DENPASAR Indonesia — There is a double set of expectations in Bali this week, where about 15,000 are expected to converge Monday for the 13th meeting of the parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The meeting begins on Monday and runs through Dec. 14. In the wake of terrorist attacks in recent years, local residents hope that the 12-day conference signals to tourists worldwide that the island is a safe vacation destination. Meanwhile, the movers and shakers of the world’s environmental lobby hope it will pave the way for negotiations toward a new, binding deal to [...]
THE EU TESTS ITS LEVERAGE — Piero Fassino, the European Union’s new special envoy for Myanmar, a.k.a. Burma, is likely to have an uphill battle to persuade that country’s neighbors to go along with new EU sanctions against the Burmese regime. Last week, the European Union drew up a list of sanctions specifically targeting Burma’s ruling junta, including blocking their exports of Burmese gems — a key source of revenue for the leadership — plus a Europe-wide travel ban, and curtailment of other trade. The aim is to pressure the junta to improve on the so far modest concessions made [...]
The early-November visit to Azerbaijan of the newly elected President of Turkey, Abdullah Gul, highlighted the strategic importance of the Turkey-Azerbaijan relationship and the two countries’ common economic and security interests. As such, it attracted much attention in the Azerbaijani media, where analysts happily noted that Azerbaijan was the first country visited by the Turkish leader since he assumed his post in July. As Azerbaijaini political scientist Rustam Mammadov suggested in the wake of the trip, Gul’s visit even had implications for the complex political situation unfolding in the Middle East. Speaking to the News – Azerbaijan agency, Mammadov said [...]
