Reply-To: "Udo von Massenbach" From: "Udo von Massenbach" Subject: Massenbach-Letter: NEWS 13/01/12 Date: Thu, 12 Jan 2012 08:16:52 +0100 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_031F_01CCD102.9E30A670" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal Importance: Normal X-Unsent: 1 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V15.4.3538.513 Dies ist eine mehrteilige Nachricht im MIME-Format. ------=_NextPart_000_031F_01CCD102.9E30A670 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Guten Morgen. Westerwelle sagt Libyen deutsche Wiederaufbau-Hilfe zu =20 =20 Massenbach Bellevue ist keine Lehranstalt zur = Charakterformung Der Bundespr=C3=A4sident hat bewiesen, dass seine Haltung nicht stimmt, = schreibt Jan-Eric Peters im "Welt am Sonntag"-Editorial. Wulffs = Drohungen haben Methode.=20 Schloss Bellevue im Berliner Tiergarten: Wer hier einzieht, sollte schon = Format haben. =E2=80=9EIch mag nicht mehr=E2=80=9C, hat mir mein Referent gestern = gemailt und viele Ausrufezeichen dahinter gesetzt, als ich ihn bat, noch = ein paar Leserbriefe zum Fall Wulff zu beantworten. Irgendwann muss doch = mal Schluss sein, sagen einige von Ihnen auch =C3=BCber die Aff=C3=A4re = selbst. Der Mann hat sich entschuldigt, nun sollten es die Medien mal = gut sein lassen. So sehr ich das verstehen kann =E2=80=93 wir = k=C3=B6nnen es nicht gut sein lassen. Denn es ist leider nicht gut. Weil = der Bundespr=C3=A4sident sogar in seinem Entschuldigungs-Interview = bestenfalls die halbe Wahrheit gesagt hat.=20 Foto: Getty Images/Getty Schloss Bellevue im Berliner Tiergarten: Wer hier einzieht, sollte = schon Format haben Einsch=C3=BCchterungsversuche von oberster staatlicher Stelle=20 Lassen Sie mich kurz erz=C3=A4hlen, was passierte, als wir im = vergangenen Sommer eine Geschichte recherchierten, wie Christian Wulff = sein Privatleben sch=C3=B6nt, wenn es der politischen Karriere dient = =E2=80=93 und was er wegl=C3=A4sst, wenn es nicht zu seinem Vorteil ist. = Unter anderem ging es um seine Halbschwester, die nicht ins Bild einer = heilen Familie passt und die Wulff sogar in einer Biografie verschwiegen = hat. Nichts Dramatisches, Sie haben die Geschichte damals ja vielleicht = gelesen, aber nat=C3=BCrlich auch nicht schmeichelhaft f=C3=BCr den = Pr=C3=A4sidenten. Das ist die Vorgeschichte dazu:=20 So berichtete die "Welt am Sonntag" =C3=BCber die "Wulffs von = nebenan".Der Bundespr=C3=A4sident versuchte, diesen Bericht zu = verhindern. Drei Tage vor der geplanten Ver=C3=B6ffentlichung =C3=BCbermitteln = unsere Reporter dem Bundespr=C3=A4sidialamt am 23. Juni 2011, einem = Donnerstag, einige Fragen. Die Antworten werden f=C3=BCr den = n=C3=A4chsten Tag versprochen =E2=80=93 stattdessen Anrufe in der = Chefetage der Redaktion. Wulffs Staatssekret=C3=A4r versucht, die = Geschichte zu verhindern. Ohne Erfolg, wir machen klar, auch ohne = Ausk=C3=BCnfte drucken zu wollen. Daraufhin wird Uwe M=C3=BCller, einer = unserer Reporter, am Freitagabend f=C3=BCr den n=C3=A4chsten Morgen ins = Schloss Bellevue gebeten: ein Vier-Augen-Gespr=C3=A4ch mit dem = Bundespr=C3=A4sidenten selbst. Eine sch=C3=B6ne Gelegenheit, die Sache = pers=C3=B6nlich zu besprechen.=20 Das Gespr=C3=A4ch beginnt nett, man unterh=C3=A4lt sich =C3=BCber ein = Gem=C3=A4lde im Amtszimmer des Staatsoberhaupts, auf dem das barocke = Dresden zu sehen ist. Dann aber, als es um die geplante Geschichte geht, = wird es eisig. Der Bundespr=C3=A4sident droht M=C3=BCller gleich = mehrfach und massiv mit unangenehmen Konsequenzen im Falle einer = Ver=C3=B6ffentlichung. Er werde die Gerichte bem=C3=BChen, eine = Pressekonferenz einberufen und die =E2=80=9EWelt am Sonntag=E2=80=9C = dort an den Pranger stellen, au=C3=9Ferdem jede Zusammenarbeit mit der = =E2=80=9EWelt=E2=80=9C-Gruppe beenden, Interviews k=C3=B6nnten wir = k=C3=BCnftig vergessen. M=C3=BCller, ein erfahrener Journalist, ist = konsterniert und erz=C3=A4hlt mir anschlie=C3=9Fend, so etwas habe er = noch nicht erlebt.=20 Doch der Druck aus Bellevue wird noch gr=C3=B6=C3=9Fer. Nach dem = Gespr=C3=A4ch mit unserem Reporter folgen weitere unangenehme Anrufe. = Der Bundespr=C3=A4sident interveniert beim Vorstandschef und versucht = =C3=BCber die Bundeskanzlerin, die Handynummer von Friede Springer zu = bekommen. Einsch=C3=BCchterungsversuche von oberster staatlicher Stelle. = Wegen dieser Geschichte? Ich kann es kaum fassen. Wir drucken = nat=C3=BCrlich trotzdem.=20 Da Wulffs Staatssekret=C3=A4r auf meine telefonische Beschwerde hin das = Vorgehen bedauerte, habe ich den Vorgang nach der Ver=C3=B6ffentlichung = zu den Akten gelegt. Ein Einzelfall, unangemessen und falsch, dachte = ich, aber eben ein Einzelfall. Doch jetzt ist eine Methode zu erkennen. = Das Verhalten des Pr=C3=A4sidenten gegen=C3=BCber der = =E2=80=9EBild=E2=80=9C-Zeitung in der Kreditaff=C3=A4re offenbart = deutliche Parallelen. In einem anderen Verlag soll diese Strategie = damals bei einer =C3=A4hnlichen Geschichte zu den = Familienverh=C3=A4ltnissen der Wulffs sogar Erfolg gehabt haben.=20 Nicht der Richtige f=C3=BCr das Amt=20 Im Interview mit ARD und ZDF verharmlost der Bundespr=C3=A4sident die = Drohungen gegen unseren Reporter, es sei =E2=80=9Edoch normal, dass man = darum bittet, noch mal ein Gespr=C3=A4ch zu f=C3=BChren=E2=80=9C, es sei = =E2=80=9Enichts zur=C3=BCckgeblieben=E2=80=9C. Da haben Sie als unser = Leser ein Recht darauf zu erfahren, was sich wirklich abgespielt hat. = Hinzu kommt: Wir wollen diese Anrufe nicht. Sie bringen nichts.=20 Es tut mir leid, aber ich kann es nach diesem unw=C3=BCrdigen Theater = nicht freundlicher sagen: Christian Wulff hat nicht nur einen = =E2=80=9Eschweren Fehler=E2=80=9C gemacht, wie er selbst sagt, er hat = bewiesen, dass seine Haltung nicht stimmt. Ein Bundespr=C3=A4sident, der = den selbstverst=C3=A4ndlichen Respekt vor Grundrechten, vor Presse- und = Meinungsfreiheit =C3=B6ffentlich betonen und nach mehr als 30 Jahren in = der Politik sein Verh=C3=A4ltnis zu den Medien und damit der = =C3=96ffentlichkeit =E2=80=9Eneu ordnen=E2=80=9C muss, der zeigt schon = allein dadurch, dass er nicht der Richtige f=C3=BCr das Amt ist. Von den = Ungereimtheiten in der Kreditaff=C3=A4re ganz abgesehen.=20 Schloss Bellevue ist keine Lehranstalt zur Charakterformung. Wer hier = einzieht, sollte schon Format haben.=20 Ich w=C3=BCnsche Ihnen einen sch=C3=B6nen Sonntag!