http://news.yam.com/cna/international/200806/20080617026572.html
解決垃圾危機 義大利派軍隊維護治安
中央社╱中央社 2008-06-17 07:20
    
（中央社記者黃礦春羅馬十六日專電）面對拿坡里地區黑道活動猖獗，並阻礙政府解決垃圾問題的努力，義大利國防部長拉魯沙今天表示，政府將派遣三千名軍隊協助警方維護社會治安，以利解決長期困擾當地居民的垃圾危機。

拉魯沙說，這三千名軍隊的主要任務是協助市區巡邏及重要的場所警戒。至於何時及如何使用則由內政部長決定。

他說，將協助警方維護治安任務的軍人，以在軍隊裡面執行任務的憲兵及願意接受維護治安工作訓練的軍人為主。

根據政府最近所提的治安維護法修正案，協助警方維護治安的軍人將擁有與警察同等的司法權力。

拉魯沙表示，最近的民意調查顯示，有百分之八十的人民支持政府派軍隊協助維護治安的構想。

拿坡里地區自今年初爆發垃圾危機以來迄未能解決，目前仍有數以萬噸計的垃圾堆置在郊區與鄰近城鎮的街道兩旁無法清運。

貝魯斯柯尼領導的中間偏右聯盟政府自五月初就任以來，亦把解決拿坡里的垃圾問題列為施政的主要工作之一。貝魯斯柯尼更把重新執政後的首次內閣會議移到拿坡里市舉行，表達解決當地垃圾問題的決心。

為解決垃圾無處掩埋的問題，貝魯斯柯尼政府雖然選定十處新的垃圾場預定地，但都遭到當地居民的強烈反對，有些更採取暴力抗爭手段，並阻止技術人員進行環境影響評估。

有關的地方政府曾公開宣稱，出面抗爭的居民大多由把持垃圾處理服務的黑道幫派所發動。黑道為繼續壟斷具豐碩利潤的垃圾處理業，不惜採取各種手段阻擾政府解決問題。

今年六月初，拿坡里地區一名與政府合作的垃圾處理業者遭到當地黑道狙殺，更增添政府派軍隊協助維護治安的決心。

http://news.yam.com/afp/international/200806/20080611920524.html
俄總統主張簽署全歐協定 解決歐洲安全問題
法新社╱張佑之 2008-06-11 23:20     
 
 
（法新社莫斯科十一日電）俄羅斯總統麥維德夫今天提出全面檢討歐洲安全問題的新要求，他說，僅仰仗北大西洋公約組織無法處理歐陸在冷戰後所面臨的挑戰。

麥維德夫在一項媒體論壇發表主題演說，誓言擴大俄國的自由與開放；並說，儘管俄、美在基本上有分歧，他仍期望與美國下任政府進行建設性對話。

麥維德夫在莫斯科舉行的「俄羅斯媒體代表大會」告訴新聞從業人員：「北約是否足以解決舊歐洲一切安全問題？在我看來，答案為否。」

他說：「解決之道在擬訂一項包羅全面的歐洲協定，以使歐洲所有國家參與．．．至於其他所有機構都是依據分裂的原則設立。」

俄國當局一再指責，北約已著手主宰歐洲安全問題、篡奪聯合國的權力、並計畫擴張至俄國邊界以孤立俄國。

麥維德夫上週發表就職以來第一項重大的外交政策演說，主張召開全歐會議，以討論簽署一項新條約，但他在前往德國柏林途中所提出的這項主張無人回應。

分析家說，發動歐洲各國討論一項全面的新條約可能有困難。獨立軍事分析家費根豪爾稍早表示，關於使北約消失的構想，「不太能做為會議的召開基礎」。
 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080611/wl_nm/russia_medvedev_usa_dc_1
Russia's Medvedev voices optimism over U.S. ties

Wed Jun 11, 4:49 AM ET

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Wednesday he looked with "measured optimism" at relations with the United States despite differences over European security.
 
Moscow and Washington are at odds over NATO expansion into eastern Europe, a treaty limiting conventional arms in Europe and U.S. plans to station elements of a missile defense shield in Poland and the Czech Republic.

"Even with the differences that exist today -- and I am convinced they will persist at least in part -- ... we still have to work together," Medvedev, who was sworn in as president last month, told delegates at an international congress of the Russian press.

"Therefore, overall I look on our relations with measured optimism," he said.

