The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Barack Obama

  • Syria warns U.S.: No unilateral airstrikes

    Syria warns U.S.: No unilateral airstrikes

    While offering to assist any international effort to fight Islamic State militants, Syria’s foreign minister warned the U.S. Monday not to conduct airstrikes against the group inside Syria without Damascus’ consent, saying any such attack would be considered an aggression.

    Walid al-Moallem’s words appeared timed to try to pre-empt any U.S. military action in Syria.

    President Barack Obama has resisted ordering U.S. military action in Syria for three years, even after a deadly chemical weapons attack a year ago near Damascus he blamed on President Bashar Assad’s government.

    But now, Obama faces pressure from his own military leaders to go after the Islamic State group inside Syria.

    Obama remains wary, however, of getting dragged into the bloody and complex Syrian civil war that the United Nations says has killed more than 190,000 people.

    Al-Moallem’s remarks at a news conference in Damascus also marked the first public comments by a senior Assad official on the threat posed by the Islamic State group, which has captured large swaths of Iraqi and Syrian territory.

    The foreign minister said the Syrian government repeatedly has warned of the threat of terrorism and the need to cut off resources and funding but “no one listened to us.” Syria’s government has long described the rebels fighting to topple Assad as “terrorists” in a foreign conspiracy.

    There is not much Syria can do, however, if the U.S. does decide to strike. U.S. officials revealed last week that U.S. forces had tried to rescue U.S. journalist James Foley in a failed operation in Raqqa in July.”

    Had there been prior coordination that operation would not have failed,” al-Moallem said.The minister also denounced “in the strongest terms possible” Foley’s killing last week by Islamic State militants, while asking:

    “Has the West ever condemned the massacres by the Islamic State and Nusra against our armed forces or citizens?”

  • Owner gets stolen life-size statue of Obama back

    Owner gets stolen life-size statue of Obama back

    POLICE have returned a life-size statue of President Barack Obama that went missing from its owner’s northeastern Pennsylvania porch and was found a few days later reclining on a nearby park bench with a six-pack of Twisted Tea.

    The owner, Tiffany Bruce, says she was relieved to get it back.

    The statue, purchased at a furniture store last year, depicts Obama smiling and sitting casually, his legs crossed and his right arm flung out. Bruce decorated the statue as Santa Claus on Christmas and arranged pumpkins around him on Thanksgiving.

    She says her five children love the statue, and she was startled enough by the theft to be hospitalised for a panic attack. The furniture store’s employees had been planning to replace it with another statue for free.

  • U.S.-Africa summit: beyond the fanfare

    U.S.-Africa summit: beyond the fanfare

    On the African side, no amount of money from the United States will bring development to most African countries if the right thing is not done at the right time

    Just about a week ago, a momentous event took place in Washington. President Barack Obama invited African leaders (short of a few sit-tight dictators out of many on the continent) to discuss with him and his staff the opportunities waiting to be tapped in relation to increasing trade and investment between the United States and Africa. The event was filled with pomp and ceremony. Now that African leaders have returned to their base, it is advisable that both sides of the summit—the U.S. and Africa—come to terms with why trade and investment has been abysmally low, compared to what the situation is between China and Africa.

    Though the United States did not participate in colonisation of Africa (despite the special relationship between Washington and Monrovia since President Monroe settled some enslaved Africans in Monrovia), America has largely followed the model established by the two major countries that colonised Africa: Britain and France, with respect to stimulating trade and investment between the U.S. and Africa in the years following the decade of decolonisation in the 1960s.

    Instead of taking the business risk of trading with and investing in African countries, it imitated Britain and France in taking the model of giving aid to Africa. It, like Britain and France and later Portugal, got into the tradition of giving aid to cover all manners of issues in the continent:  population control, food and nutrition, partial democratisation, etc. Most of these efforts first went to African governments during the era of big governments and government doing business and later to non-governmental organisations. Giving aid to Africa instead of trading with the continent has not worked, according to someone who should know, World Bank loan expert in Africa, Robert Calderisi in his book, The Trouble with Africa: Why Foreign Aid Isn’t Working (2006). It is noteworthy that the United States has finally come to terms with the fears of Calderisi.

    It is also good news that the United States has chosen to take notice of China’s aggressive trade and investment in Africa. Pledging to respond positively to what President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden consider encouraging stories from Africa: good growth rate, a very young population, and promise of consolidation of democracy in many countries on the continent, the Obama administration has reasons to shift from the tradition of aid to trade in Africa. While a summit with the theme: “Investing in the Next Generation” shows optimism on the part of the United States, there is need for realistic thinking that separates the promise of commitment to democracy and the rule of law by many African leaders for the reality on the ground in many parts of the continent.

