Obama: 30,000 More US Troops To Afghanistan By Mid-2010

U.S. President Barack Obama is sending 30,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan by the summer of 2010, and plans to start withdrawing American forces a year later. The president laid out his strategy for winning the war in Afghanistan.

After several months of deliberation, President Obama has announced his plan for deploying additional troops to Afghanistan. He unveiled his strategy before an audience of cadets at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York, late Tuesday and a nation watching on television.

"The 30,000 additional troops that I am announcing tonight will deploy in the first part of 2010 - the fastest pace possible - so that they can target the insurgency and secure key population centers," said President Obama.

The added troops will join an estimated 68,000 U.S. service members already in Afghanistan, and tens of thousands of allied forces.

The president spoke as Americans' support for the war continues to erode. A new survey by the Gallup organization shows only 35 percent of Americans surveyed approve of Mr. Obama's handling of the war - 55 percent disapprove.

At West Point, Mr. Obama said Afghanistan is not lost, but has been moving backwards for several years. He said al-Qaida is planning new acts of terror from its safe havens along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, with the support of the Taliban.

"We must deny al-Qaida a safe haven," said Mr. Obama. " We must reverse the Taliban's momentum and deny it the ability to overthrow the government. And we must strengthen the capacity of Afghanistan's security forces and government, so that they can take lead responsibility for Afghanistan's future."

The president appealed to America's allies to contribute more troops to the fight in Afghanistan, and said he is confident that they will.

"Our friends have fought and bled and died alongside us in Afghanistan," said President Obama. "Now, we must come together to end this war successfully. For what's at stake is not simply a test of NATO's credibility - what's at stake is the security of our Allies, and the common security of the world."

Mr. Obama said his strategy will allow U.S. troops to begin returning home by the middle of 2011, depending on the conditions on the ground.

"Taken together, these additional American and international troops will allow us to accelerate handing over responsibility to Afghan forces, and allow us to begin the transfer of our forces out of Afghanistan in July of 2011," said Mr. Obama.

The top Senate Republican, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, said after the speech he supports the president's plan, as long as the withdrawal does not begin until conditions in Afghanistan permit it.

"The president was absolutely right to call for building a sufficient Afghan capacity that will allow our troops to come home, rather than setting a hard withdrawal date that is not based on conditions on the ground or the advice of our generals," said Mitch McConnell.

A large part of the troops' mission will be to train Afghan forces to take over the fight against the Taliban and defend their country's security.

With most of the Taliban now in Pakistan, the president emphasized the need for a continued partnership with the government in Islamabad.

Civilian initiatives will be a large part of the U.S. strategy, especially in developing the region's agriculture, education and economy. Mr. Obama also said the U.S. will require improved performance from the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

"We will work with our partners, the UN and the Afghan people to pursue a more effective civilian strategy, so that the government can take advantage of improved security," said President Obama. "This effort must be based on performance. The days of providing a blank check are over."

The president acknowledged that his new approach in Afghanistan is likely to cost the U.S. $30 billion in the coming year, and he said he will work closely with Congress to address that cost, while trying to revive the recession-battered economy.

Over the past few months, Mr. Obama has held about a dozen meetings with his top military and foreign policy advisers, including commanders on the ground in Afghanistan. (Voa-news)

Obama Pledges to Let Homosexuals Serve Openly in US Military

U.S. President Barack Obama has pledged to a gay rights group that he will repeal the law that keeps homosexuals from serving openly in the U.S. military. The president admits that he has not made promised policy changes as quickly as advocates would like.

US President Barack Obama, delivers his remarks at the Human Rights Campaign national dinner, in Washington, 10 Oct 2009

The "Don't ask, don't tell" policy allows gay men and lesbians to serve in the U.S. military if they do not disclose their sexual orientation or act on it.

President Obama says that is about to change.

"I will end "don't ask, don't tell." That is my commitment to you.

Mr. Obama spoke late Saturday to thousands of people at a fundraising dinner for the Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest gay rights organization.

The president did not say how long it will take to repeal the law. But he said the U.S. cannot afford to exclude from military service people whose skills are needed.

