateral sanctions. He argues that their futility can be seen in the=20 intransigence of the Iranian government and the way American oil = companies have=20 simply been replaced by foreign competitors. Moreover, many foreign = companies=20 with business interests in Iran are also large American employers; deny = them=20 federal contracts and other benefits, Mr. Reinsch said, =E2=80=9Cand = it=E2=80=99s those workers=20 who will pay the price.=E2=80=9D

But Hans Sandberg, senior vice = president of Atlas=20 Copco, which is based in Sweden, offered a different = perspective. Atlas Copco=E2=80=99s sales of mining and construction equipment to = Iran are dwarfed=20 by its American business, including military contracts. If forced to = choose, he=20 said: =E2=80=9CIt would be no problem. We wouldn=E2=80=99t trade with=20 Iran.=E2=80=9D   

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/0= 3/07/world/middleeast/07sanctions.html?th=3D&emc=3Dth&pagewanted=3D= all
 
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         &nbs= p;            = ;            =             &= nbsp;              <= FONT=20 size=3D1 face=3DArial>          &nbs= p; =20 People are not unintelligent, = merely=20 uninformed
 
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3D"B=C3=A4rbel<= /STRONG>Freudenberg-Pilster
Rechtsanw=C3=A4ltin-
Staatssekret=C3=A4rin=20 a.D.                 =             &= nbsp;           &n= bsp;  =20    What=E2=80=99s Next for US Health Care=20 Reform

The House and Senate each passed different health=20 bills last year. Lawmakers are talking = about=20 having the House vote to accept the Senate bill, then working out = compromises in=20 a separate reconciliation bill that would have to be voted on in both = chambers=20 but would need only a simple majority.

Reconciliation is intended for budget-related = items, so=20 some portions of health reform could not be addressed in the new bill. = And=20 Republicans complained loudly at the summit that changing 17 percent of = the=20 nation=E2=80=99s economy=E2=80=94which health care = represents=E2=80=94with a parliamentary maneuver was=20 wrong. Craig Orfield, spokesman for Sen. Michael Enzi, R-Wyo., calls it = =E2=80=9Can end=20 run around public opposition.=E2=80=9D

 President Obama is pushing for a new Medicare tax on = wealthy=20 Americans (individuals earning more = than=20 $200,000, and families with more than $250,000). The new 2.9 percent tax = would=20 apply to unearned income like dividends, interest and rent.
 
http://bulletin.aarp.org/yourhealth/policy/articles/what_s_next_for_he= alth_care_reform_reconciliation_.html?cmp=3DNLC-WBLTR-CTRL-30510-F1-1=
 

          &nbs= p;            = ;            =   =20 Side-by-Side Comparison of Major Health Care Reform=20 Proposals

As health reform = discussions=20 continue, many proposals for overhauling our health care system have = been=20 advanced. This interactive side-by-side provides detailed, up-to-date = summaries=20 of leading comprehensive reform proposals focusing on several key plan=20 components and is designed to allow for comparisons of plans across = these=20 characteristics. Included in this side-by-side are proposals for moving = toward=20 universal coverage that have been put forward by the President and = Members of=20 Congress, including those that have been formally introduced as = legislation as=20 well as those that have been offered as draft proposals or as policy = options. It=20 will be regularly updated to reflect changes in the proposals and to = incorporate=20 major new proposals as they are announced. In addition to the summaries = offered=20 here, the Foundation also has prepared detailed descriptions of the = Medicare and Medicaid provisions, and a summary of the coverage provisions, = in the=20 legislation moving through Congress.

Download=20 a printable comparison of the House and Senate-passed Bills and the = President's=20 Proposal (.pdf)
Download=20 a printable version of the three Congressional authorizing committee=20 proposals (.pdf)
Download=20 a printable side-by-side comparison of all proposals and=20 topics (.pdf)
http://www.kff.or= g/healthreform/sidebyside.cfm      &nbs= p;       
 
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Side-by-Side=20 Comparison of Major Health Care Reform Proposals
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           =             &= nbsp; =20    = =E2=80=A6 good governance: focus on sharing benefits, not = ownership -=20 setting rules, monitoring, binding methods of settling disputes=20 =E2=80=A6
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Bundeswehr       = ;         Troubled Partnership=20 - U.S.-Turkish Relations in an Era of Global Geopolitical=20 Change           &= nbsp;           

A strong security = partnership=20 with Turkey has been an important element of U.S. policy in the Mediterranean and the = Middle East=20 since the early = 1950s. It is=20 even more important today. Turkey stands at the nexus of four areas that have become increasingly = critical=20 to U.S. security since the end=20 of the Cold War: the Balkans, the Middle East, the Caucasus /Central Asia, and the Persian Gulf = region.=20

In all four areas, = Turkey=E2=80=99s = cooperation is vital=20 for achieving U.S. policy goals.

