21 February 2010 Military News

Lightning Horse aircraft highlight partnership, show of force Army News 21 Feb 2010 -- One of the most critical milestones in Iraq's future will be safe and secure elections for the people of Iraq, which are slated for March 7.

Petraeus: Marjah Just the Start of Afghan Campaign VOA 21 Feb 2010 -- The U.S. general who oversees the war in Afghanistan says the fight for the southern town of Marjah is just the first operation in a long campaign.
Dutch PM Forecasts Afghan Pullout This Year VOA 21 Feb 2010 -- The prime minister of the Netherlands says he expects Dutch troops will leave Afghanistan on schedule later this year.

Holbrooke Heads To Georgia After Ending Central Asia Tour RFE/RL 21 Feb 2010 -- U.S. special envoy Richard Holbrooke flew to Georgia today after ending a tour of Central Asian countries aimed at strengthening regional assistance in stabilizing Afghanistan.
U.S. has no plans to deploy military base in Uzbekistan - envoy RIA Novosti 21 Feb 2010 -- The United States has no plans to open a military base in Uzbekistan, a U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan said on Sunday.

USS Reuben James Arrives in Dili, East Timor Navy NewsStand 21 Feb 2010 -- The United States Navy frigate USS Reuben James (FFG 57) anchored off the coast of Dili Feb. 21 at approximately 9 a.m. local time.
Essex Sailors Lend a Helping Hand in Thailand Navy NewsStand 21 Feb 2010 -- More than 50 Sailors from the amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2) and Marines of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit volunteered to help refurbish the Wat Sakeaw School in Sumnakthon, Thailand Feb. 17.

Jamaran destroyer heads to open seas on 1st mission IRNA 21 Feb 2010 -- Iran’s first indigenously-made destroyer, Jamaran, left local waters Sunday morning in southern Iran for open seas on its first mission two days after being launched in a ceremony attended by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

U.S. State Department to Purchase Sikorsky S-61TTM Helicopters for Use in Afghanistan Sikorsky 21 Feb 2010 -- Sikorsky Aerospace Services announced today at Heli-Expo that the U.S. State Department has entered into an IDIQ (indefinite delivery-indefinite quantity) agreement to purchase up to 110 modernized S-61TM aircraft for passenger and cargo transport missions in support of its worldwide operations.
Sikorsky Innovations Expected to Develop Mission-Adaptive Rotorcraft Under Prospective DARPA Contract with Sikorsky Aircraft Sikorsky 21 Feb 2010 -- Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. announced today that its Sikorsky Innovations group has been selected by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) for a contract to develop active rotor technologies that will allow aircraft to adapt to a changing environment and dynamically enhance performance. Sikorsky Aircraft is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX).

Hamas: Assassinated Operative Breached Security Protocols VOA 21 Feb 2010 -- There are new developments in the investigation of the murder of a leader of the Palestinian militant group Hamas last month in the Persian Gulf .
Armed Group Leader Unhappy Over Exclusion from DRC Cabinet Reshuffle VOA 21 Feb 2010 -- A leader of the Mai Mai Kifufua armed group in the Democratic Republic of Congo says his group is disappointed after being excluded from President Joseph Kabila’s latest cabinet reshuffle.
Darfur: UN-African Union mission, Sudan commit to prison reform UN News Centre 21 Feb 2010 -- The joint United Nations-African Union peacekeeping mission in the war-ravaged Darfur region and the Sudanese Government today signed an agreement to improve prison management and inmates' living conditions.
Israel Says No Recognition of Palestinian State Before Peace Deal VOA 21 Feb 2010 -- Israel is rejecting the idea of international recognition for a Palestinian state before negotiations have been completed.
Nigerian Oil Rebels Urged to Sustain Peace Process VOA 21 Feb 2010 -- The security situation in Nigeria's troubled oil producing delta region remains fragile despite assurances by the acting president, Goodluck Jonathan, to revive an amnesty program in the region. Community leaders in the Niger Delta have appealed for restraint to allow the new leader to address the region's long-standing grievances.

FM spokesman urges IAEA to study Iran's n-case from legal view IRNA 21 Feb 2010 -- Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mihman-Parast here on Sunday urged the International Atomic Energy Agency to regard Iran’s peaceful nuclear program from legal perspectives.
MP urges IAEA chief to reconsider his Iran report IRNA 21 Feb 2010 -- Head of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Alaeddin Boroujerdi urged the UN nuclear watchdog’s chief to reconsider his report on Iran’s peaceful nuclear activities.
Powerful Iran only a threat to bullying powers: Larijani IRNA 21 Feb 2010 -- Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani said here on Sunday that the powerful Iran is a danger for bullying powers and not to regional Muslim nations.

Iraq: top UN envoy welcomes signing of code of conduct for upcoming polls UN News Centre 21 Feb 2010 -- The top United Nations envoy in Iraq today welcomed the signing of an electoral Code of Conduct by the main political blocs ahead of next month's polls, calling on all parties and candidates who have yet to do so to join the initiative.

Tymoshenko Drops Legal Case, But Does Not Concede RFE/RL 21 Feb 2010 -- Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has dropped her legal case challenging the election of rival Viktor Yanukovych as president -- but she has not conceded defeat, and continues to say that Yanukovych was not legitimately elected.
Yanukovych expects Ukraine parliamentary coalition within week RIA Novosti 21 Feb 2010 -- Ukraine's president-elect Viktor Yanukovych said Sunday on the Ukraina TV channel that he expects a new parliamentary coalition will be formed by the end of next week.
Yanukovych names candidates for Ukraine prime minister RIA Novosti 21 Feb 2010 -- Ukraine's president-elect Viktor Yanukovych named on Sunday three candidates for the prime ministerial post.

Regional Diplomats in Niger Following Coup VOA 21 Feb 2010 -- Regional diplomats are in Niger to meet with the country's new military leaders following Thursday's coup against President Mamadou Tandja.

HAITI: Disasters fuel migration, diaspora fuels economy IRIN 21 Feb 2010 -- With eight natural disasters in Haiti since 1994, January’s earthquake is likely to see hundreds of thousands more Haitians emigrate, not only to escape the impact of the latest disaster but also to avoid the next one - as well as political strife and poverty.

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