=20 Chefredakteur Jan-Eric Peters =20 http://www.welt.de/debatte/article13803561/Bellevue-ist-keine-Lehranstalt= -zur-Charakterformung.html?wtmc=3DNewsletter.NL_RessortWirtschaft=20 *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= **************************************** *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= **************************************** = Social Policy=20 = =20 Freudenberg-Pilster Egypt: Sunday's papers: Election results and talk = of a national defense council The Muslim Brotherhood and the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed = Forces (SCAF) agree on the structure of a national defense council that = would discuss the army=E2=80=99s budget, reports privately-owned = Al-Shorouk daily on its front page. Al-Shorouk quotes an anonymous source from the Brotherhood as saying = that the group has decided, with the SCAF, that the members of the = council will include seven civilians, seven military men, = Egypt=E2=80=99s intelligence chief, the president and relevant = ministers. However, the story is not reported by Freedom and Justice = newspaper, the official publication of the Brotherhood=E2=80=99s = political party. As the People=E2=80=99s Assembly election nears its end, both Al-Shorouk = and state-run Al-Gomhurriya publish the compiled results of the three = rounds. Despite slight differences in the two publication's numbers, the = Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) has certainly collected = the majority of seats so far, with 48 percent. Following it with 25 = percent is the Salafi-led Nour Party, and the Wafd Party comes third = with 9 percent, followed by the Egyptian Bloc with 8 percent. The Wasat = Party and the Revolution Continues Coalition won the smallest shares = with 2 percent and 1.5 percent respectively. Al-Gomhurriya reports that only three women and only three Christians, = of whom one is an FJP member, made it into parliament. On the same note, Freedom and Justice publishes a vision of five = possible scenarios for the FJP's parliamentary alliances after the = elections. The first one is an alliance between the FJP (207 seats) and = other Islamist parties (67 seats) but excluding the Nour Party, = resulting in a coalition of total 274 seats. The second scenario is a 313-seat coalition between the FJP and the Nour = Party (106 seats) which would make it the biggest coalition in the = parliament. The third comprises FJP and the Wafd (45 seats), adding up = to 252 seats, which would also be the number of seats if FJP reaches an = agreement with the Egyptian Bloc, the fourth potential scenario. The = fifth scenario would be an alliance between the FJP and the Revolution = Continues Coalition along with other small parties and independents, = reaching 261 seats. As for Egypt=E2=80=99s economic agenda, state-run Al-Ahram=E2=80=99s = lead story states that according to Finance Minister Momtaz El-Said, a = World Bank delegation is scheduled to visit Cairo in mid-January to = resume negotiations regarding a US$3.2 billion loan to Egypt. El-Said = confirmed that the World Bank will not put conditions on the loan. = Al-Ahram adds that Industry and Trade Minister Mahmoud Issa is visiting = Washington to speed up the economic assistance the US promised Egypt.=20 http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/node/590181 Salafi leader offers Egypt army 'safe = exit' Author: Reuters There was a time when Islamist lawyer Hazem Salah Abu Ismail's toughest = challenge was brokering business deals and marriages. Now he is trying = to bring his conflict resolution skills to the power struggle playing = out in the new Egypt. With his long white beard and wearing a suit and tie, the 50-year-old = presidential hopeful sits in his office in the middle-class neighborhood = of Dokki in Cairo reflecting on ways, however unpalatable, to break the = military's hold on power. Abu Ismail is running for president in an election due by the end of = June, banking on his base in the ultra-conservative Salafi movement, = estimated to have 3 million supporters. The mosque preacher, known to millions of Egyptians from his frequent = appearances on religious television shows, has no formal post in any = Salafi or other political party. He was a former member of the Muslim = Brotherhood Islamist group. Salafi youth supporters in Cairo's Tahrir square, the hub of the 18-day = uprising that toppled President Hosni Mubarak on 11 February, call him = the "sheikh-president". As Egyptians prepare to mark the first anniversary of the revolt, many = view the generals who replaced Mubarak as a vestige of the old order who = must quit like their former commander. But a transition to civilian rule cannot be achieved without easing the = concerns of the army, which is likely to cling to power without = guarantees of immunity, Abu Ismail told Reuters. "The pragmatic solution is to reconcile the power of the people with = that of the military, which has arms, a network of interests and = international support," he said in an interview. "My blood boils as I say this... but this is the way to encourage the = army to leave the country to the people. Otherwise the army will = continue to use political coercion," he added. Public anger has been mounting against the military, accused of = mismanaging the transition period and blamed for a series of violent = clashes with protesters demanding an end to army rule. Dozens of protesters and some soldiers and police have been killed in = bouts of violence in the past 11 months. All Egypt's rulers have come from the army since a 1952 coup against the = monarchy. The military is bent on keeping its internal budget and = business interests from civilian oversight. "The military council fears leaving power and being held accountable = afterwards. The 'safe exit' agreement is a guarantee to the generals = they will have immunity after ceding power," Abu Ismail said. http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/node/592871 = *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= ************************************ *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= *************************************** = Politics: from Vision to Action Barandat Libya to review all overseas investments: NTC = =20 TRIPOLI, Jan 07, 2012 (AFP) - Libya will review all its investments = abroad, with some overseas projects expected to be stopped, Mustafa = Abdel Jalil, the head of the ruling National Transitional Council, said = on Saturday.=20 "There is a general view to review all contracts. There are countries = where investments will increase, while in some other countries projects = will be stopped," Jalil said at a joint press conference with visiting = Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.=20 "There are some investments that could be developed and others that it = would be better to terminate for the good of the Libyan people."=20 Until its overthrow last year, the regime of Moamer Kadhafi invested = vast sums of money in Africa, the Arab world and beyond, from a = sovereign wealth fund set up in 2006. http://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidANA20120107T210411ZDHV10/lok21041412010= 7/Libya_to_review_all_overseas_investments_NTC?&zawyaemailmarketing Libya oil contracts will be revisited: = ex-PM WASHINGTON, Jan 05, 2012 (AFP) - Some of Libya's oil contracts will be = reviewed by the country's new government, former interim prime minister = Ali Tarhouni said Thursday, putting scores of foreign firms on notice.=20 During a visit to Washington, Tarhouni -- a former oil minister and = current adviser to the National Transitional Council -- said some of the = contracts agreed by the regime of Moamer Kadhafi would have to be = reworked.=20 "It is my expectation that most contracts will be honored, but all will = be revisited," Tarhouni said.=20 "Some of these contracts will be disputed, there are some that have = these gross violations, there are some that are good," the US-educated = economist added.=20 Almost a year after Libya's revolution began, there is still = considerable uncertainty about the future of the energy sector and which = role long-resident foreign firms will play.=20 Kadhafi's ouster has created opportunities for companies hoping to see a = redistribution of oil contracts to the benefit of countries that took = part in the military campaign to overthrow the long-time dictator, = threatening existing contracts.