However, in the = last few=20 years=E2=80=94and especially since 2003=E2=80=94U.S.-Turkish relations have seriously = deteriorated. The=20 origins of many of = the strains=20 can be traced back to the first Gulf War. However, the = strains were significantly exacerbated = by the=20 fallout from the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, which resulted in a serious = deterioration=20 in Turkey=E2=80=99s security=20 environment. As a consequence of the invasion, sectarian violence=20 in Iraq increased, = and the=20 Iraqi Kurds=E2=80=99 drive for autonomy and eventual independence gained greater momentum. = (See pp.=20 11=E2=80=9320.) Turkish officials fear=20 that the creation of a Kurdish state on Turkey=E2=80=99s = southern border could intensify separatist = pressures in=20 Turkey and pose a = threat to=20 its territorial integrity.

These fears have = been=20 exacerbated by the = resumption=20 of an insurgency by the Kurdistan Workers=E2=80=99 Party (PKK), which has stepped up cross-border = terrorist=20 attacks against Turkish=20 territory from sanctuaries in northern Iraq. These terrorist=20 attacks are = Turkey=E2=80=99s=20 number-one security concern. (See pp. = 25=E2=80=9329.)

The U.S. = reluctance to take=20 military action against the PKK or to allow Turkey to take unilateral military action = against PKK=20 sanctuaries in = northern Iraq=20 after the 2003 invasion caused serious strains=20 in Washington=E2=80=99s=20 relations with Ankara. It also provoked a sharp rise in = anti-American sentiment in Turkey, = which, if not=20 halted, threatens to pose=20 serious long-term consequences for the U.S. security partnership=20 with=20 Turkey.

These strains have = been=20 compounded=E2=80=94and to some extent reinforced=E2=80=94by differences over policy = toward Iran and=20 Syria. Whereas the = United=20 States sought until very recently to isolate both countries,=20 Turkey has pursued = a policy of=20 rapprochement with Iran and Syria.

As a result, U.S. = and Turkish=20 policies toward Iran and Syria have been increasingly at odds. This divergence began to = manifest=20 itself before the = assumption=20 of power in Ankara by the Justice and Development Party in 2002, but it has become more pronounced = since=20 then. (See pp.=20 34=E2=80=9340.)

Iran=E2=80=99s = nuclear ambitions could=20 become a further source of strain. Turkey is concerned by Iran=E2=80=99s nuclear = program because such=20 a program could = stimulate a=20 regional arms race, which could force Turkey to take compensatory measures. However, Turkey is = strongly=20 opposed to a = military strike=20 against Iran, fearing that a strike would lead to further = destabilization of the Middle East. A = U.S. military=20 strike against Iran would=20 create a crisis in U.S.-Turkish relations and could prompt = the Erdo=C4=9Fan government to halt or = curtail U.S. use=20 of Turkish military facilities, particularly the air base at = =C4=B0ncirlik. (See pp.=20 36=E2=80=9337.)

U.S. defense = cooperation with=20 Turkey has undergone a downturn in the last few years. Congress has held up a = number of=20 major weapon sales = to Turkey=20 due to Turkey=E2=80=99s human-rights policy and policy toward = Cyprus. Turkey has begun to regard the = United States=20 as a less-thanreliable defense=20 partner and has expanded its defense relationships with countries that impose fewer procurement = restrictions,=20 particularly Israel and=20 Russia. The U.S.-Turkish defense-industry relationship has = stagnated lately. Until Sikorsky = finalized a sale of=20 17 Seahawk helicopters in fall=20 2006, no U.S. firm had won a major direct commercial sale = in Turkey since 2002. (See pp.=20 77=E2=80=9387.)