"We should not be punishing patriotic Americans who have stepped forward to serve this country," said President Obama. "We should be celebrating their willingness to show such courage and selflessness on behalf of their fellow citizens, especially when we are fighting two wars."

Estimates say about 13,000 people have been discharged from the military for violating the policy since it was enacted in 1993.

Congress passed "don't ask, don't tell" as a compromise, after then-President Bill Clinton proposed ending the ban on open homosexuals serving in the armed forces.

Some high-ranking military officers have said the law should not be repealed, because allowing openly gay troops to serve would diminish discipline and morale.

Mr. Obama also told the Human Rights Campaign he plans to overturn the ban on entry to the U.S. based on HIV status. The U.S. forbids people infected with HIV from entering the country, saying they present a public health risk.

The president called on Congress to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, under which the U.S. government defines marriage as being between one man and one woman.

Mr. Obama also said lawmakers will soon pass, and he will sign, a bill defining violence against gays and lesbians as federal hate crimes.

The president acknowledged that many of his promises have not yet been fulfilled, and that many in the audience are losing patience with him.

"It is not for me to tell you to be patient, any more than it was for others to counsel patience to African-American petitioning for equal rights, half a century ago. But I will say this: We have made progress, and we will make more."

The dinner came on the evening before thousands of gays and lesbians are expected to march to the U.S. Capitol, demanding more government action for gay rights.

Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese introduced Mr. Obama, saying the gay and lesbian community has never had a stronger ally in the White House.

(By Kent Klein
Washington
11 October 2009
VoaNews)

Mubarak: Peace Agreement Required Before Israeli Recognition

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who is in the United States for talks, says Arab nations would recognize Israel only after a just and comprehensive Mideast peace deal is reached.

Mr. Mubarak told Egypt's state-run newspaper al-Ahram that Israel must halt settlement construction and resume peace negotiations with Palestinians, before Arab countries can normalize ties with the Jewish state.

President Mubarak is scheduled to meet with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Washington Monday, and to hold talks with President Obama Tuesday.

The Egyptian leader told the newspaper some Arab countries that exchanged representatives and trade offices with Israel might consider re-opening those offices if Israel commits to a settlement freeze.

During a visit to the region last month, U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell called on Arab states to take "meaningful steps" to normalize relations with Israel. (VOA-news)

Lirikan 'Maut' Presiden Obama

Obama menjadi bahan olok-olok media massa di dunia karena pada sesi pemotretan untuk pertemuan puncak negara G-8, tampak Presiden Amerika tersebut melirik bokong salah satu delegasi beranama Mayora Tavares gadis seksi berumur 16 tahun dari Brazil.

Pada Kamis (9/7/2009) waktu setempat itu, para pemimpin G-8 baru saja selesai berfoto, kemudian peserta foto ditambah sebagian dari J-8 (sebutan untuk delegasi muda dari negara-negara G-8), yang terdiri atas 54 remaja berusia 14-17 tahun.

Ketika para delegasi muda itu maju, lewatlah Mayora Tavares, gadis seksi berusia 16 tahun asal Brasil. Rupanya penampilan Mayora menarik perhatian Obama. Ketika gadis itu lewat di samping kirinya, pandangan Obama pun mengikuti, khususnya pada (maaf) pantat Mayora.

Obama tidak sadar bahwa Presiden Perancis Nicolas Sarkozy memperhatikan tingkahnya sambil tersenyum dan mungkin sekali berkata dalam hati, “Dasar anak muda.” Bukan hanya tidak sadar diperhatikan koleganya, Obama juga tidak sadar bahwa tingkahnya itu diabadikan seorang fotografer. Foto itu kemudian menjadi tersebar ke seluruh dunia. Bahkan situs Huffington Post memberi judul ”Apa sih yang kalian perhatikan?”

Bahkan di Yahoo News, foto itu menempati urutan pertama foto berita dalam ketegori paling banyak di-e-mail dan disarankan untuk dilihat. Tentu saja versi videonya juga mampir di YouTube. Sesi foto Kamis atau hari kedua Pertemuan Puncak ke-35 G-8 itu mengundang geli para delegasi. Obama lagi-lagi sumbernya. Presiden berusia 48 tahun itu hampir terlambat berdiri di panggung bersama kepala negara lainnya. Ia menarik perhatian para delegasi karena berlari menuju panggung dengan iringan tepuk tangan rekan-rekannya dari atas panggung foto.

