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US: ‘Common-sense test’ holds Assad responsible
US: ‘Common-sense test’ holds Assad responsible (AP) / 9 September 2013 President Barack Obama’s top aide on Sunday pressed the case for “targeted, limited consequential action” to degrade the capabilities of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad to carry out chemical weapons attacks as the White House mounted a major push to win support from a divided Congress and skeptical American public for a military strike. White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough asserted that a “common-sense test” dictates that the Syrian government is responsible for a chemical weapons attack that Obama says demands a US response. But he said the Obama administration lacks “irrefutable, beyond-a-reasonable-doubt evidence” that lawmakers who will start voting on military action this week are seeking. “This is not a court of law. And intelligence does not work that way,” Denis McDonough said, part of a five-network public relations blitz Sunday to build support for limited strikes against Assad. “The common-sense test says he is responsible for this. He should be held to account,” McDonough said of the Syrian leader who for two years has resisted calls from inside and outside his country to step down. McDonough pressed the case for “targeted, limited consequential action to deter and degrade” the capabilities of Assad’s regime “to carry out these terrible attacks again. The US, citing intelligence reports, says sarin gas was used in the August 21 attack outside Damascus, and that 1,429 people died, including 426 children. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which collects information from a network of anti-regime activists, says it has so far only been able to confirm 502 dead. In an interview on Sunday, Assad told US journalist Charlie Rose there is no conclusive evidence about who is to blame and again suggested the rebels were responsible. From Beirut, Rose described his interview that is set to be released on Monday on television shows hosted by Rose. At the same time, Obama has planned his own public relations effort. He has scheduled five network interviews on Monday and then a nationally televised speech from the White House on Tuesday, the eve of the first votes in Congress. On Wednesday, the Democratic-led Senate is expected to hold the first showdown vote over a resolution that would authorise the “limited and specified use” of US armed forces against Syria for no more than 90 days and barring American ground troops from combat. A final vote is expected at week’s end. A vote in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives appears likely during the week of September 16. Obama faces a tough audience on Capitol Hill. A survey by The Associated Press shows that House members who are staking out positions are either opposed to or leaning against Obama’s plan for a military strike by more than a 6-1 margin. “Lobbing a few Tomahawk missiles will not restore our credibility overseas,” said Rep. Mike McCaul, the Texas Republican who chairs the House Homeland Security Committee. Added Rep. Loretta Sanchez, a California Democrat: “For the president to say that this is just a very quick thing and we’re out of there, that’s how long wars start.” Nearly half of the 433-member House of Representatives and a third of the 100-member Senate remain undecided, the AP survey found. “Just because Assad is a murderous tyrant doesn’t mean his opponents are any better,” said Sen. Ted Cruz, a conservative Texas Republican. On Saturday, a US official released a DVD compilation of videos showing attack victims that the official said were shown to senators during a classified briefing on Thursday. The images have become a rallying point for the administration. “Those videos make it clear to people that these are real human beings, real children, parents being affected in ways that are unacceptable to anybody, anywhere by any standards,” Secretary of State John Kerry said in Paris. “And the United States of America that has always stood with others to say we will not allow this — this is not our values, it’s not who we are.” But McDonough conceded the United States doesn’t have concrete evidence Assad was behind the chemical attacks. Recent opinion surveys show intense American skepticism about military intervention in Syria, even among those who believe Syria’s government used chemical weapons on its people. Congress, perhaps, is even more dubious. “It’s an uphill slog,” said Rep. Mike Rogers, the Republican chairman of the House Intelligence Committee who supports strikes on Assad. “I think it’s very clear he’s lost support in the last week,” Rogers added, speaking of the president. Complicating the effort in the Senate is the possibility that 60 votes may be required to authorise a strike. Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky said he would consider using Senate procedural maneuvers to delay shutting off debate, but noted such a tactic was unlikely to permanently block a vote. Still, Sen. Harry Reid, the Democratic leader, has predicted authorisation of military strike against Syria. While the publicly discussed information lacks a direct link between Assad and the use of chemical weapons, the private briefs are no better, two lawmakers said. “The evidence is not as strong as the public statements that the president and the administration have been making,” said Republican Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan. “There are some things that are being embellished in the public statements. … The briefings have actually made me more skeptical about the situation.” Republican Rep. Buck McKeon of California, said “they have evidence showing the regime has probably the responsibility for the attacks.” But that’s not enough to start military strikes. “They haven’t linked it directly to Assad, in my estimation,” said McKeon, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. McDonough, an