Asked by a conference delegate about the presidential election in the United States this year, he said Russia would work with the winning candidate.

"There is no alternative, because the responsibility that falls on both our countries for world order and supporting peace and stability on the planet, is colossal," Medvedev said.

"Whoever comes to power in the White House, the Russian Federation counts on a constructive and comradely dialogue with the new U.S. administration, and we are prepared to do that."

http://news.yam.com/afp/international/200806/20080611908863.html
吉布地與厄利垂亞部隊在邊界地區交火
法新社╱郭無患 2008-06-11 12:05     
 
 
（法新社吉布地十日電）吉布地軍方今天發布聲明指出，吉布地與厄利垂亞部隊今天交火，這是兩個月前雙方在邊界緊張對峙以來的首次交火。

衝突發生在吉布地北方邊界的拉斯杜美拉地區，厄利垂亞於今年四月十六日入侵此地，引發兩鄰近地區的軍事緊張。

吉布地陸軍在聲明中指出：「厄利垂亞軍方在追捕一名試圖加入吉布地武裝部隊的逃兵時，於中午十二時三十分（台灣時間十日下午五時三十分）對我軍開火。」

聲明補充說：「吉布地部隊以武器回擊」。

陸軍解釋指出，駐紮在岡布拉山的厄利垂亞部隊官員對吉布地發出最後通牒，要求遣返所有三十名厄利垂亞逃兵回厄利垂亞，否則就面對武裝行動。

聲明說：「在夜色及晚禱時間的掩護下，厄利垂亞部隊於下午六時四十分（台灣時間十日晚間十一時四十分）對我軍戰士開火」，「由於受到攻擊，我軍回擊，到發布這份聲明中，戰鬥正持續進行中。」

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080610/wl_africa_afp/djiboutieritreaunrest_080610194640;_ylt=AvlsQczXfiFhvSAEiSBpU2eXsdEF
Eritrean, Djiboutian troops exchange fire at border

by Nasser Fahmi
Tue Jun 10, 3:46 PM ET

DJIBOUTI (AFP) - Djiboutian and Eritrean troops exchanged fire Tuesday for the first time since a tense stand-off started at their border two months ago, the Djiboutian military said in a statement.
 
The clashes took place in the Ras Doumeira area at Djibouti's northern border, where Eritrean troops carried out an incursion on April 16 that sparked military tension between the two neighbours.

"During the pursuit of an Eritrean deserter who tried to rally the Djiboutian armed forces, the Eritrean military opened fire on our units at around 12:30 am (0930 GMT)," the Djioutian army said in a statement.

"The Djiboutian armed forces retaliated with their weapons," it added.

The army explained that Eritrean military officials posted on Mount Gabla then issued an ultimatum for Djibouti to turn in all 30 Eritrean deserters on its soil or face armed action.

"At 6:40 pm (1540 GMT), under the cover of darkness and prayer time, Eritrean troops opened fire on our soldiers," the statement went on.

"In the face of this attack, our military struck back... As this statement is published, the fighting continues."

The clash was the first since tension between the two neighbours escalated two months ago and raised fears of an all-out military confrontation that would plunge the already restive region into further chaos.

Djibouti and Eritrea had already clashed twice over the border area at the southern end of the Red Sea.

In April 1996 they almost went to war after a Djibouti official accused Eritrea of shelling the town of Ras Doumeira.

In 1999, Eritrea accused Djibouti of siding with Asmara's arch-foe Ethiopia, while Djibouti accused its neighbour of supporting Djiboutian rebels and having designs on the Ras Doumeira region. Eritrea has denied this.

Djibouti has accused Eritrean forces of digging trenches on both sides of the border on April 16, infringing several hundred metres (yards) on to Djiboutian territory, an accusation Asmara has vehemently denied.

On May 19, Eritrean President Issaias Afeworki described talk of a military standoff as "a wild invention."

"We are not willing to accept an invitation to get involved in a new problem or regional crisis," he said in a statement.

The tiny Red Sea state of Djibouti also has borders with Ethiopia and Somalia, where regional power struggles have played out for years.

Somali political rivals on Monday reached an agreement -- which includes a three-month truce to begin within a month -- during UN-sponsored talks in Djibouti.