    Without doubt, both sides have more home work to do after the elaborate celebration of good intentions in Washington. On the African side, no amount of money from the United States will bring development to most African countries if the right thing is not done at the right time. Proper infrastructure (good roads, regular supply of electricity, functioning rail transportation, and reliable aviation sector for moving goods and services) is a sine qua non if the over $14 billion dollars in investment for the continent is to lead to any progress. Africa had received much more than this in aid over the years, without having anything to show for it. $14 billion dollars looks like a lot of money, but in reality, it is not much for a continent of Africa’s size and population, more so, if it ends up being thrown into an environment of chaotic transportation, lack of security for citizens and foreigners, mounting corruption fuelled by a culture of impunity.

    In addition, no amount of investment dollar by itself can bring progress if African governments are not committed and prepared to make themselves to be seen to be genuinely committed to sustaining democracy, particularly free, fair, and transparent elections in non-threatening atmosphere. The problem of poor record of rule of law and independent judiciary in many African countries cannot be divorced from lack of free and fair elections and readiness of elected officials to respect the sovereignty of the people. It is such commitment to the culture of transparency, accountability, and respect of the citizenry that makes political leaders in functioning democracies to aspire to provide good governance.

    When government leaders rig themselves directly or indirectly into office, they are not likely to support or encourage independent judiciary and the rule of law. Committing to reforming the way business is done in many African countries without reforming the way elections are conducted may not be enough for creating an enabling environment for good use of new or additional investment from the United States. Generally, businesses are about making profit. American business in Africa will not be an exception, and there may be no profit for such business in an atmosphere of corruption, insecurity, and political instability.

    On the American side, there is a need for investors to influence their government to separate the grain from the chaff, with respect to African leaders promising in the most mendacious of tongues good governance and free and fair election. Just as Calderisi has said in his book referred to earlier, the United States must insist on proper internationally-supervised elections in many of the countries that are basically in transition to democracy. Countries that are not ready to play by the rules should be de-listed from the group of countries to receive foreign investment. African leaders that have no respect for their citizens are more likely to waste such investments as they will be unable to empower their citizens to become consumers of goods and services.

    The United States needs to pay attention to the kind of subtle racism that has prevented it from recognizing the need to trade with Africa over the years well ahead of China, despite the fact that many of the African countries speak the same language as the United States. But the U.S. must avoid copying the China model of trading with any country regardless of human rights record and level of commitment of its leaders to genuine democracy.

    The just concluded summit and the commitment on both sides to increase trade and investment for mutual benefit must give the United States and Africa an opportunity to pay new attention to Africans in Diaspora in the United States. There are thousands of Africans with good American education and training and with rich experience of the culture of rule of law and understanding of American business practices that can be used to add value to the new business between the two blocks. Africans in Diaspora have the added advantage of bi-cultural fluency that is needed to understand the nuances of business practice in both continents.

    In short, America and Africa need to pay attention to President Obama’s statement: “Our message to those who would derail the democratic process is clear and unequivocal: the United States will not stand by when actors threaten legitimately elected government or manipulate the fairness and integrity of democratic processes….” (U.S. Strategy toward Sub-Saharan Africa) and to President Jonathan’s assurance that the era of election manipulation is over and his assurance to African Diaspora: “We will continue to engage your services and expertise when we can.”

  • U.S court deals setback to Obamacare

    U.S court deals setback to Obamacare

    A US appeals court has thrown out a federal regulation implementing key subsidies of President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare law.

    It means that participants in health exchanges run by the federal government in 34 states are not eligible for help.

    The ruling deals a setback to so-called Obamacare, jeopardising health insurance for four million low and middle-income people.

    The White House said it is confident in its legal position on subsidies.

    Several hours after the decision was handed down, a US appeals court for a different jurisdiction issued a ruling in a similar lawsuit upholding the subsidy programme.

    The two contradictory decisions are open to multiple avenues of appeal, so nothing will change immediately.

    “Our ruling will likely have significant consequences both for millions of individuals receiving tax credits through federal exchanges and for health insurance markets more broadly,” Senior Circuit Judge Raymond Randolph in his majority opinion ruling against the Obama administration’s position.