Revitalizing U.S.-Turkish = Relations: The=20 Policy AgendaThe arrival of a new=20 administration in Washington presents an important opportunity for repairing the fissures in the = U.S.-Turkish=20 security partnership and=20 putting relations on a firmer footing. President Barack = Obama=E2=80=99s visit to Ankara in April = 2009 helped to set=20 a new tone in relations. But=20 the visit needs to be followed up by concrete steps in a = number of areas outlined below if the = U.S.-Turkish=20 security partnership is to be=20 infused with new vitality and strength.

 http://w= ww.rand.org/pubs/monographs/2009/RAND_MG899.pdf 
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         &nbs= p;                   &nbs= p; =20  Rethinking Climate Diplomacy: = New Ideas=20 for Transatlantic Cooperation=20 post-Copenhagen
Nigel Purvis =
GMF = and Climate=20 Advisers; Andrew Stevenson, Resources for the Future
Brussels Forum = Paper=20 Series
March 8,=20 2010

In this paper, the = authors argue that=20 the most dangerous thing Europe and the United States could do is ignore = the=20 strategic implications of Copenhagen and fall back into old strategies = with a=20 new sense of patience.  They recommend a fundamental shift in = thinking.=20

In the news:

Download = File, Format: PDF, Size: 642 KB = http://www.gmfus.org//doc/GMF%20Purvis%20Climate%20Paper%2003= 0910%20web.pdf
 
http://www.gmfus.org/publications/article.cfm?id=3D867&par= ent_type=3DP 
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         &nbs= p;            = ;            =             &= nbsp;           &n= bsp;           &nb= sp;           &nbs= p;            = ; =20 Middle East: Alert

         &nbs= p;            = ;            =             &= nbsp;           &n= bsp;      =20 sharing news on global affairs / oil / gas / = politics
 
          =             &= nbsp;           &n= bsp;           &nb= sp;           &nbs= p;    =20 GCC region well positioned to be = world=E2=80=99s main=20 aluminium producers
 =20

Dubai, March 10th, 2010 (WAM) -- As the price of aluminium continues = its=20 quick recovery from the impact of the global crisis, with experts = agreeing that=20 the worst of the price slumps are over and producers beginning to dust = off=20 expansion plans, especially for downstream value-adding developments, = MEED, the=20 Middle East=E2=80=99s premier business intelligence provider, is = preparing to host the=20 4th Middle East Aluminium Conference.

Entitled "Building a = sustainable=20 downstream industry", the Conference, which will take place at the Dubai = Marina=20 Address Hotel on 16-17 March 2010, provides a comprehensive overview of = the MENA=20 aluminium production and processing sector and its place in the global = market,=20 with focus on building a sustainable downstream sector for the = region=E2=80=99s=20 industry.=20

Over the past ten years, GCC member states have begun = implementing=20 long-term strategies that aim to develop the region=E2=80=99s aluminium = industry, and=20 the region is now well positioned to be one of the world=E2=80=99s main = aluminium=20 producers. In 2000, the GCC share of global aluminium production was 1.8 = million=20 metric tonnes per annum. By 2008, this figure had risen to 2.2 million = metric=20 tonnes per annum (5.4% of global production), and it is expected to = continue to=20 increase - to 6 million metric tonnes per annum in 2015, and to 9 = million metric=20 tonnes per annum in 2020 (13% of global production).=20

According to Edmund O=E2=80=99Sullivan, Chairman at MEED Events, = "There are huge=20 opportunities for investments in the region to capitalise on the = production of=20 primary metal by the region=E2=80=99s major smelters. This = year=E2=80=99s event is bigger than=20 ever, with dedicated streams for the upstream production and smelter = side of the=20 industry, and for the downstream processing and fabrication sector. The = Middle=20 East Aluminium 2010 Conference presents an ideal opportunity for the = local=20 aluminium sector to forge strategic partnerships and alliances with=20 international and regional partners that will help them expand and keep = the=20 Middle East at the cutting edge of aluminium sector growth." 2010 is set = to be=20 an important year for aluminium production in the Middle East, with two = of the=20 biggest smelters in the world - Qatalum and Emal - preparing to ramp up=20 production. CEOs of both projects will be on hand at the conference, = offering=20 attendees business-critical insight into their challenges and ambitions = as they=20 move from the project phase to full operations.=20