=20 Current interim prime minister Abdel Rahim al-Kib issued a statement in = December indicating that contracts with Italian energy major ENI would = be reviewed, before that notion was dispelled by his office.=20 The transitional government has said that no major decisions, including = a reworking of Libya's decades-old oil law, will be made until an = elected government is in place.=20 In the meantime firms like ENI have resumed production.=20 The Italian firm has resumed up to 70 percent of its pre-conflict output = in Libya, of around 200,000 barrels per day.=20 The company has been in Libya -- a former Italian colony -- since 1959 = and is the biggest foreign energy producer in the oil-rich North African = country.=20 In 2010, Libya's capacity was just short of 1.7 million barrels per day, = according to the International Energy Agency.=20 The country's low-sulfur crude is much sought after by refiners.=20 Libya's oil minister Abdel Rahman bin Yezza recently predicted that = Libya would be back to full pre-crisis production levels in the second = half of 2012. http://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidANA20120105T181348ZDCA90/Libya_oil_cont= racts_will_be_revisited_exPM *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= ********************************************** *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= ********************************************** Westerwelle sagt Libyen deutsche Wiederaufbau-Hilfe zu=20 Algier (AFP) - Angesichts der schwierigen Lage nach dem Sturz von = Machthaber Muammar al-Gaddafi hat Bundesau=C3=9Fenminister Guido = Westerwelle (FDP) Libyen die Unterst=C3=BCtzung der Bundesregierung = zugesichert. "Das Land steht nach Jahrzehnten der Diktatur vor = gewaltigen Herausforderungen", sagte Westerwelle vor dem Abflug nach = Tripolis in Algier. Die gr=C3=B6=C3=9Fte Aufgabe sei es, "nun einen = erfolgreichen Aufbruch hin zu einer pluralistischen Gesellschaft zu = schaffen". Deutschland werde Libyen "als Freund und Partner" zur Seite = stehen, damit der Wiederaufbau und der Aufbruch "in Richtung Demokratie" = gel=C3=A4ngen.=20 Der eint=C3=A4gige Besuch ist die erste Reise Westerwelles nach Tripolis = seit dem Tod Gaddafis im Oktober 2011. In der libyschen Hauptstadt wird = er mit dem Chef der =C3=9Cbergangsregierung, Abdurrahim al-Kib, und = seinem Amtskollegen Aschur bin Tschajal zusammentreffen. Geplant ist = au=C3=9Ferdem eine Begegnung mit im B=C3=BCrgerkrieg verletzten Libyern, = die in Deutschland behandelt wurden. Seit dem Ende der blutigen = K=C3=A4mpfe wurden mehr als 1000 Verletzte in deutschen = Krankenh=C3=A4usern versorgt. In einem Interview mit der libyschen Zeitung "Libya Gedida" verteidigte = Westerwelle die deutsche Enthaltung im UN-Sicherheitsrat zu dem = NATO-Einsatz in Libyen. Die Entscheidung, keine deutschen Soldaten an = einem Milit=C3=A4reinsatz zu beteiligen, sei "nach langer und = gr=C3=BCndlicher Abw=C3=A4gung erfolgt". "Deutschland war stets an = vorderster Front derjenigen, die =C3=BCber harte Sanktionen den = politischen Druck auf Gaddafi erh=C3=B6ht haben", sagte Westerwelle. = "Wir standen mit unseren Partnern in der Libyen-Kontaktgruppe immer fest = an der Seite des demokratischen Libyen", erg=C3=A4nzte er. Westerwelle hatte sich am Samstag in Algerien bei Gespr=C3=A4chen mit = Regierungschef Ahmed Ouyahia und Au=C3=9Fenminister Mourad Medelci sowie = mit Vertretern der Zivilgesellschaft =C3=BCber den Stand der von = Pr=C3=A4sident Abdelaziz Bouteflika angek=C3=BCndigten Reformen = informiert. Wie schon in Algerien will er auch in Libyen = M=C3=B6glichkeiten einer st=C3=A4rkeren Wirtschaftszusammenarbeit = er=C3=B6rtern. Der Minister wird von mehreren Unternehmern aus den = Bereichen Erneuerbare Energien und Medizintechnik begleitet. Nach dem Besuch in Tripolis wird Westerwelle noch am Sonntagabend in = Tunis erwartet, der dritten Station seiner Nordafrika-Reise fast genau = ein Jahr nach dem Beginn des sogenannten Arabischen Fr=C3=BChlings.=20 http://www.dtoday.de/startseite/nachrichten_artikel,-Westerwelle-sagt-Lib= yen-deutsche-Wiederaufbau-Hilfe-zu-_arid,122965.html *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= ************************************************ *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= ************************************************************************ = Middle East = =20 Westerwelle pledges support for = Libya during North Africa tour = =20 German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle on Sunday pledged support for = Libya's reconstruction after the civil war of the past year, dpa = reported. "Germany stands by the new Libya as a friend and partner," said = Westerwelle, before flying to Tripoli from Algeria, where he began a = three-day tour of North Africa on Saturday..... His stay in Libya is the shortest of his visits in North Africa, = reflecting Germany's reduced influence in the country after Berlin = refused to participate in the NATO-led air campaign that helped oust = Gaddafi's regime..... In Algeria, the North African country least impacted by the popular = revolts in the region, he held talks with the foreign minister and prime = minister about boosting cooperation in renewable energy and on the need = for further reforms. http://en.trend.az/regions/world/europe/1977562.html (Azerbaijan ) *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= *********************************************** *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= *********************************************** = =20 Massenbach'sRecommendation =20 Five myths about the American dream 1. The American dream is about getting rich. In a national survey of more than 1,300 adults that we completed in = March, only 6 percent of Americans ranked =E2=80=9Cwealth=E2=80=9D as = their first or second definition of the American dream. Forty-five = percent named =E2=80=9Ca good life for my family,=E2=80=9D while 34 = percent put =E2=80=9Cfinancial security=E2=80=9D =E2=80=94 material = comfort that is not necessarily synonymous with Bill Gates-like riches = =E2=80=94 on top. While money may certainly be part of a good life, the American dream = isn=E2=80=99t just about dollars and cents. Thirty-two percent of our = respondents pointed to =E2=80=9Cfreedom=E2=80=9D as their dream; 29 = percent to =E2=80=9Copportunity=E2=80=9D; and 21 percent to the = =E2=80=9Cpursuit of happiness.=E2=80=9D A fat bank account can be a = means to these ends, but only a small minority believe that money is a = worthy end in itself. 2. Homeownership is the American dream.=20 In June, a New York Times-CBS News poll found that almost 90 percent of = Americans think that homeownership is an important part of the American = dream. But only 7 percent of Americans we surveyed ranked homeownership = as their first or second definition of the American dream.Why the = discrepancy? Owning real estate is important to some Americans, but not = as important =E2=80=94 or as financially rewarding =E2=80=94 as = we=E2=80=99re led to believe. Federal support of homeownership greatly overvalues its meaning in = American life. Through tax breaks and guarantees, the government boosted = homeownership to its peak in 2004, when 69 percent of American = households owned homes. Subsidies for homeownership, including the = mortgage interest deduction, reached $230 billion in 2009, according to = the Congressional Budget Office. Meanwhile, only $60 billion in tax = breaks and spending programs aided renters. The result of this real estate spending spree? According to the Federal = Reserve, American real estate lost more than $6 trillion in value, or = almost 30 percent, between 2006 and 2010. One in five American = homeowners is underwater, owing more on a mortgage than what the home is = worth. Those who profit most from homeownership are far and away the largest = source of political campaign contributions. Insurance companies, = securities and investment firms, real estate interests, and commercial = banks gave more than $100 million to federal candidates and parties in = 2011, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. The National = Association of Realtors alone gave more than $950,000 =E2=80=94 more = than Morgan Stanley, Citigroup or Ernst & Young. Homeownership is more important to special interests than it is to most = Americans, who, according to our research, care more about =E2=80=9Ca = good job,=E2=80=9D =E2=80=9Cthe pursuit of happiness=E2=80=9D and = =E2=80=9Cfreedom.