    There’s no disputing the ruling in the District of Columbia Circuit case is a significant political development, as it gives validity and momentum to what had previously been considered to be a longshot conservative case against the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.

    It is by no means the last word on the matter, however. The Obama administration will almost certainly request that the three-judge panel’s ruling be reconsidered by the entire 11-judge DC Circuit Court this autumn.

    Once the appellate court judges decide, the losing party will then ask the US Supreme Court to issue a final ruling, possibly allowing the conservative majority on the high court to strike another blow to Barack Obama’s signature legislative achievement.

    The IRS is said to have dispensed billions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies through federal healthcare exchanges, or marketplaces.

     

  • Obama: what’re pro-Russian rebels trying to hide?

    Obama: what’re pro-Russian rebels trying to hide?

    President Barack Obama has said Russia must use “its extraordinary influence” over pro-Russian separatists to ensure investigators can access the MH17 crash site.

    All 298 people on board flight MH17 died when it crashed over the rebel-held area on July 17. The U.S. and other nations said there was growing evidence of Russian complicity in the crash.

    In a statement, Obama said separatists were removing evidence from the crash site, asking “what exactly are they trying to hide?”

    He added that in some cases bodies have been removed from the scene by separatists without due respect. “It’s the kind of behavior that has no place in the community of nations,” Mr. Obama said.

    American officials have said that their intelligence shows that the Boeing 777-200 was taken down on Thursday by an SA-11 surface-to-air missile supplied by Russia to separatists. Such a weapon could not be used without extensive training and assistance, the officials have said.

    The standoff over the crash site has reinforced American suspicions that Russians played a direct role in assisting separatists who fired the missile or perhaps pulled the trigger themselves.

    “Our immediate focus is on recovering those who were lost, investigating exactly what happened and putting forward the facts,” Mr. Obama said. “We have to make sure the truth is out, that accountability exists.”

    He singled out President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia as responsible for the chaotic situation at the crash scene and said the Kremlin leader would be held accountable for ensuring that separatists open the site to international investigators. “He has direct responsibility to compel them to cooperate with the investigation,” Mr. Obama said. “That is the least that they can do.”

    Mr. Obama, who had imposed a new, tougher round of sanctions on Russia just the day before the plane was brought down, held out the prospect of going further now. “If Russia continues to violate Ukraine’s sovereignty and to back these separatists,” he said, then “Russia will only further isolate itself from the international community and the costs for Russia’s behavior will only continue to increase.”

    The challenge for Mr. Obama will be persuading the Europeans to go along. Until this point, they have not been willing to adopt measures that go as far as the United States has, wary of antagonizing Russia, which provides about 30 percent of Europe’s natural gas. The question is whether the plane tragedy changes that dynamic – and that may become clearer on Tuesday when senior European officials meet to discuss the situation.

    Republicans in Washington said Mr. Obama needs to do more – not just to bring the Europeans along but unilaterally if necessary. Among other suggestions they have made in recent days were to arm and provide more intelligence and training to Ukraine’s security forces, deploy more American military units in Poland, reconstitute missile defense in Eastern Europe, bar Aeroflot flights from American airports and lobby to cancel or boycott the World Cup to be held in Russia in 2018.

    Representative Mike Rogers of Michigan, the Republican chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, credited Mr. Obama for last week’s sanctions but said the plane episode means more should be done. “The longer we let this go, the more mistakes like this that are going to happen and the massacre of more innocent civilians,” Mr. Rogers said on CNN. “That’s why we need to take certain action.”

    Senator Pat Toomey, Republican of Pennsylvania, said Mr. Obama should do more to target Mr. Putin directly. “The president should come and make it clear that this man should be an international pariah,” Mr. Toomey said on MSNBC. “We should have sanctions that go after him personally.”

    Other Republicans were tougher on Mr. Obama. “He’s out to lunch,” Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin said on CNBC. “He is President Nero, fiddling as the world burns.”

    Democrats, unsurprisingly, were more supportive of the president. But even some of them seemed to agree with suggestions that Mr. Obama might want to rethink a schedule that includes a three-day fund-raising trip this week.

     

  • Iraq crisis: U.S. considers talks with Iran

    Iraq crisis: U.S. considers talks with Iran

    Washington is considering direct talks with Iran on the security situation in Iraq, a US official has told the BBC.

    The move comes as US President Barack Obama weighs up options on action to take in Iraq.

    Meanwhile, the US condemned as “horrifying” photos posted online by Sunni militants that appear to show fighters massacring Iraqi soldiers.