Obama foreign policy adviser dating back to his 2008 presidential campaign, said the dots connect themselves. “The material was used in the eastern suburbs of Damascus that have been controlled by the opposition for some time,” McDonough said. “It was delivered by rockets — rockets which we know the Assad regime has and we have no indication that the opposition has.” At the same time, McDonough acknowledged the risks that military action could drag the US into the middle of a brutal civil war and endanger allies such as Israel with a retaliatory attack. The US is “planning for every contingency in that regard and we’ll be ready for that.” Congress resumes work on Monday after its summer break, but already a heated debate is under way about Syria. Vice-President Joe Biden planned to host a dinner on Sunday night for a group of Senate Republicans. Obama’s national security adviser, Susan Rice, plans to discuss Syria in a speech on Monday at the New America Foundation and later meet with members of the Congressional Black Caucus. A bipartisan, classified briefing for Congress is set for Monday and another is slated for Wednesday. McDonough spoke with ABC’s “This Week,” CBS’ “Face the Nation,” NBC’s “Meet the Press,” CNN’s “State of the Union” and “Fox News Sunday.” McCaul and Sanchez were on NBC. Cruz appeared on ABC. Rogers and Amash spoke to CBS. Paul was interviewed on Fox. McKeon was on CNN. Continue reading
Palm Oil Industry Key Culprit Behind Deforestation, Haze In Indonesia
New report by Greenpeace details the failure of RSPO in halting deforestation, and highlights Wilmar, Genting and Surya Dumai as firms with concessions behind the recent haze crisis in Singapore and Malaysia The palm oil industry is destroying Indonesia’s forests, said Greenpeace International in a new report on Tuesday, as the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) is set to meet for its first European Summit in Berlin. In the investigative paper, “Certifying Destruction”, Greenpeace higlighted the failure of the sustainable palm oil and certification body in halting deforestation. RSPO concessions accounted for as much as 39 per cent of the fire hotspots on palm oil concessions in Riau during January to June 2013, when the most severe haze outbreak in history affected neighbouring Singapore and Malaysia. The report, which gives a mapping anaylsis of the concessions, charged that RSPO standards are severely lacking, leaving members “free to destroy forests” that contribute to more greenhouse gas emissions, human rights violations, loss of endangered species such as the Sumatran tiger and orang-utan and the Borneo orang-utan, and the yearly regional haze. RSPO members account for about 40 per cent of global palm oil production. With the launch of the report, Greenpeace is calling for the industry, especially those gathering at the summit, where the future of palm oil sustainability will be discussed, to take action against deforestation. Bustar Maitar, Greenpeace International’s head for the Indonesia Forest Campaign, told Eco-Business: “We want to see the companies, palm oil producers and the buyers to act more to stop deforestation … We want to see the customers make sure that their product is not associated with deforestation. Customers can’t just say that because they are buying from RSPO companies then they have no relation with deforestation and peat land destruction…” According to Indonesia’s Ministry of Forestry maps, the country has lost 1.24 million hectares of forest from 2009 to 2011. In the same period, about 300,000 hectares or a quarter of this total forest loss was due to identified palm oil concessions, said Greenpeace, making the palm oil sector the largest driver of forest destruction in Indonesia. Illegal land clearing and unsustainable sourcing “ Even among the RSPO’s own members, dirty palm oil remains the common currency – RSPO standards are inadequate, poorly enforced and offer palm oil consumers no guarantee that the oil they buy has been produced responsibly Greenpeace International “Year after year, Indonesia’s forest fires and haze wreak havoc on the region, and the palm oil sector is a main culprit,” said Maitar. He added, “While RSPO members might have no-fire policies, the peat land they have cleared and drained is like a tinderbox – one spark is all it takes.” According to anaylsis by Greenpeace, Singapore-based Wilmar International, the world’s largest palm oil trader, along with Genting and Surya Dumai, are “the three privately-owned RSPO members with the largest areas of identified deforestation”. Wilmar prohibits burning on its own plantations, but it sources more than 90 per cent of its crude palm oil from third-party suppliers. Some of palm oil products it has received come from illegal plantations inside the Tesso Nilo National Park in Riau as recently as 2012, according to a WWF investigation, cited the Greenpeace report. While the agribusiness firm denied this and mentioned of procedures stopping such practices, the lax criteria on third-party supply does not promote the strict use of clean palm oil into global supplies, said Greenpeace. This fresh fruit bunch (FFB) or palm oil products sourced from third-party suppliers could have been produced through illegal land clearing, they added. Inadequacies of RSPO The RSPO lacks standards encouraging transparency in sourcing or mechanisms that offer traceability throughout the entire palm oil supply chain, from plantation to the end consumer product sold on supermarkets and other retail stores. The report showed a visual flowchart of the RSPO supply chain illustrating three different supply systems – segregated supply, mass balance, and book and claim – that translate to different palm oil products, as well as different claims of palm oil certification. “Even among the RSPO’s own members, dirty palm oil remains the common currency – RSPO standards are inadequate, poorly enforced and offer palm oil consumers no guarantee that the oil they