=E2=80=9D 3. The American dream is American.=20 The term =E2=80=9CAmerican dream=E2=80=9D was coined in 1931 by James = Truslow Adams in his history =E2=80=9CThe Epic of America.=E2=80=9D In = the midst of the Great Depression, Adams discovered the same = counterintuitive optimism that we observe in today=E2=80=99s Great = Recession, and he dubbed it =E2=80=9Cthe American dream=E2=80=9D = =E2=80=94 =E2=80=9Cthat dream of a land in which life should be better = and richer and fuller for every man, with opportunity for each according = to his ability or achievement.=E2=80=9D However, the American dream pre-dated 1931. Starting in the 16th = century, Western European settlers came to this land at great risk to = build a better life. Today, this dream is sustained by immigrants from = different parts of the world who still come here seeking to do the same = thing.=20 Perceptions of the dream today are often more positive among those who = are new to America. When asked to rate the condition of the American = dream on a scale of one to 10, where 10 means the best possible = condition and one means the worst, 42 percent of immigrants responded = between six and 10. Only 31 percent of the general population answered = in that range. 4. China threatens the American dream.=20 Our surveys revealed that 57 percent of Americans believe that = =E2=80=9Cthe world now looks to many different countries,=E2=80=9D not = just ours, to =E2=80=9Crepresent the future.=E2=80=9D When we asked = participants which region or country is charting that future, more than = half chose China. Nearly two-thirds of those surveyed mistakenly believe = that the Chinese economy is already larger than the U.S. economy = =E2=80=94 it is actually one-third the size, with a population four = times larger. China does own more than $1.1 trillion of U.S. debt, = however; it is our largest creditor. But the problem isn=E2=80=99t just one nation. Japan holds almost $1 = trillion of U.S. debt. Britain owns more than $400 billion. In 1970, = less than 5 percent of U.S. debt was held by non-citizens. Today, almost = half is. Neither China nor these other countries can be blamed for U.S. = choices that have placed our financial future increasingly out of our = hands. Still, no matter how much we owe, the United States remains the = world=E2=80=99s land of opportunity. In fact, the largest international = group coming to America to study is from China =E2=80=94 157,000 = students in the 2010-2011 academic year. As recently reported in The = Washington Post, the number of Chinese undergraduates at U.S. colleges = increased 43 percent over the previous year. 5. Economic decline and political gridlock are killing the American = dream.=20 Our research showed a stunning lack of confidence in U.S. institutions. = Sixty-five percent of those surveyed believe that America is in decline; = 83 percent said they have less trust in =E2=80=9Cpolitics in = general=E2=80=9D than they did 10 or 15 years ago; 79 percent said they = have less trust in big business and major corporations; 78 percent said = they have less trust in government; 72 percent reported declining trust = in the media. These recent figures are more startling when contrasted = against Gallup polling from the 1970s, when as many as 70 percent of = Americans had =E2=80=9Ctrust and confidence=E2=80=9D that the government = could handle domestic problems. Even so, 63 percent of Americans said they are confident that they will = attain their American dream, regardless of what the nation=E2=80=99s = institutions do or don=E2=80=99t do. While they may be worried about = future generations, their dream today stands defiantly against the odds. = http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/five-myths-about-the-american-drea= m/2011/11/10/gIQAP4t0eP_story.html?hpid=3Dz2=20 *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= **************************************** *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= *************************************************************************= **************************************** UAE Oil Min: Crude Export Pipeline Bypassing = Hormuz Ready In 6 Mos Monday, Jan 09, 2012 ABU DHABI (Zawya Dow Jones)--United Arab Emirates Oil Minister Mohamed = Bin Dhaen Al Hamli said Monday he expects the crude pipeline that would = allow U.A.E.'s oil to be exported via the emirate of Fujairah bypassing = the strategic Strait of Hormuz, to be operational within six months.=20 "The pipeline is almost complete but hopefully it will be operational = within six months, by May or June," Al Hamli said. It has the capacity = to transport between 1.5-1.8 million barrels a day, he added.=20 The $3.29 billion, 400-kilometer pipeline will enable Abu Dhabi, the = largest U.A.E. sheikdom, to export as much as 70% of its crude from = Fujairah, located outside the Persian Gulf on the Gulf of Oman, where = tankers will be able to pick up the oil instead of sailing into the = Persian Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway watched over = by Iran. It is known as Abu Dhabi Crude Oil Pipeline, or Adcop, and is = being built for the Abu Dhabi government investment firm International = Petroleum Investment Co., or IPIC.=20 Iran has in recent days ratcheted up threats to close the Strait if the = European Union goes through with an embargo on Iranian oil, the latest = step to pressure Tehran to give up a nuclear program that the West = suspects is aimed at securing atomic weapons.=20 Hamli said "the first tanker loaded will be in about six months time, = ready for export," adding the project involves a lot of work as the = pipeline has to be filled with crude and tested.=20 The Strait is one of the world's busiest tanker routes through which = Persian Gulf oil producers ship their crude exports. About 20% of global = consumption is being shipped through the route every day.=20 Hamli said the threat [of Iran closing the strait] has always existed = but there was no certainty the passage would be closed. "Everything for = us is running very smoothly, we are exporting our crude oil to all = destinations," Hamli said. http://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZW20120109000030/lok083027120109/UAE_Oi= l_Min_Crude_export_pipeline_bypassing_Hormuz_ready_in_6_months?&zawyaemai= lmarketing=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_031F_01CCD102.9E30A670 Content-Type: text/html; charset="utf-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Guten Morgen.
 
