NOVOSIBIRSK, October 8 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's new military doctrine will contain some changes to the situations that could trigger the use of nuclear weapons or preventive strikes against potential foes, the secretary of Russia's Security Council said on Thursday.
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The draft doctrine, called "The new face of the Russian Armed Forces until 2030," is still being developed by the General Staff and will be given, according to Patrushev, to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev for consideration by the end of 2009.
The current military doctrine was adopted in 2000. It outlines the role of the Russian military in ensuring the defense of the country and, if necessary, preparing for and waging war, although it stresses that the Russian military doctrine is strictly defensive.
The doctrine lists factors that the Russian Federation perceives as potential threats, both internal and external and declares support for a multipolar world, in preference to a unipolar world dominated by a single superpower that is quick to resort to military force.
The current document also emphasizes Russia's commitment to military reform, with continued use of conscription, but a gradual shift towards a professional army.
But the Security Council believes that since 2000, drastic changes have occurred in the geopolitical and military situation in the world and in the nature of threats against national security, which makes it necessary to revise the specific tasks facing the Russian Armed Forces and related security agencies.
"We would like to make this new military doctrine transparent so that people in the country and abroad will know what we have developed and how we want to work. We will set goals and lay out how to achieve them," Patrushev said.
President Dmitry Medvedev announced last year that Russia would make the modernization of its nuclear deterrent and Armed Forces a priority in the decade up to 2020.
MOSCOW — Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Tuesday that the United States would hold back from pressuring for new nuclear sanctions against Iran as she sought support from Russia.
Clinton praised Moscow for its "extremely cooperative" behaviour in the standoff over Iran's programme, which western nations fear is an attempt to build a nuclear bomb.
Her first trip to Russia as chief US diplomat was aimed at winning support for the US stance on Iran and helping to mend US-Russian ties scarred by disputes before President Barack Obama took power.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has said that sanctions against Tehran may be inevitable if it defies world powers over its nuclear drive. Clinton agreed but said: "We are not at that point yet... it is not a conclusion that we have reached."
Russia has been hostile to tough sanctions against Iran and Medvedev's comments last month had been seen in some quarters as a subtle change in policy aimed at satisfying the West.
But, speaking after talks with Clinton, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that for the moment it would be wrong to talk about a fourth round of UN Security Council sanctions on Iran.
"Threats of new sanctions and pressure against Iran under current circumstances are counterproductive," Lavrov said.
...Russia has the most robust relations with Iran of any major world power, has supplied Tehran with military hardware and is building the country's first nuclear power plant in the southern city of Bushehr.
However Russia has not fulfilled a contract to deliver S-300 air defence systems to Tehran, hardware which analysts say could impede any Western air strike on Iran.
Moscow's political and economic connections with Tehran could prove crucial as the nuclear standoff enters a decisive stage.
Clinton said: "Russia has been extremely cooperative in the work that we have done together."
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The United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany have been leading an international campaign to persuade Iran to halt its disputed uranium enrichment programme.
The West fears the programme masks a drive for the atomic bomb -- a charge denied by Tehran, which says it is for peaceful nuclear energy.
Breaking News: The Juniper Cobra joint air defense exercise between Israel and America has be delayed for one week. It was to have begun today 12 October 2009.
This comes just after the cancellation, three days ago, of a joint air war games exercise in Turkey with some NATO nations and Israel, and just after a meeting in Syria between the Saudi King and the President of Syria, and just after the sudden announcement that Russia will not honor its commitments to deliver the TOR-M1 and S-300 missile systems to Iran (due to the Saudi purchase of the very expensive S-400 air defense system on the condition of the cancellation of the TOR-M1 and S-300 sales to Iran) leaving Iran 'high and dry' without last minute missile consignments already paid for.
This also comes as a large explosion 'takes out' part of the Hizballah's South Lebanon command center and arms depot. There are a total of 17 advanced US Navy ships deployed to Israel, many with the Aegis air defense missile system; also the US Army has already deployed teams with the very advanced THAAD and the Patriot Cap III anti-missile missiles. The well connected DEBKA site says that "highly exceptional postponement" of the exercise "indicates something seriously amiss".
Is this indicative that war is about to break out with Iran?
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