According to international rights organisations, thousands of young Eritreans attempt to leave their country every year. Ethiopia recently reported that 1,300 Eritrean had defected and crossed the border in six months.

http://news.yam.com/afp/international/200806/20080611908714.html
前國防部長獲美政治庇護 玻美關係更添緊繃
法新社╱楊玫寧 2008-06-11 11:35
    
（法新社華盛頓十日電）根據今天在華盛頓出爐的文件，前玻利維亞國防部長貝薩因宣稱擔憂返國遭莫拉萊斯政府起訴後，他已在去年獲得美國政治庇護。

根據玻利維亞駐華盛頓大使館公布的文件，貝薩因是在去年四月取得美國政治庇護，在此之前，他向美國當局宣稱，擔憂可能遭新上台的玻國左派總統莫拉萊斯領導的政府「起訴和凌虐」。

貝薩因在申請政治庇護書中說：「過去以來，我遭到莫拉萊斯扣上許多毫無事實根據的指控，如今我擔心他挾著新任總統的權勢，將讓我永遠噤聲。」

這位前玻國國防部長補充說，莫拉萊斯尤其阻撓他致力打擊毒品走私。玻利維亞大量種植古柯葉以用來提煉毒品「古柯鹼」，在全球惡名昭彰。

據傳，現任玻利維亞政府考慮以貝薩在二零零三年一次武裝鎮壓造成約六十名平民示威者喪生事件中扮演的角色為由，向美方提出引渡要求。

玻國駐美大使古茲曼表示，隨著貝薩因獲美國政治庇護曝光，為原已緊繃的玻美關係投下「變數」。

古茲曼補充說，玻國政府今天已召見美國駐玻利維亞大使高德柏格，表達對此事的關切。

古茲曼說，目前居住在華盛頓市郊的前玻國總統桑傑士「極有可能」也已獲得美國政治庇護。

美國國務院一時未證實上述兩人是否已獲得美國政治庇護。

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080610/pl_afp/usboliviadiplomacyrights_080610222530
Former Bolivian defense minister given US asylum

Tue Jun 10, 6:25 PM ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Bolivia's former defense minister Carlos Sanchez Berzain was granted political asylum in the United States last year, after saying he feared persecution by the government of Evo Morales, according to documents released in Washington Tuesday.
 
Sanchez Berzain received political asylum in April 2007 after telling US authorities that he feared he would be "persecuted and tortured" by the government of Bolivia's newly-elected leftist president, according to documents released by La Paz's embassy in Washington.

"I have endured numerous unfounded allegations against me by Morales in the past, and now I fear that his new powers as president will allow him to silence me once and for all," Sanchez Berzain wrote in his asylum petition.

The former defense minister added that Morales was particularly opposed to his efforts to combat drug-trafficking, in a country famous for its cultivation of the coca plant used in the production of cocaine.

The current Bolivian government is said to be considering an extradition request against Sanchez Berzain for his role in a 2003 army crackdown that led to the deaths of some 60 civilian protesters.

Bolivia's Ambassador to Washington, Gustavo Guzman, said the revelation about Sanchez Berzain's US asylum "complicates" already strained bilateral relations.

"It is irritating, it complicates relations between Bolivia and the United States," he said.

Guzman added that his government had summoned US Ambassador to La Paz Philip Goldberg to a meeting Tuesday about the matter.

"We are not satisfied with the explanations the ambassador gave this morning," Foreign Minister David Choquehuanca told reporters in La Paz afterward, adding that his government would seek further clarification.

Guzman said it was "very likely" that former president Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada, who currently lives in the Washington suburbs, had also received asylum.

The 2003 massacre occurred during Sanchez de Lozada's second term in office as his government tried to rein in raging civilian protests.

The US State Department would not immediately confirm whether the two Bolivians had received asylum, and calls to Sanchez de Lozada were not returned.

However Yerko Kukoc, Sanchez de Lozada's former interior minister, said that his ex-boss asked for political asylum in the United States five years ago and it has already been granted, according to state news agency ABI.

Kukok, speaking in the city of Santa Cruz, said he did not know if Sanchez Berzain was granted political asylum.

Kukoc said that the ex-president's political asylum case was filed during the 2003-2005 presidency of Carlos Mesa, not under Morales, "and was probably concluded during the presidency of Eduardo Rodriguez Veltze" in 2006, he said.