Anggota G-8 adalah negara-negara maju dunia yang terdiri dari Amerika Serikat, Inggris, Italia, Jerman, Perancis, Jepang, Kanada, dan Rusia. Pertemuan itu juga dihadiri lima negara berkembang yang disebut G-5, yaitu Brasil, China, India, Meksiko, dan Afrika Selatan.

Kejadian-kejadian menggelikan itu bisa sejenak mengendurkan saraf para pemimpin dan delegasinya di tengah keseriusan mereka membicarakan berbagai persoalan penting dunia, terutama krisis ekonomi, krisis energi, krisis pangan, keamanan, dan perubahan iklim yang menjadi agenda pertemuan itu.

Presiden Obama Tandatangani RUU Anti Rokok

(22/06/2009) - Presiden Barack Obama hari Senin menandatangani rancangan undang-undang anti rokok yang menempatkan produk tembakau di bawah pemerintah Federal. Undang-undang itu disebut Family Smoking Prevention & Tobacco Control Act.

Rancangan yang disetujui Kongres awal bulan ini memberi Jawatan Pengawasan Pangan & Obat-Obatan FDA wewenang untuk mengurangi kadar nikotin dalam produk tembakau. FDA juga dapat mengatur pemasaran dan iklan produk tembakau.

Presiden Obama memuji RUU itu disetujui kedua pihak di Kongres dan mengatakan UU baru itu akan melindungi anak bangsa dari bahaya merokok. Ia menambahkan, kemenangan telah dicapai setelah sepuluh tahun mendapat tentangan.

Selama bertahun-tahun para pendukung perlunya peraturan yang keras mengenai produk tembakau terus mendapat perlawanan sengit dari lobi industri tembakau yang kuat.

(Voa)

Obama Memberikan Kemudahan Bagi Pasangan Homoseks??

Presiden Amerika Barack Obama telah menandatangani instruksi presiden untuk memberi beberapa kemudahan kepada pasangan rumah-tangga sesama jenis kelamin karyawan pemerintah federal Amerika.

Obama menyebut instruksi itu "kemajuan yang sudah lama ditunggu dalam perjuangan mencapai persamaan."

Kemudahan baru itu akan mengizinkan pasangan homo pegawai negeri untuk dimasukkan sebagai suami-istri dalam program asuransi yang menanggung biaya pengobatan jangka panjang, serta mengambil cuti sakit untuk merawat anak pasangan mereka. Pasangan pegawai dinas luar negeri juga akan dapat menggunakan sarana pengobatan di kantor luar negeri.

Tetapi, instruksi itu tidak memberi asuransi kesehatan penuh bagi pasangan rumah-tangga homo, sebagaimana tadinya diharapkan oleh para aktivis hak kaum homo.

Obama mengatakan instruksi tadi merupakan hanya satu langkah di antara banyak langkah yang akan diambilnya dalam melawan ketidak-adilan dan ketidak toleranan dalam bulan-bulan mendatang. Ia juga mengumumkan dukungannya pada usul undang-undang yang dinamakan Undang-Undang Kewajiban dan Kemudahan Bagi Pasangan Rumah-Tangga Kaum Homo.

Para aktivis hak anti-homo mengatakan Obama bertindak terlalu jauh dalam perluasan hak orang yang tidak menikah.

(Voa)

Palestinians, Israelis Have Mixed Reactions to Obama Speech

Palestinian officials are hailing U.S. President Barack Obama's speech to the Muslim world as a good first step toward resolving the Middle East conflict. Israel said it hoped the U.S. president's speech will help usher in a new period of reconciliation in the region.

Something for everyone

Israelis watch President Barack Obama's speech from Tel Aviv cafe, 04 Jun 2009

It was a speech to which many Israelis were not looking forward to. President Barack Obama had stepped up his calls for a total freeze on Jewish settlements in the West Bank and for Israel to allow Palestinian statehood - things that Israel's leadership refuses to do.