O=E2=80=99Sullivan added: "Those attending the conference will = have the chance to=20 hear global experts build the business model for a sustainable = downstream sector=20 for the Middle East, and to do business with real decision makers from = across=20 the aluminium supply chain. The networking opportunities are also = exceptional,=20 and offer the chance to discover opportunities for investment in high = value=20 downstream production and get essential updates on global market = conditions and=20 pricing trends that impact business."=20

=C2=A9 Copyright Emirates News Agency (WAM)=20 2010          &n= bsp;           &nb= sp;           &nbs= p;            = ;            =             &= nbsp;           &n= bsp;       

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http://www.zawya.com/s= tory.cfm/sidWAM20100310115044140/GCC%20region%20well%20poseditioned%20to%= 20be%20world?s%20main%20aluminium%20producers&alertid=3D02RZNL6878TRO= J5633ESUT9144LQLD44

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<= FONT=20 color=3D#800080 size=3D2 face=3DGeorgia><= A=20 href=3D"https://www.openbc.com/hp/Udo_FreiherrvonMassenbach/17.751"><= FONT=20 color=3D#800080 size=3D2 face=3DGeorgia><= FONT=20 color=3D#800080 size=3D2 face=3DGeorgia><= /STRONG><= FONT=20 color=3D#800080 size=3D2 face=3DGeorgia><= A=20 href=3D"https://www.openbc.com/hp/Udo_FreiherrvonMassenbach/17.751"><= FONT=20 color=3D#800080 size=3D2 face=3DGeorgia><= FONT=20 color=3D#800080 size=3D2 face=3DGeorgia><= /STRONG>= <= FONT=20 color=3D#800080 size=3D2 face=3DGeorgia><= A=20 href=3D"https://www.openbc.com/hp/Udo_FreiherrvonMassenbach/17.751"><= FONT=20 color=3D#800080 size=3D2 face=3DGeorgia><= FONT=20 color=3D#800080 size=3D2 face=3DGeorgia><= /STRONG><= FONT=20 color=3D#800080 size=3D2 face=3DGeorgia><= A=20 href=3D"https://www.openbc.com/hp/Udo_FreiherrvonMassenbach/17.751"><= FONT=20 color=3D#800080 size=3D2 face=3DGeorgia><= FONT=20 color=3D#800080 size=3D2 face=3DGeorgia>M= assenbach's= = Recommendation   
       
<= FONT=20 size=3D1>          &nbs= p;            = ;            =             &= nbsp;           &n= bsp;         =20  DHL=20 collaborates with German-Jordanian University in educational=20 partnership
 
10 = March=20 2010

DHL announced on Tuesday a collaboration with the = German-Jordanian University (GJU) in a strategic educational = partnership. A=20 memorandum of understanding (MoU) between DHL Express Jordan and GJU = paves the=20 way for a partnership that will provide training and enable knowledge = transfer=20 of logistics and supply chain management to students. Through this = framework,=20 students will have the opportunity to undertake training and = internships,=20 lectures, research, joint workshops and field trips with support from = DHL=20 Express Jordan, as part of their training. "Through this collaboration, = DHL is=20 delighted we can leverage our core expertise in logistics to help = nurture and=20 develop the capabilities of Jordan's students. This initiative is DHL's = way of=20 contributing back to the communities we serve and operate in," said = Turgay=20 Sarikaya, the general manager, DHL Express Jordan.

The MoU was = designed=20 to maintain sustainable industry linkages, providing students with = first-hand=20 experience by involving its industry partners in study plans and field = trips.=20 The cooperation between GJU's logistics department and DHL Express = Jordan will=20 provide training opportunities for students of logistics sciences=20 internationally in DHL hubs, offices in Jordan and potentially the DHL=20 Innovation Centre in Bonn. Training will involve at least 160 hours for = each=20 student locally, and for six months = internationally. 
 
http://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100310053029/lok0530001003= 10 
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        =           =20  Die Libert=C3=A4re Plattform erh=C3=A4lt CD = mit=20 Finanzinformationen deutscher Politiker
 
Bei der = Libert=C3=A4ren Plattform=20 ist am 5. M=C3=A4rz 2010 eine verbl=C3=BCffende Sendung=20 eingetroffen.

Der Briefumschlag mit dem = Poststempel vom=20 3. Februar 2010(!), der an ein Mitglied der Libert=C3=A4ren Plattform = adressiert ist,=20 enthielt eine CD mit der Aufschrift = =E2=80=9CFin_Pol_Germany_2010=E2=80=B3.