 
Westerwelle sagt Libyen deutsche Wiederaufbau-Hilfe=20 zu  
          &nbs= p;            = ;            = =20
 
Massenbach   &nbs= p;            = ;=20 Bellevue ist = keine=20 Lehranstalt zur Charakterformung
 
Der Bundespr=C3=A4sident hat bewiesen, = dass seine Haltung=20 nicht stimmt, schreibt Jan-Eric = Peters im "Welt=20 am Sonntag"-Editorial. Wulffs Drohungen haben=20 Methode. 
 
Schloss Bellevue = im Berliner=20 Tiergarten: Wer hier einzieht, sollte schon Format=20 haben.
 
=E2=80=9EIch mag nicht = mehr=E2=80=9C, hat mir mein=20 Referent gestern gemailt und viele Ausrufezeichen dahinter gesetzt, als = ich ihn=20 bat, noch ein paar Leserbriefe zum Fall Wulff zu beantworten. Irgendwann = muss=20 doch mal Schluss sein, sagen einige von Ihnen auch =C3=BCber die = Aff=C3=A4re selbst. Der=20 Mann hat sich entschuldigt, nun sollten es die Medien mal gut sein = lassen. So=20 sehr ich das verstehen kann =E2=80=93 wir k=C3=B6nnen es nicht gut sein = lassen. Denn es ist=20 leider nicht gut. Weil der Bundespr=C3=A4sident sogar in seinem=20 Entschuldigungs-Interview bestenfalls die halbe Wahrheit gesagt hat.=20

Foto: Getty=20 Images/Getty Schloss Bellevue im Berliner Tiergarten: = Wer hier=20 einzieht, sollte schon Format = haben
Einsch=C3=BCchterungsversuche von oberster=20 staatlicher Stelle

Lassen Sie mich kurz = erz=C3=A4hlen, was=20 passierte, als wir im vergangenen Sommer eine Geschichte = recherchierten, wie Christian Wulff sein = Privatleben=20 sch=C3=B6nt, wenn es der politischen Karriere dient =E2=80=93 und was er = wegl=C3=A4sst, wenn es=20 nicht zu seinem Vorteil ist. Unter anderem ging es um seine = Halbschwester, die=20 nicht ins Bild einer heilen Familie passt und die Wulff sogar in einer = Biografie=20 verschwiegen hat. Nichts Dramatisches, Sie haben die Geschichte damals = ja=20 vielleicht gelesen, aber nat=C3=BCrlich auch nicht schmeichelhaft = f=C3=BCr den=20 Pr=C3=A4sidenten. Das ist die Vorgeschichte dazu:

 

 

3D"Christian

So berichtete die = "Welt am=20 Sonntag" =C3=BCber die "Wulffs von nebenan".Der Bundespr=C3=A4sident = versuchte, diesen=20 Bericht zu verhindern.

Drei Tage vor der = geplanten=20 Ver=C3=B6ffentlichung =C3=BCbermitteln unsere Reporter dem = Bundespr=C3=A4sidialamt am 23. Juni=20 2011, einem Donnerstag, einige Fragen. Die Antworten werden f=C3=BCr den = n=C3=A4chsten Tag=20 versprochen =E2=80=93 stattdessen Anrufe in der Chefetage der Redaktion. = Wulffs=20 Staatssekret=C3=A4r versucht, die Geschichte zu verhindern. Ohne Erfolg, = wir machen=20 klar, auch ohne Ausk=C3=BCnfte drucken zu wollen. Daraufhin wird Uwe = M=C3=BCller, einer=20 unserer Reporter, am Freitagabend f=C3=BCr den n=C3=A4chsten Morgen ins = Schloss Bellevue=20 gebeten: ein Vier-Augen-Gespr=C3=A4ch mit dem Bundespr=C3=A4sidenten = selbst. Eine sch=C3=B6ne=20 Gelegenheit, die Sache pers=C3=B6nlich zu besprechen.

Das Gespr=C3=A4ch beginnt = nett, man=20 unterh=C3=A4lt sich =C3=BCber ein Gem=C3=A4lde im Amtszimmer des = Staatsoberhaupts, auf dem das=20 barocke Dresden zu sehen ist. Dann aber, als es um die geplante = Geschichte geht,=20 wird es eisig. Der Bundespr=C3=A4sident droht M=C3=BCller gleich = mehrfach und massiv mit=20 unangenehmen Konsequenzen im Falle einer Ver=C3=B6ffentlichung. Er werde = die Gerichte=20 bem=C3=BChen, eine Pressekonferenz einberufen und die =E2=80=9EWelt am = Sonntag=E2=80=9C dort an den=20 Pranger stellen, au=C3=9Ferdem jede Zusammenarbeit mit der = =E2=80=9EWelt=E2=80=9C-Gruppe beenden,=20 Interviews k=C3=B6nnten wir k=C3=BCnftig vergessen. M=C3=BCller, ein = erfahrener Journalist, ist=20 konsterniert und erz=C3=A4hlt mir anschlie=C3=9Fend, so etwas habe er = noch nicht erlebt.=20

Doch der Druck aus = Bellevue wird noch=20 gr=C3=B6=C3=9Fer. Nach dem Gespr=C3=A4ch mit unserem Reporter folgen = weitere unangenehme=20 Anrufe. Der Bundespr=C3=A4sident interveniert beim Vorstandschef und = versucht =C3=BCber=20 die Bundeskanzlerin, die Handynummer von Friede Springer zu bekommen.=20 Einsch=C3=BCchterungsversuche von oberster staatlicher Stelle. Wegen = dieser=20 Geschichte? Ich kann es kaum fassen. Wir drucken nat=C3=BCrlich = trotzdem.=20

Da Wulffs = Staatssekret=C3=A4r auf meine=20 telefonische Beschwerde hin das Vorgehen bedauerte, habe ich den Vorgang = nach=20 der Ver=C3=B6ffentlichung zu den Akten gelegt. Ein Einzelfall, = unangemessen und=20 falsch, dachte ich, aber eben ein Einzelfall. Doch jetzt ist eine = Methode zu=20 erkennen. Das Verhalten des Pr=C3=A4sidenten gegen=C3=BCber der = =E2=80=9EBild=E2=80=9C-Zeitung in der=20 Kreditaff=C3=A4re offenbart deutliche Parallelen. In einem anderen = Verlag soll diese=20 Strategie damals bei einer =C3=A4hnlichen Geschichte zu den = Familienverh=C3=A4ltnissen der=20 Wulffs sogar Erfolg gehabt haben.

Nicht der Richtige f=C3=BCr = das Amt=20

Im Interview mit ARD und = ZDF=20 verharmlost der Bundespr=C3=A4sident die Drohungen gegen unseren = Reporter, es sei=20 =E2=80=9Edoch normal, dass man darum bittet, noch mal ein Gespr=C3=A4ch = zu f=C3=BChren=E2=80=9C, es sei=20 =E2=80=9Enichts zur=C3=BCckgeblieben=E2=80=9C. Da haben Sie als unser = Leser ein Recht darauf zu=20 erfahren, was sich wirklich abgespielt hat. Hinzu kommt: Wir wollen = diese Anrufe=20 nicht. Sie bringen nichts.

Es tut mir leid, aber ich = kann es nach=20 diesem unw=C3=BCrdigen Theater nicht freundlicher sagen: Christian Wulff = hat nicht=20 nur einen =E2=80=9Eschweren Fehler=E2=80=9C gemacht, wie er selbst sagt, = er hat bewiesen, dass=20 seine Haltung nicht stimmt. Ein Bundespr=C3=A4sident, der den = selbstverst=C3=A4ndlichen=20 Respekt vor Grundrechten, vor Presse- und Meinungsfreiheit = =C3=B6ffentlich betonen=20 und nach mehr als 30 Jahren in der Politik sein Verh=C3=A4ltnis zu den = Medien und=20 damit der =C3=96ffentlichkeit =E2=80=9Eneu ordnen=E2=80=9C muss, der = zeigt schon allein dadurch, dass=20 er nicht der Richtige f=C3=BCr das Amt ist. Von den Ungereimtheiten in = der=20 Kreditaff=C3=A4re ganz abgesehen.

Schloss Bellevue ist keine = Lehranstalt=20 zur Charakterformung. Wer hier einzieht, sollte schon Format haben.=20

Ich w=C3=BCnsche Ihnen = einen sch=C3=B6nen=20 Sonntag!

Chefredakteur Jan-Eric = Peters=20  

http://www.welt.de/debatte/article13803561/Bellevue-ist-keine-Lehransta= lt-zur-Charakterformung.html?wtmc=3DNewsletter.NL_RessortWirtschaft&n= bsp;
 
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3D"B=C3=A4rbel<= /STRONG>Freudenberg-Pilster    Egypt: Sunday's papers:=20 Election results and talk of a national defense = council
 
General Ahmed Shafiq (L), Presidential hopeful and former = Prime Minister, talks with General Sami Anan, Armed Forces Chief of = Staff and vice-Chief of the SCAF, during Christmas midnight mass, = Abbassiya Cathedral, Cairo, January 6,2012. A massive plan to protect = Egyptian churches swung into action ahead of the Christmas eve mass lead = by Pope Shenuda III in Cairo's Abbassiya Cathedral, with Islamist = leaders attending for the first time.