News that Sanchez Berzain had received political asylum in the United States sparked large protests Monday in parts of El Alto, a poor suburb of La Paz where the 2003 crackdown took place.

http://news.yam.com/cna/international/200806/20080611904975.html
避免感染沙門氏菌 美軍營區暫停供應番茄
中央社╱中央社 2008-06-11 07:23
     
（中央社記者林芥佑華盛頓十日專電）美國食品及藥物管理局（FDA）昨天發出警告，指最近爆發的沙門氏菌感染事件，可能跟生吃一些品種的番茄有關。美國國防部運補局官員今天宣布，除了歐洲地區美軍營區之外，三軍各補給站與餐廳將停止供應相關種類番茄。

官員指出，歐洲以外的美軍營區已經停止出售相關品種番茄，除非能證明這些番茄來源是核定安全的地區，意即並非爆發沙門氏菌感染的地方。

http://news.yam.com/afp/international/200806/20080607826545.html
力挺喬治亞反叛地區　俄羅斯拒西方調停衝突
法新社╱張仲琬 2008-06-07 09:20     
 
 
（法新社聖彼得堡六日電）歐洲聯盟主管外交政策最高代表索拉納訪問喬治亞阿柏克茲亞地區之際，俄羅斯總統麥維德夫今天拒絕歐盟調停該分離主義地區的爭議。

俄羅斯當局先前宣稱，喬治亞在阿柏克茲亞地區外緣集結軍隊。麥維德夫表示，喬治亞應與該分離省份簽署不侵略條約，並撤回部隊。

麥維德夫今天與親西方的喬治亞總統薩卡希維利會面，面臨七日上任以來最重大的外交挑戰。薩卡希維利先前曾警告，與俄羅斯瀕臨交戰邊緣。

前蘇聯成員國今天在聖彼得堡舉行地區高峰會議，麥德維夫在會議開始之初，提及西方關切議題時說：「我認為，我們能夠自行釐清彼此關係。」

俄羅斯上週宣佈，為增加對阿柏克茲亞的支持，將增派軍隊到該反叛地區。此令一出，美國與北大西洋公約組織大加撻伐。

俄羅斯外交部長拉夫羅夫強調麥維德夫的發言，表示俄羅斯不需要外交調停。他說：「解決之道的關鍵，是雙方直接談判。」

拉夫羅夫說：「球在喬治亞手上」，意即俄羅斯堅持，喬治亞應在這個黑海濱的衝突緊張地區，展現對其國際義務的尊重。

喬治亞外交部長查歇拉許維利發表聲明表示，會議「氣氛友善正面」。

然而，聲明指出，包括「俄羅斯撤回非法部署的軍隊、立即停止軍事基礎建設」、與停止和阿柏克茲亞建立正式外交關係等「實質議題，均無任何進展。」

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080606/wl_afp/russiacisgeorgiaukrainediplomacy_080606225127;_ylt=AibqpzSr0ZLIUNOCmmLnz3iQOrgF
by Dario Thuburn
Fri Jun 6, 6:51 PM ET

SAINT PETERSBURG (AFP) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Friday brushed off foreign mediation over Georgia's separatist Abkhazia region, as EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana visited the disputed territory.
 
Medvedev also said Georgia should sign a pact of non-aggression with Abkhazia and reverse what Russia claims is a Georgian troop build-up close to the rebel region.

Faced with his biggest foreign policy challenge since coming to power on May 7, Medvedev met with the pro-Western Georgian president, Mikheil Saakashvili, who earlier warned there was a risk of war with Russia.

Speaking at the start of the meeting at a regional summit of ex-Soviet nations in Saint Petersburg, Medvedev referred to Western concerns and said: "I think we can sort out our relations by ourselves."

The United States and NATO have both strongly criticised a decision by Russia, announced last week, to send additional troops to Abkhazia as part of a wider effort to increase Moscow's support for the rebel region.

Medvedev's message was underlined by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who said Russia saw no need for foreign mediation. "The key to the solution is direct negotiations between the parties," Lavrov told journalists.

"The ball is on the Georgian side," Lavrov said, referring to Russia's insistence that Georgia respect its international obligations in the volatile conflict zone on the Black Sea coast.

The meeting "was friendly and positive in tone," Georgian Foreign Minister Eka Tkeshelashvili said in a statement.

However, "no progress was made on substantive issues" including "withdrawal of illegally deployed Russian troops, immediate cessation of ongoing construction of military infrastructure" and reversal of Russia's move to set up official ties with Abkhazia, the statement added.

Abkhazia broke away from Georgia in the early 1990s in a conflict that killed several thousand people and prompted hundreds of thousands of Georgians to flee. Russia has accused Georgia of planning to reconquer the region.