In the end, the speech had something for everyone.

He pleased many Israelis by calling for Palestinians to abandon violence, saying the Islamist militant group Hamas must recognize Israel's right to exist, and calling for the prevention of a nuclear standoff with Iran.

Two-state solution

Palestinian family watches President Barack Obama's speech in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, 04 Jun 2009

Many Palestinians were pleased to hear the U.S. leader repeat his call for an end to Jewish settlements in the Palestinian territories, and for Israel to realize the only way to resolve the conflict is - in his opinion - the two-state solution.

A spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said the speech was a good start towards a new policy that recognizes the suffering of the Palestinians.

Political analyst Mahdi Abdel Hadi, director of the Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs in East Jerusalem says the speech contained no new ideas, but went a long way to making people feel good about the new U.S. administration's policy in the Middle East.

"It was a moving speech. The new element is [the] changing [of] the format of the political game, the tools of the political game, and the scene of the political game. It is here," he said. "It is the Middle East. It is not Washington. It is not Paris. It is not London. It is me, here, knocking on your door telling you, "Trust me, accept me, and I can make a difference."

Some concerned

Some Israelis had been concerned Mr. Obama might step up his criticism of the Jewish State and possibly unveil new policies that would be less favorable to Israel, which receives billions of dollars in U.S. aid each year.

A major Israeli newspaper showed a caricature of Mr. Obama wearing a Palestinian head scarf, indicating the belief among some Israelis that Obama favors the Palestinians.

Mr. Obama said the bond between Israel and the United States is unshakable. Some analysts say there is reason for Israel not to expect any major changes on the part of its traditional ally and supporter.

Period of reconciliation?

An Israeli government statement said Israel hopes President Obama's speech will help usher in a new period of reconciliation in the Middle East.

Political Science Professor Abraham Diskin of Hebrew University in Jerusalem says he is not optimistic Mr. Obama's strategy of softening the U.S. image to the Muslim world will bring peace.

"There is no question that Mr. obama is a great person, a bright person, a great speaker, and a person who definitely appears - and I believe truthfully - as someone who believes in a vision," he said. "I am afraid that the result of the speech today, unfortunately, is going to be at the end of the road, more violence. Too many times, when people like Obama came with such a vision, it was understood as weakness."

New attitude

While the speech contained no surprises in terms of U.S. policy on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it did signal what many here see as a new attitude by the United States.

This U.S. president has taken on the Middle East peace process early on in his term, unlike some of his predecessors who have stepped up pressure only at the end of their tenures.

Many here perceive this as a sign the new administration is placing a higher-than-usual priority on resolving the conflict. With that hope comes the expectation that words will be translated into actions.

Obama to Meet Leaders of Pakistan, Afghanistan on Insurgency

U.S. President Barack Obama will meet Wednesday with the presidents of Pakistan and Afghanistan in what U.S. officials call an effort to get them to work more closely together to fight extremist insurgents.

Mr. Obama is due to meet separately at the White House with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, and then the three leaders will hold joint talks.

On Tuesday, ahead of the meeting, Mr. Zardari said his government is safe and the country's nuclear arsenal is in secure hands.

Mr. Zardari told a U.S. television network Tuesday that the Taliban insurgency does not pose a threat to his government, only to his security. He called it another chapter in the country's long-running tribal and ethnic conflicts.

President Karzai, meanwhile, has expressed concern about civilian casualties in U.S.-led military strikes in Afghanistan.

Earlier Tuesday, the special U.S. envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, said Washington does not believe Pakistan is a "failed state" even though it is dealing with enormous social, political and economic pressures.

Holbrooke told the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee that Taliban advances have sparked a sense of panic in Pakistan and the United States, but that Washington is committed to supporting and stabilizing Islamabad.

The veteran diplomat appealed to Congress to approve pending legislation to provide Pakistan with billions of dollars in military and non-military aid.

That proposed bill would give military aid, military education training and hundreds of millions of dollars to strengthen Pakistan's democratic institutions, judiciary, law enforcement agencies and the educational system.

Holbrooke also dismissed media reports suggesting the Obama administration is distancing itself from the Zardari government in favor of political rival and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

(VOA)