Darauf enthalten sind = Daten, die=20 namentlich genannten deutschen Politikern und Beh=C3=B6rdenmitarbeitern = in- und=20 ausl=C3=A4ndische Konten und Finanzinformationen zuordnen.

Warum die Daten an die LP = gesandt wurde,=20 ist bisher nicht ersichtlich. Nach einer oberfl=C3=A4chlichen Sichtung = der Daten ist=20 aber folgendes erkennbar:

  • Die CD enth=C3=A4lt Namen = von Politikern und=20 Beh=C3=B6rdenmitarbeitern verschiedener = Parteizugeh=C3=B6rigkeit=20
  • Aufgef=C3=BChrt sind neben = in- und=20 ausl=C3=A4ndischen Konten auch Nebeneink=C3=BCnfte, Geldzuwendungen = und=20 Firmenbeteiligungen dritter Personen=20
  • Die englische Bezeichnung = der CD und=20 die Dateinamen lassen darauf schlie=C3=9Fen, dass die Daten nicht in = Deutschland=20 oder der Schweiz gesammelt worden sind.=20
  • Die Unterschiedlichkeit der = Daten=20 schlie=C3=9Ft eine einzige Datenquelle aus. Es ist davon auszugehen, = dass die Daten=20 zu einem noch nicht bekannten Zweck gezielt gesammelt worden sind und = von=20 jemandem, der Zugriff auf die Daten hatte, an die =C3=96ffentlichkeit = gegeben=20 wurden.=20
  • Es sind = =C3=BCberraschenderweise auch Namen=20 von Politikern enthalten, die sich in der Diskussion um den = Ankauf  der=20 Schweizer Daten-CDs f=C3=BCr einen Ankauf der gestohlenen Daten = ausgesprochen=20 haben. Das l=C3=A4dt zur Spekulation ein, ob die der LP zugesandten = Daten=20 vielleicht Informationen enthalten, die gezielt aus anderen = Datensammlungen=20 entfernt worden sind und nun von einem Mitwisser nach au=C3=9Fen = gespielt=20 wurden.

Die Libert=C3=A4re Plattform = l=C3=A4sst sich derzeit=20 durch einen Anwalt beraten, welche M=C3=B6glichkeiten und rechtlichen = Implikationen=20 mit dem Erhalt der Daten-CD verbunden sind. Die CD selbst wurde einem = Treuh=C3=A4nder=20 zur sicheren Verwahrung =C3=BCbergeben.

Rechtlich gepr=C3=BCft werden = die Optionen, die=20 erhaltenen Daten zu vernichten, im In- oder Ausland weiterzugeben oder = zu=20 ver=C3=B6ffentlichen. Er=C3=B6rtert wird auch die Frage eines = Austausches der CD gegen=20 widerrechtlich erlangte Kontodaten deutscher B=C3=BCrger, die durch = deutsche Beh=C3=B6rden=20 angekauft worden sind.

Da der weitere Umgang mit den = Daten der=20 Kl=C3=A4rung bedarf, wird betroffenen Politikern und Beamten geraten, in = der=20 Zwischenzeit die M=C3=B6glichkeit zur Selbstanzeige zu nutzen, um einem = m=C3=B6glichen=20 Strafverfahren zuvorzukommen.

Nachtrag:9. M=C3=A4rz=20 2010, 14 Uhr

Aufgrund der vielen einzeln = nicht zu=20 bew=C3=A4ltigenden Anfragen zu diesem Artikel wurde eine separate = Seite erstellt, auf der die neuesten = Informationen=20 jeweils ver=C3=B6ffentlicht werden.

http://libertaer.wordpress.com/2010/03/08/lp-er= haelt-finanzdaten-von-politikern/#more-800 
 
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see our letter on:=20  http://www.massenbach-world.de/41259.html
 
Wir w=C3=BCnschen Ihnen ein = angenehmes=20 Wochenende. Ihr Team.
 
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Udo=20 von Massenbach   -   B=C3=A4rbel=20 Freudenberg-Pilster   -   J=C3=B6rg=20 Barandat
        &nbs= p;            = ;            =           =20
UdovonMassenbach@t-online.de  =20 Mail@Freudenberg-Pilster.de   
          &nbs= p;           =20 JoergBarandat@yahoo.de
 
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