Behind the Abkhazia dispute lie deep tensions over Georgia's bid to join NATO, which Russia considers an encroachment on its sphere of influence.

NATO membership for Georgia would lead to "a very, very negative spiral of confrontation in Abkhazia," Lavrov said.

Tensions have escalated in Abkhazia in recent weeks, with a particularly bitter row over Georgian allegations that a Russian fighter jet shot down an unmanned Georgian spy plane in April -- a claim backed up by a UN report.

Ahead of Friday's meeting, Saakashvili said he would urge Medvedev to revoke an order signed by his predecessor Vladimir Putin formalising economic links between Russia and Abkhazia in April.

Coinciding with Friday's meeting in Saint Petersburg, the European Union's top foreign policy official, Solana, made a visit to the heart of the conflict, meeting Abkhaz leaders in their main city of Sukhumi.

Solana said he wanted the EU to get more involved in mediating the conflict.

The EU "wants to participate more deeply in settling the conflict," Solana said in comments translated into Russian, adding however that there was no question of excluding Russia from negotiations.

Medvedev also held talks on Friday with other leaders at the summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), a loose grouping of 12 former Soviet republics traditionally dominated by Moscow.

In talks with Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, another pro-Western leader, Medvedev said Ukraine should not rush to expel the Russian navy from its base in the southern Ukrainian port of Sevastopol.

The move would be "unilateral" action, Lavrov quoted Medvedev as saying.

Medvedev also warned that Russia would be forced to charge Ukraine double the present amount it pays for gas from next year, saying the move was not political and a result of Central Asian gas exporters raising their prices.

http://mil.news.sina.com.cn/2008-06-06/1007504183.html
土耳其希望到2011年所需武器50%從本土採購
http://www.sina.com.cn 2008年06月06日 10:07 中國國防科技資訊網

　　據英國《簡氏防務週刊》2008年6月4日報導 冷戰結束以來，土耳其一直奉行獨立自主的外交政策，希望逐漸擺脫對西方國家，特別是美國的以來。近兩年，為了提升其在北約和所在地區的國際形象和地位，土耳其政府積極發展其本土國防工業，提升其本土武器裝備研製和生產能力，並提出了“到2011年時土耳其軍隊所需裝備的50%從本土採購”的目標。

　　目前，土耳其軍隊是其所在地區擁有最現代化武器裝備的國家之一，但是土耳其政府也意識到，對西方軍品公司的依賴太大。考慮到前蘇聯的解體和“9•11恐怖襲擊”對地緣政治的影響，土耳其政府決定要最大限度地在政治上擺脫對西方國家的依賴，其中最重要的一點就是要減少土軍對西方國家武器的依賴。(北方科技資訊研究所，彭玲霞)

http://www.libertytimes.com.tw/2008/new/jun/4/today-int4.htm
自由時報2008年6月4日

墨西哥派軍剿毒梟 宛如內戰
編譯魏國金／特譯

頭戴鋼盔的軍人駕著悍馬車行經美墨邊界城市新拉里多，墨西哥總統卡德隆派遣四萬部隊、五千聯邦警官駐防該處，以掃蕩猖獗的毒品走私。

四萬軍隊 總統向毒梟宣戰

也是邊城的華雷斯，排名第二的高階警官賈西亞，上月在自宅外被開了五十餘槍斃命，一週後，他的頂頭上司、警察首長坤塔納接獲恐嚇，黯然辭職。

不法之徒在都市濫開機槍、引爆手榴彈，美國國務院形容，其規模已達「小單位軍事戰鬥」。而根據墨國當局資料，自一年半前卡德隆展開打擊販毒集團行動以來，約四千一百人喪命，今年以來，至少一千四百人被殺害，許多死者是被對手或政府軍擊斃的幫派份子，另外則是無端遭波及的平民百姓。

卡德隆最近說︰「這是真實的戰鬥，這是一場戰爭。」他以軍隊作為打擊販毒集團的首要策略，迄今已有五千八百餘名毒販落網、查扣兩千九百噸大麻與二十四噸古柯鹼，其價值高達兩百億美元，美國緝毒署去年十一月的報告指出，古柯鹼與甲基安非他命的價格上揚、純度降低，顯示墨國掃毒奏效。

