APSNet 22 January 2009

1. Afghanistan Seeks Control over NATO Deployments

2. Brits ‘Misled’ Diggers on Atomic Tests
3. Joint Statement between the Indonesian National Defence Force and the Australian Defence Force on Indonesian-Australian Defence Cooperation
4. Legitimacy of the Court’s Decision in the Case relating to the Economic Stabilization Fund (ESF)
5. US Set To Link Aid to Progress on Terrorism
6. U.S. Secures New Supply Routes to Afghanistan

1. Afghanistan Seeks Control over NATO Deployments, Jason Straziuso and Amir Shah, AP, 2009-01-201

The Afghan government has sent NATO headquarters a draft agreement that would give Afghanistan more control over future NATO deployments in the country — including the deployment of some U.S. troops. The agreement would put into place rules of conduct for NATO-led troops in Afghanistan and the number of additional NATO troops and their location would have to be approved by the Afghan government.

• Coalition forces, Australia in Afghanistan, Nautilus Institute

• Afghan Unrest Killed 4,000 Civilians in 2008: Report, AFP, 2009-01-22

2. Brits ‘Misled’ Diggers on Atomic Tests, Belinda Tasker, Age, 2009-01-22

Britain deliberately misled Australia about the effects of its nuclear tests at Maralinga and poisoned hundreds of servicemen with its atomic blasts, London’s High Court has heard. The claims were made on the first day of a long-awaited legal battle by more than 800 veterans who are demanding millions of dollars in compensation from Britain’s Ministry of Defence (MoD).

•  Fiji – Bomb Gone, SBS Dateline, 2003-04-23

3. Joint Statement between the Indonesian National Defence Force and the Australian Defence Force on Indonesian-Australian Defence Cooperation, Department of Defence, January 2009 [PDF, 158 KB]

This Joint Statement between the Indonesian National Defence Force and the Australian Defence Force affirms our intent to further cooperation through the development and management of the bilateral defence relationship.

4. Legitimacy of the Court’s Decision in the Case relating to the Economic Stabilization Fund (ESF), Judicial System Monitoring, January 2009 [Word doc., 91.5 KB]

16 members of the National Parliament submitted a request for a material review on the state budget that had been previously been approved by the National Parliament. The Court of Appeal’s decision on the request for a material review of the ESF was as follows: 1.The US$240 million ESF violates the RDTL Constitution. 2. The withdrawal of funds totalling US$290.7 million also violates the 2005 Petroleum Fund Law and therefore the fund is declared illegal.

5. US Set To Link Aid to Progress on Terrorism, Daniel Dombey, Financial Times, 2009-01-21

The US is to link aid to Pakistan, Iraq and Afghanistan to advance the battle against terrorism, sectarianism and corruption, in a big policy move by Hillary Clinton, who was confirmed as secretary of state. Pakistan and Afghanistan have already responded coolly to her statements, but Mrs Clinton, who describes Afghanistan and the Pakistani border as “the central front in the war on terror”, is unlikely to be deterred.

6. U.S. Secures New Supply Routes to Afghanistan, Richard A. Oppel Jr., IHT, 2009-01-20

Faced with the risk that Taliban attacks could imperil the main resupply route for NATO troops in Afghanistan, the United States military has obtained permission to transport war materials through Russia and Central Asia, the top American commander in the Middle East said.

Nautilus Institute and affiliated information services

• Australian region (APSNet – this newsletter): Free subscription.
• Northeast Asia (NAPSNet): Free subscription.
• Climate change adaptation (AdaptNet): Free subscription.

 For further information, please contact the APSNet editor, Arabella Imhoff.

Subscribe

To subscribe or unsubscribe, please visit:
https://nautilus.org/mailman/listinfo/apsnet

—
Richard Tanter,
Project Co-ordinator