buy has been produced responsibly,” said Greenpeace. In fact, of the 250 palm oil consumer companies interviewed by the environmental group , those who replied stated they still rely on RSPO’s sustainability measures. Procter and Gamble, one of the respondents, said, “By 2015, 100 per cent of our palm oil purchases will be confirmed to have originated from responsible and sustainable sources… [We are] aiming to source certified sustainable palm oil and PKO (palm kernel oil) via the RSPO Mass Balanced Supply Chain model, but will also be source via the Book and Claim model.” However, Greenpeace emphasised that the RSPO is “not fit for this purpose”. The report outlines how the RSPO faces criticism from consumer companies and non-government organisations, despite having recently revised its principles and criteria and having the support of the Consumer Goods Forum and the Sustainable Palm Oil Investor Working Group. Kellogg, the company behind well-known cereals and energy bars, recently received backlash from consumer activist group Sum of Us due to its joint venture with Wilmar International. Campaign director Rob Wohl, in an article with trade website Bakery and Snacks, said, “Sourcing RSPO-certified palm oil is nice, but Kellogg’s (and really, all global corporations) need to be doing everything in their power to stop deforestation. Ideally, Kellogg should follow Nestlé’s lead by adopting strong deforestation-free principles and allow independent oversight of its supply chain.” Going beyond the RSPO Greenpeace likewise named the Swiss multinational company as an example of a consumer goods firm that has taken palm oil sustainability seriously. The environmental NGO, back in 2010, lambasted the firm’s use of unsustainable palm oil from Indonesian supplier Sinar Mas for its Kit Kat chocolate bar. Since then, Nestlé has addressed its sourcing, even including a goal on the use of sustainable palm oil by end of the year on its list of published environmental targets for 2020. Golden Agri-Resources, New Britain Palm Oil and Agropalma are the other exemplary companies cited by Greenpeace in the report. According to Areeba Hamid, the NGO’s forest campaigner, “The only solution for palm oil consumers and producers is to go beyond the RSPO – as some members are doing already. This is the challenge we set to the industry.” The Palm Oil Innovation Group, an initiative by some palm oil firms and NGOs including Greenpeace, is an example of industry efforts outside the RSPO. The group is for the conservation of high carbon stock forests and also secondary forests, which the RSPO does not protect in its stipulated forest clearance ban. Greenpeace, in the report, recommended what other actions the RSPO should take to improve its standards. They also listed their solutions and demands for palm oil consumer companies, traders and processors, and producers. Hamid said, “Brands must find out where their palm oil comes from, and guarantee consumers around the world that forest destruction is not making its way into our products.” Wilmar, as well as Golden Agri and Kuala Lumpur Kepong Bhd (KLK), showed that having questionable business operations has repercussions. Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, the richest in the world at US$737 billion, sold its investments in the palm oil producers last 2012, citing concerns on deforestation. Continue reading
Egypt to dissolve Brotherhood NGO
Egypt to dissolve Brotherhood NGO (Reuters) / 6 September 2013 Egypt’s army-backed government has dissolved the Brotherhood as a registered non-governmental organisation, the state-run Al Akhbar newspaper reported on Friday, pressing a crackdown on deposed President Mohammed Mursi’s movement. The move applies to the non-governmental organisation registered by the Brotherhood in March, and stems from accusations that it used its premises to store weapons and explosives. The decision has yet to be formally announced, the official said. The army-backed government is waging the toughest crackdown in decades on the Islamist group, which says it has a million members. Security forces have killed hundreds of its supporters and rounded up thousands more since Mursi was deposed by the army on July 3 after mass protests against him. Although short of a ban, dissolving the NGO will strip the Brotherhood of a defence against challenges to its legality. Egypt’s then army rulers formally dissolved the Brotherhood in 1954. Social Solidarity Minister Ahmed El Boraie has now decided to dissolve the Brotherhood’s NGO, ministry spokesman Hany Mahana said. The move will be announced once the minister returned from an overseas trip. “Dr El Boraie has decided to dissolve the organisation. The decree has not been issued yet,” he said. The General Federation of NGOs wrote to the ministry on Thursday consenting to the dissolution of the Brotherhood NGO after its leaders missed a deadline to answer the accusations. These relate to violence that erupted after Mursi was deposed, when armed men were seen firing on protesters outside the Brotherhood’s headquarters in Cairo. The government has accused the Brotherhood of mounting a campaign of violence – a charge the group decries as an excuse for the crackdown. “They were notified three consecutive times and none of them attended and so, according to the law, the minister of social solidarity can dissolve the NGO,” Mahana said. “The decision is effective with the end of the legal time frame, so the decision is taken and what remains is writing the legal memorandum.” The Brotherhood won parliamentary and presidential elections after veteran autocrat Hosni Mubarak was overthrown in 2011. There has so far been no attempt to ban its political wing, the Freedom and Justice Party. Though formally outlawed under Mubarak, the Brotherhood was grudgingly tolerated for much of his presidency, taking part in parliamentary elections and operating a charity network that helped to it to become Egypt’s biggest political party. Continue reading