"=20 src=3D"http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/%252Fsites/default/files/imagecach= e/highslide_zoom/photo/2012/01/07/228/mas_0452.jpg"=20 width=3D536 height=3D402>The Muslim=20 Brotherhood and the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) = agree on=20 the structure of a national defense council that would discuss the = army=E2=80=99s=20 budget, reports privately-owned Al-Shorouk daily on its front=20 page.

Al-Shorouk = quotes an=20 anonymous source from the Brotherhood as saying that the group has = decided, with=20 the SCAF, that the members of the council will include seven civilians, = seven=20 military men, Egypt=E2=80=99s intelligence chief, the president and = relevant ministers.=20 However, the story is not reported by Freedom and Justice newspaper, the = official publication of the Brotherhood=E2=80=99s political = party.

As the = People=E2=80=99s Assembly=20 election nears its end, both Al-Shorouk and state-run Al-Gomhurriya = publish the=20 compiled results of the three rounds. Despite slight differences in the = two=20 publication's numbers, the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) = has=20 certainly collected the majority of seats so far, with 48 percent. = Following it=20 with 25 percent is the Salafi-led Nour Party, and the Wafd Party comes = third=20 with 9 percent, followed by the Egyptian Bloc with 8 percent. The Wasat = Party=20 and the Revolution Continues Coalition won the smallest shares with 2 = percent=20 and 1.5 percent respectively.

Al-Gomhurriya = reports that only=20 three women and only three Christians, of whom one is an FJP member, = made it=20 into parliament.

On the same note, = Freedom and=20 Justice publishes a vision of five possible scenarios for the FJP's=20 parliamentary alliances after the elections. The first one is an = alliance=20 between the FJP (207 seats) and other Islamist parties (67 seats) but = excluding=20 the Nour Party, resulting in a coalition of total 274 seats.

The second scenario = is a=20 313-seat coalition between the FJP and the Nour Party (106 seats) which = would=20 make it the biggest coalition in the parliament. The third comprises FJP = and the=20 Wafd (45 seats), adding up to 252 seats, which would also be the number = of seats=20 if FJP reaches an agreement with the Egyptian Bloc, the fourth potential = scenario. The fifth scenario would be an alliance between the FJP and = the=20 Revolution Continues Coalition along with other small parties and = independents,=20 reaching 261 seats.

As for = Egypt=E2=80=99s economic agenda,=20 state-run Al-Ahram=E2=80=99s lead story states that according to Finance = Minister Momtaz=20 El-Said, a World Bank delegation is scheduled to visit Cairo in = mid-January to=20 resume negotiations regarding a US$3.2 billion loan to Egypt. El-Said = confirmed=20 that the World Bank will not put conditions on the loan. Al-Ahram adds = that=20 Industry and Trade Minister Mahmoud Issa is visiting Washington to speed = up the=20 economic assistance the US promised Egypt. 

 

          &nbs= p;            = ;      =20 Salafi leader offers Egypt army 'safe exit'

Author: Reuters

Salafis in Cairo

"=20 src=3D"http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/%252Fsites/default/files/imagecach= e/highslide_zoom/photo/2011/05/31/25658/salafis_in_cairo.jpg"=20 width=3D436 height=3D328>There was = a time when=20 Islamist lawyer Hazem Salah Abu Ismail's toughest challenge was = brokering=20 business deals and marriages. Now he is trying to bring his conflict = resolution=20 skills to the power struggle playing out in the new Egypt.

With his long white beard and = wearing a suit=20 and tie, the 50-year-old presidential hopeful sits in his office in the=20 middle-class neighborhood of Dokki in Cairo reflecting on ways, however=20 unpalatable, to break the military's hold on power.

Abu Ismail is running for president = in an=20 election due by the end of June, banking on his base in the = ultra-conservative=20 Salafi movement, estimated to have 3 million supporters.

The mosque preacher, known to = millions of=20 Egyptians from his frequent appearances on religious television shows, = has no=20 formal post in any Salafi or other political party. He was a former = member of=20 the Muslim Brotherhood Islamist group.

Salafi youth supporters in Cairo's = Tahrir=20 square, the hub of the 18-day uprising that toppled President Hosni = Mubarak on=20 11 February, call him the "sheikh-president".

As Egyptians prepare to mark the = first=20 anniversary of the revolt, many view the generals who replaced Mubarak = as a=20 vestige of the old order who must quit like their former = commander.

But a transition to civilian rule = cannot be=20 achieved without easing the concerns of the army, which is likely to = cling to=20 power without guarantees of immunity, Abu Ismail told = Reuters.

"The pragmatic solution is to = reconcile the=20 power of the people with that of the military, which has arms, a network = of=20 interests and international support," he said in an = interview.

"My blood boils as I say this... but = this is=20 the way to encourage the army to leave the country to the people. = Otherwise the=20 army will continue to use political coercion," he added.

Public anger has been mounting = against the=20 military, accused of mismanaging the transition period and blamed for a = series=20 of violent clashes with protesters demanding an end to army = rule.

Dozens of protesters and some = soldiers and=20 police have been killed in bouts of violence in the past 11 = months.

All Egypt's rulers have come from = the army=20 since a 1952 coup against the monarchy. The military is bent on keeping = its=20 internal budget and business interests from civilian = oversight.

"The military council fears leaving = power and=20 being held accountable afterwards. The 'safe exit' agreement is a = guarantee to=20 the generals they will have immunity after ceding power," Abu Ismail=20 said.

 
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Barandat=20           Libya to review all overseas investments: = NTC          &nb= sp;           &nbs= p;            = ;            =     =20        =20
 
TRIPOLI, Jan 07, 2012 (AFP) - Libya will review = all its=20 investments abroad, with some overseas projects expected to be stopped, = Mustafa=20 Abdel Jalil, the head of the ruling National Transitional Council, said = on=20 Saturday.

"There is a general view to review all contracts. There = are=20 countries where investments will increase, while in some other countries = projects will be stopped," Jalil said at a joint press conference with = visiting=20 Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.

"There are some investments that could be developed and = others that=20 it would be better to terminate for the good of the Libyan people." =

Until its overthrow last year, the regime of Moamer = Kadhafi=20 invested vast sums of money in Africa, the Arab world and beyond, from a = sovereign wealth fund set up in 2006.

http://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidANA20120107T210411ZDHV= 10/lok210414120107/Libya_to_review_all_overseas_investments_NTC?&zawy= aemailmarketing
 
 
         &nbs= p;            = ;      =20 Libya oil contracts will be revisited: = ex-PM

WASHINGTON, Jan 05, 2012 (AFP) - Some of Libya's oil = contracts will=20 be reviewed by the country's new government, former interim prime = minister Ali=20 Tarhouni said Thursday, putting scores of foreign firms on notice. =

During a visit to Washington, Tarhouni -- a former oil = minister and=20 current adviser to the National Transitional Council -- said some of the = contracts agreed by the regime of Moamer Kadhafi would have to be = reworked.=20

"It is my expectation that most contracts will be = honored, but all=20 will be revisited," Tarhouni said.

"Some of these contracts will be disputed, there are some = that have=20 these gross violations, there are some that are good," the US-educated = economist=20 added.  

Almost a year after Libya's revolution began, = there is still=20 considerable uncertainty about the future of the energy sector and which = role=20 long-resident foreign firms will play.