五成三民眾 認毒梟佔上風

雖然如此，在這場戰役中，不看好卡德隆的大有人在，墨西哥改革報最新的民調顯示，五十三％的墨國民眾認為販毒集團佔上風。上月一名高階掃毒警官被潛入他位於墨西哥市住家的毒販殺害的命案，顯示販毒集團已滲入執法高層，因為行兇者是持鑰匙入宅，守株待兔。

墨國最惡名昭彰的犯罪集團「澤塔」近來在邊城新拉里多與雷諾薩拉起求才布條，向軍人與退役官兵招手，表示會提供「優渥薪水、食物與幫助你的家庭」。此外，運毒集團以斬下頭顱作為恐嚇手段，並留下紙條嘲弄執法者。

毒梟招攬軍人 布條求才

報紙專欄作家帕德森批評說，卡德隆太過仰賴軍隊，而忽略其他重要面向，比如洗錢、軍火走私與情蒐，事實上運毒集團從貪腐警方握有的情報遠勝於軍方。

這樣的論點其來有自，在墨西哥三十一州中現有十八州由部隊執行巡邏，他們執行突擊搜查、設立崗哨查緝毒品、武器與毒販，他們也檢查地方警察的配槍，以了解是否涉及槍戰，同時調查官員是否與犯罪集團有所牽扯。雖然沒有跡象顯示販毒集團會被完全清剿，墨國檢察總長莫拉也附和︰「我們將取得勝利，雖然現在看起來不像。」

http://news.yam.com/rusnews/international/200806/20080603752832.html
俄國防部副部長馬卡羅夫出任武裝力量總參謀長
俄新網╱俄新網 2008-06-03 17:55     
 
 
俄新網RUSNEWS.CN莫斯科6月3日電 俄羅斯聯邦國防部副部長尼古拉·馬卡羅夫大將接替尤里·巴盧耶夫斯基擔任武裝力量總參謀長。俄羅斯總統德米特里·梅德韋傑夫在克里姆林宮接見國防部長阿納托利·謝爾久科夫、巴盧耶夫斯基和馬卡羅夫時做出了這一表示。自2004年7月19日起曾領導總參謀部的巴盧耶夫斯基被任命為安全會議副秘書。2007年4月19日馬卡羅夫曾被任命為國防部副部長兼裝備部部長。

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080603/109168631.html
New chief of staff to revive Russia's ailing military - expert
19:21 | 03/ 06/ 2008

MOSCOW, June 3 (RIA Novosti) - Gen. Nikolai Makarov's appointment as chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces suggests higher priority will be given to modernizing the military, a top Russian military expert said on Tuesday.

Deputy Defense Minister Gen. Nikolai Makarov has been appointed chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces. He replaces Gen. Yury Baluyevsky, who has been appointed deputy secretary of Russia's Security Council.

In an interview with RIA Novosti, Col. Gen. Leonid Ivashov, president of the Academy of Geopolitical Studies, said the appointment of Gen. Makarov, former chief of Armed Forces Arms Procurement, indicates that he may "reverse the negative, destructive trends that are now plaguing the Armed Forces, and stop the technical degradation of the Army and Navy."

He said the Russian military "has an acute shortage of new weaponry and military equipment, ammunition, and other technical systems."

Gen. Ivashov said with the right political and financial support, Gen. Makarov would be able to turn the Armed Forces around and make them more operationally effective and improve combat readiness.

He said that former General Staff chief Gen. Yury Baluyevsky had disagreed with Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov over military reforms.

The new chief of the General Staff told President Dmitry Medvedev earlier on Tuesday that he was fully aware of the responsibility delegated to him and would do everything to achieve the goals set for the Armed Forces, working in conjunction with the Defense Ministry and the Security Council.

http://mil.news.sina.com.cn/p/2008-06-02/0830503515.html
印度國防市場潛力巨大 08年進口120億美元軍火

http://www.sina.com.cn 2008年06月02日 08:30 中國國防科技資訊網

　　據法國《防務宇航》2008年5月28日報導 印度軍隊未來現代化計畫將使得印度在五年內成為亞太地區第二大國防開支大國，到2016年將躋身到全球第七大。歐洲公司在印度國防部門有大量的投資機會。

　　Frost & Sullivan諮詢公司近日在倫敦舉辦的國防工業研討會上預測說，到2013年印度的國防市場將達到362億美元，到2022年將達到1000億美元，補償潛力到2013年將達到100億美元。