Kadhafi's ouster has created opportunities for = companies=20 hoping to see a redistribution of oil contracts to = the=20 benefit of countries that took part in the military campaign to = overthrow the=20 long-time dictator, threatening existing = contracts.=20  

Current interim prime minister Abdel Rahim = al-Kib issued a=20 statement in December indicating that contracts with Italian energy = major ENI=20 would be reviewed, before that notion was dispelled by his office. =

The transitional government has said that no major = decisions,=20 including a reworking of Libya's decades-old oil law, will be made until = an=20 elected government is in place.

In the meantime firms like ENI have resumed production. =

The Italian firm has resumed up to 70 percent of its = pre-conflict=20 output in Libya, of around 200,000 barrels per day.

The company has been in Libya -- a former = Italian colony --=20 since 1959 and is the biggest foreign energy producer in the oil-rich = North=20 African country.

In 2010, Libya's capacity was just short of 1.7 million = barrels per=20 day, according to the International Energy Agency.

The country's low-sulfur crude is much sought after by = refiners.=20

Libya's oil minister Abdel Rahman bin Yezza recently = predicted that=20 Libya would be back to full pre-crisis production levels in the second = half of=20 2012.

http://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidA= NA20120105T181348ZDCA90/Libya_oil_contracts_will_be_revisited_exPM
 
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Westerwelle sagt Libyen = deutsche=20 Wiederaufbau-Hilfe zu 
 
Algier (AFP) - = Angesichts der=20 schwierigen Lage nach dem Sturz von Machthaber Muammar al-Gaddafi hat=20 Bundesau=C3=9Fenminister Guido Westerwelle (FDP) Libyen die = Unterst=C3=BCtzung der=20 Bundesregierung zugesichert. "Das Land steht nach Jahrzehnten der = Diktatur vor=20 gewaltigen Herausforderungen", sagte Westerwelle vor dem Abflug nach = Tripolis in=20 Algier. Die gr=C3=B6=C3=9Fte Aufgabe sei es, "nun einen erfolgreichen = Aufbruch hin zu=20 einer pluralistischen Gesellschaft zu schaffen". Deutschland werde = Libyen "als=20 Freund und Partner" zur Seite stehen, damit der Wiederaufbau und der = Aufbruch=20 "in Richtung Demokratie" gel=C3=A4ngen.
 

Der eint=C3=A4gige Besuch ist = die erste Reise=20 Westerwelles nach Tripolis seit dem Tod Gaddafis im Oktober 2011. In der = libyschen Hauptstadt wird er mit dem Chef der =C3=9Cbergangsregierung, = Abdurrahim=20 al-Kib, und seinem Amtskollegen Aschur bin Tschajal zusammentreffen. = Geplant ist=20 au=C3=9Ferdem eine Begegnung mit im B=C3=BCrgerkrieg verletzten Libyern, = die in=20 Deutschland behandelt wurden. Seit dem Ende der blutigen K=C3=A4mpfe = wurden mehr als=20 1000 Verletzte in deutschen Krankenh=C3=A4usern versorgt.

In einem Interview mit = der libyschen=20 Zeitung "Libya Gedida" verteidigte Westerwelle die deutsche = Enthaltung=20 im UN-Sicherheitsrat zu dem NATO-Einsatz in Libyen. Die Entscheidung, = keine=20 deutschen Soldaten an einem Milit=C3=A4reinsatz zu beteiligen, sei "nach = langer und=20 gr=C3=BCndlicher Abw=C3=A4gung erfolgt". "Deutschland war stets = an vorderster=20 Front derjenigen, die =C3=BCber harte Sanktionen den politischen Druck = auf Gaddafi=20 erh=C3=B6ht haben", sagte Westerwelle. "Wir standen mit unseren = Partnern in=20 der Libyen-Kontaktgruppe immer fest an der Seite des demokratischen = Libyen",=20 erg=C3=A4nzte er.

Westerwelle hatte sich am = Samstag in=20 Algerien bei Gespr=C3=A4chen mit Regierungschef Ahmed Ouyahia und = Au=C3=9Fenminister=20 Mourad Medelci sowie mit Vertretern der Zivilgesellschaft =C3=BCber den = Stand der von=20 Pr=C3=A4sident Abdelaziz Bouteflika angek=C3=BCndigten Reformen = informiert. Wie schon in=20 Algerien will er auch in Libyen M=C3=B6glichkeiten einer st=C3=A4rkeren=20 Wirtschaftszusammenarbeit er=C3=B6rtern. Der Minister wird von mehreren = Unternehmern=20 aus den Bereichen Erneuerbare Energien und Medizintechnik = begleitet.

Nach dem Besuch in Tripolis wird = Westerwelle=20 noch am Sonntagabend in Tunis erwartet, der dritten Station seiner=20 Nordafrika-Reise fast genau ein Jahr nach dem Beginn des sogenannten = Arabischen=20 Fr=C3=BChlings.

http://www.= dtoday.de/startseite/nachrichten_artikel,-Westerwelle-sagt-Libyen-deutsch= e-Wiederaufbau-Hilfe-zu-_arid,122965.html
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          &nbs= p;            = ;            =  =20 Westerwelle pledges support for Libya during North Africa=20 tour
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German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle on = Sunday pledged=20 support for Libya's reconstruction after the civil war of the past year, = dpa = reported.

"Germany=20 stands by the new Libya as a friend and partner," said Westerwelle, = before=20 flying to Tripoli from Algeria, where he began a three-day tour of North = Africa=20 on Saturday.....

His stay in Libya is the shortest of his = visits in=20 North Africa, reflecting Germany's reduced influence in the country = after Berlin=20 refused to participate in the NATO-led air campaign that helped oust = Gaddafi's=20 regime.....
 
In Algeria, the North African country = least=20 impacted by the popular revolts in the region, he held talks with the = foreign=20 minister and prime minister about boosting cooperation in renewable = energy and=20 on the need for further reforms.
 
http://en.t= rend.az/regions/world/europe/1977562.html =20 (Azerbaijan = )
 
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Massenbach's= = Recommendation  =20
Five myths about = the American=20 dream

1. The American dream is about = getting=20 rich.

In a national survey of more than 1,300 = adults that we completed in March, only 6 percent of = Americans=20 ranked =E2=80=9Cwealth=E2=80=9D as their first or second definition of = the American dream.=20 Forty-five percent named =E2=80=9Ca good life for my family,=E2=80=9D = while 34 percent put=20 =E2=80=9Cfinancial security=E2=80=9D =E2=80=94 material comfort that is = not necessarily synonymous with=20 Bill Gates-like riches =E2=80=94 on top.

While money may certainly be part of a = good=20 life, the American dream isn=E2=80=99t just about dollars and cents. = Thirty-two percent=20 of our respondents pointed to =E2=80=9Cfreedom=E2=80=9D as their dream; = 29 percent to=20 =E2=80=9Copportunity=E2=80=9D; and 21 percent to the =E2=80=9Cpursuit of = happiness.=E2=80=9D A fat bank account=20 can be a means to these ends, but only a small minority believe that = money is a=20 worthy end in itself.

2. Homeownership is the American = dream.=20

In June, a New York Times-CBS = News poll=20 found that almost 90 percent of Americans think that homeownership is an = important part of the American dream. But only 7 percent of Americans we = surveyed ranked homeownership as their first or second definition of the = American dream.Why the discrepancy? Owning real estate is important to = some=20 Americans, but not as important =E2=80=94 or as financially rewarding = =E2=80=94 as we=E2=80=99re led to=20 believe.

Federal support of homeownership = greatly=20 overvalues its meaning in American life. Through tax breaks and = guarantees, the=20 government boosted homeownership to its peak in 2004, when 69 percent of American = households owned homes. Subsidies for homeownership, = including the=20 mortgage interest deduction, reached $230 billion in 2009, according to = the=20 Congressional Budget Office. Meanwhile, only $60 billion in tax breaks = and=20 spending programs aided renters.

The result of this real estate = spending spree?=20 According to the Federal Reserve, American real estate lost more than $6 trillion in value, or almost 30 percent, between 2006 = and 2010.=20 One in five American homeowners is underwater, owing more on a mortgage = than=20 what the home is worth.

Those who profit most from = homeownership are far=20 and away the largest source of political campaign contributions. = Insurance=20 companies, securities and investment firms, real estate interests, and=20 commercial banks gave more than $100 million to federal candidates and parties in 2011, = according to=20 the Center for Responsive Politics. The National Association of Realtors alone = gave more=20 than $950,000 =E2=80=94 more than Morgan Stanley, Citigroup or Ernst = &=20 Young.

Homeownership is more important to = special=20 interests than it is to most Americans, who, according to our research, = care=20 more about =E2=80=9Ca good job,=E2=80=9D =E2=80=9Cthe pursuit of = happiness=E2=80=9D and =E2=80=9Cfreedom.=E2=80=9D

3. The American dream is = American.=20

The term =E2=80=9CAmerican = dream=E2=80=9D was coined in 1931 by=20 James Truslow Adams in his history =E2=80=9CThe Epic of = America.=E2=80=9D In the midst of the Great Depression, Adams = discovered=20 the same counterintuitive optimism that we observe in today=E2=80=99s = Great Recession,=20 and he dubbed it =E2=80=9Cthe American dream=E2=80=9D =E2=80=94 = =E2=80=9Cthat dream of a land in which life=20 should be better and richer and fuller for every man, with opportunity = for each=20 according to his ability or achievement.=E2=80=9D

However, the American dream pre-dated = 1931.=20 Starting in the 16th century, Western European settlers came to this = land at=20 great risk to build a better life. Today, this dream is sustained by = immigrants=20 from different parts of the world who still come here seeking to do the = same=20 thing.

Perceptions of the dream today are = often more=20 positive among those who are new to America. When asked to rate the = condition of=20 the American dream on a scale of one to 10, where 10 means the best = possible=20 condition and one means the worst, 42 percent of immigrants responded = between=20 six and 10. Only 31 percent of the general population answered in that=20 range.

4. China threatens the American = dream.=20

Our surveys revealed that 57 percent = of=20 Americans believe that =E2=80=9Cthe world now looks to many different = countries,=E2=80=9D not=20 just ours, to =E2=80=9Crepresent the future.=E2=80=9D When we asked = participants which region or=20 country is charting that future, more than half chose China. Nearly = two-thirds=20 of those surveyed mistakenly believe that the Chinese economy is already = larger=20 than the U.S. economy =E2=80=94 it is actually one-third the size, with = a population=20 four times larger. China does own more than $1.1 trillion of U.S. debt, = however;=20 it is our largest creditor.

But the problem isn=E2=80=99t just one = nation. Japan=20 holds almost $1 trillion of U.S. debt. Britain owns more than $400 billion. In 1970, = less than=20 5 percent of U.S. debt was held by non-citizens. Today, almost half is.=20 Neither China nor these other countries can be blamed for U.S. choices = that have=20 placed our financial future increasingly out of our hands.

Still, no matter how much we owe, the = United=20 States remains the world=E2=80=99s land of opportunity. In fact, the = largest=20 international group coming to America to study is from China =E2=80=94 = 157,000 students=20 in the 2010-2011 academic year. As recently reported in The Washington Post, the number of Chinese undergraduates at U.S. = colleges=20 increased 43 percent over the previous year.

5. Economic decline and political = gridlock=20 are killing the American dream.

Our research showed a stunning lack of = confidence in U.S. institutions. Sixty-five percent of those surveyed = believe=20 that America is in decline; 83 percent said they have less trust in = =E2=80=9Cpolitics in=20 general=E2=80=9D than they did 10 or 15 years ago; 79 percent said they = have less trust=20 in big business and major corporations; 78 percent said they have less = trust in=20 government; 72 percent reported declining trust in the media. These = recent=20 figures are more startling when contrasted against Gallup polling from the 1970s, when as many as 70 percent of Americans had = =E2=80=9Ctrust and=20 confidence=E2=80=9D that the government could handle domestic = problems.

Even so, 63 percent of Americans said = they are=20 confident that they will attain their American dream, regardless of what = the=20 nation=E2=80=99s institutions do or don=E2=80=99t do. While they may be = worried about future=20 generations, their dream today stands defiantly against the=20 odds. 

http://www.washingt= onpost.com/opinions/five-myths-about-the-american-dream/2011/11/10/gIQAP4= t0eP_story.html?hpid=3Dz2 
 
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         &nb= sp;           &nbs= p;  =20  UAE Oil Min: Crude = Export=20 Pipeline Bypassing Hormuz Ready In 6 Mos

Monday, Jan 09, = 2012

ABU DHABI (Zawya Dow Jones)--United = Arab Emirates=20 Oil Minister Mohamed Bin Dhaen Al Hamli said Monday he expects the crude = pipeline that would allow U.A.E.'s oil to be exported via the emirate of = Fujairah bypassing the strategic Strait of Hormuz, to be operational = within six=20 months.

"The pipeline is almost complete but = hopefully it=20 will be operational within six months, by May or June," Al Hamli said. = It has=20 the capacity to transport between 1.5-1.8 million barrels a day, he = added.=20

The $3.29 billion, 400-kilometer = pipeline will=20 enable Abu Dhabi, the largest U.A.E. sheikdom, to export as much as 70% = of its=20 crude from Fujairah, located outside the Persian Gulf on the Gulf of = Oman, where=20 tankers will be able to pick up the oil instead of sailing into the = Persian Gulf=20 via the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway watched over by Iran. It = is known=20 as Abu Dhabi Crude Oil Pipeline, or Adcop, and is being built for the = Abu Dhabi=20 government investment firm International Petroleum Investment Co., or = IPIC.=20

Iran has in recent days ratcheted up = threats to=20 close the Strait if the European Union goes through with an embargo on = Iranian=20 oil, the latest step to pressure Tehran to give up a nuclear program = that the=20 West suspects is aimed at securing atomic weapons.

Hamli said "the first tanker loaded = will be in=20 about six months time, ready for export," adding the project involves a = lot of=20 work as the pipeline has to be filled with crude and tested.

The Strait is one of the world's = busiest tanker=20 routes through which Persian Gulf oil producers ship their crude = exports. About=20 20% of global consumption is being shipped through the route every day.=20

Hamli said the threat [of Iran closing = the strait]=20 has always existed but there was no certainty the passage would be = closed.=20 "Everything for us is running very smoothly, we are exporting our crude = oil to=20 all destinations," Hamli said.

http://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZW20120109000030/lok0830271201= 09/UAE_Oil_Min_Crude_export_pipeline_bypassing_Hormuz_ready_in_6_months?&= amp;zawyaemailmarketing 

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see our letter on:  = http://www.massenbach-world.de/41259.html  
Wir w=C3=BCnschen Ihnen ein angenehmes Wochenende. = Ihr=20 Team.
 
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Udo=20 von Massenbach   -   B=C3=A4rbel = Freudenberg-Pilster  =20 -   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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