　　印度是英國繼沙烏地阿拉伯和美國之後的第三大國防出口國。印度的補償貿易政策和對外資投資國防工業的限制是關注的重點問題，與會代表們認為，要把補償貿易看作投資機會，把售後服務作為重要而穩定的收入來源，要積極與印度本土國防企業建立夥伴關係，2008年他們的進口總值價值120億美元。 (北方科技資訊研究所 薛亞波)

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/cgi-bin/client/modele.pl?session=dae.29470247.1189675018.zNjVVX8AAAEAAGm2F2wAAAAH&modele=jdc_34
Indian Defence Industry: $100 Billion Investment Opportunities
 
(Source: Frost & Sullivan; issued May 28, 2008)
 
 LONDON --- The Indian Armed Forces’ forthcoming modernisation programme will make India the Asia Pacific region’s second highest defence spender within the next five years, and the seventh largest globally by 2016. To examine where short, medium and long-term investment growth opportunities exist for European companies and to explore future procurement plans for the Indian defence sector, Frost & Sullivan held a briefing on ‘Market Growth Opportunities in the Indian Defence Industry’.

Organised by Frost & Sullivan’s Aerospace & Defence practice, the seminar offered an in-depth view of the significant business opportunities within the Indian defence industry and particularly within the Indian Armed Forces. Frost & Sullivan estimates that the total spending for the Indian defence market will reach US$36.2 billion by 2013. The total opportunities for procurement are forecast to exceed US$100 billion by 2022, including the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) market, while the offset potential during the forecast period is expected to reach US$10 billion by 2013.

The event held last week in London was attended by over forty representatives from leading defence organisations including Raytheon, EADS, Lockheed Martin, Thales, QinetiQ, General Dynamics, SAAB, RBS and GE. Also present at the seminar were top-level institutional representatives from the United Kingdom Trade & Investment organisation as well as the naval adviser from the High Commission of India, among others.

Keynote speakers at the seminar were Commodore AJ Singh, Naval Adviser, High Commission of India; Dr Pracheesh Mathur, MD, Raytheon – India; Malcolm Haworth – Operations Director, UKTI Defence & Security Organisation; and Ratan Shrivastava, Director of Frost & Sullivan’s Aerospace & Defence practice, South Asia and Middle East.

Summarising the mood of Indian Defence procurement Commodore Singh said, “We want all this, now!”. He highlighted briefly some of the salient points of the country’s huge procurement programme, in which “indigenisation is the new mantra”, indicating that the Air Force is the biggest deal for the international defence market, and that the Navy also has an ambitious expansion agenda, with nearly 40 ships under construction.

Mr Haworth examined the topic from a UK perspective. He mentioned that India is the UK’s third largest customer for defence exports, after Saudi Arabia and the USA, and gave a quick impression of the Indian defence procurement process.

Dr Mathur examined what he called “the Indian Defence Procurement Panorama” in which, although there are “bureaucratic tangles, funding is not an issue”. He pointed out that the end-user is very “tech-savvy and always looking for hi-tech solutions”. He stressed the advantages of local involvement: of having an “Indian footprint”, and that “relationships tend to trump contacts”, although the rule of law prevails. His talk also touched on the Indian Civil Security market, saying that, although this was now something of a mystery to the outside world, it was worth getting to know the people involved: a good relationship could reap significant rewards since this was an area of significant future spending.

All delegates, including Frost & Sullivan’s own Ratan Shrivastava, drew attention to the significance in the procurement process of India’s mandatory offset conditions in military contracts and the cap on foreign direct investment (FDI) in Indian defence industries.

Nevertheless, Ratan suggested treating offsets as an investment opportunity and emphasised the importance of the after-market support as an important, steady revenue stream over the longer term. He also pointed for the need to develop partnerships with the Indian defence industry and establishment, where total imports are worth an estimated $12 billion in 2008 alone.

This popular seminar is the first in several briefings lined up by Frost & Sullivan which will be investigating the growth potential of various aerospace & defence markets across the globe. These events bring together the best from the industry and government institutions, providing a unique forum both for personal interaction as well as the opportunity to explore strategies together and to set the course for future action.

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, partners with clients to accelerate their growth. The company's TEAM Research, Growth Consulting and Growth Team Membership empower clients to create a growth-focused culture that generates, evaluates and implements effective growth strategies. Frost & Sullivan employs over 45 years of experience in partnering with Global 1000 companies, emerging businesses and the investment community from more than 30 offices on six continents.

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