    In the scenes, the soldiers are shown being led away and lying in trenches before and after their “execution”.

    The Iraqi military said the pictures were real, but their authenticity has not been independently confirmed.

    The BBC’s Jim Muir, in northern Iraq, says if the photographs are genuine, it would be by far the biggest single atrocity since the time of the American-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.

    Their emergence came as the Iraqi government claimed to have “regained the initiative” against an offensive by Sunni rebels led by ISIS – the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant.

    Extremists captured key cities, including Mosul and Tikrit, last week, but several towns have now been retaken from the rebels.

    However the insurgents captured the northern city of Tal Afar, west of Mosul, overnight after a heavy mortar bombardment.

    While the US and Iran are old adversaries, both have an interest in curbing the growing threat posed by ISIS and both are considering military support to the Iraqi government, says the BBC’s Rajini Vaidyanathan in Washington.

    The US is said to be considering direct discussions with Tehran which could even take place as early as this week.

    The two countries are due to hold the latest round of talks on Iran’s nuclear programme in Vienna.

    Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has said he will consider co-operation if the US takes action in Iraq.

    The USS George HW Bush aircraft carrier is already being deployed to the Gulf, accompanied by two more warships. But Washington says no US troops will be deployed on the ground.

    The US has also announced it is increasing security at its embassy in Baghdad and relocating some staff to safer areas.

     

    Meanwhile, there are reports that more than 130 Iranian Revolutionary Guards are in Iraq to provide training and advice.

  • Iraq conflict escalates

    Iraq conflict escalates

    Sunni militants have seized the northern Iraqi city of Tal Afar, officials and residents say.

    Militants led by ISIS – the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant – captured key cities including Mosul and Tikrit last week, but some towns were retaken.

    Fighting in Tal Afar began on Sunday, with mortar shelling of some districts as militants tried to enter the city.

    Diplomatic contacts on regional security between the US and Iran are unusual, but not unprecedented. There were significant contacts between them in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. Iran was strongly opposed to the Taliban and their jihadist allies in al-Qaeda. So what might the two countries talk about now?

    Iraq’s Prime Minister Nouri Maliki is a close ally of Iran. Objectively, however much it is frustrated with Mr Maliki’s Shia sectarianism, keeping him in power may be seen in Washington as the best of a bad set of options. One hope may be that Tehran might be persuaded to bring some leverage to bear to encourage Maliki to be more inclusive in his politics.

    But the balance now between Washington and Tehran has changed dramatically since Saddam Hussein’s overthrow when the US was in the ascendant. Now it is probably Tehran that holds more of the cards.

    US President Barack Obama is weighing up options on action to take in Iraq.

    The USS George HW Bush aircraft carrier is already being deployed to the Gulf, accompanied by two more warships. But Washington says no US troops will be deployed on the ground.

    Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has said he will consider co-operation if the US takes action in Iraq.

    Tal Afar, which has a mixed Sunni and Shia population, some ethnic Turkmen, lies between Mosul and the border with Syria.

    A Tal Afar resident reached by phone has told the Associated Press news agency that militants in pick-up trucks mounted with machine guns and flying black jihadi banners were roaming the streets as gunfire rang out.

    The UK will not intervene militarily to help Iraq fight Islamist insurgents, William Hague has insisted.

    Asked whether the UK could participate in air strikes, the foreign secretary told the BBC that he “could not be clearer” that this would not happen.

    The US was “more likely to have the assets and capability than the UK” to get involved, he added.

    Mr Hague is to make a statement to Parliament later on Monday on events in Iraq after recent territorial advances by Sunni militants.

    He has also spoken to his counterpart in Iran about the crisis, amid reports that Tehran is considering military support to the Shia-led administration in Iraq, which has come under assault from militants from the Sunni-dominated Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isis).

    The UK, Mr Hague said, was considering how it could provide assistance to the Iraqi government, ranging from humanitarian aid to help refugees to some form of “counter terrorism expertise”.

    Although it was not sensible to “absolutely rule out all things out in all situations”, Mr Hague said that the UK was not contemplating any direct involvement in Iraq.

    “In this situation, today, in Iraq, with what we have seen in recent days, are we looking at a British military intervention? No we are not. I can’t be clearer than that.”

    He added: “The US is more likely to have the assets and capability for any outside intervention than the UK but I stress again that Iraqi security and political leadership is of paramount importance in these circumstances.”

    Mr Hague acknowledged that the government would find it difficult to get Parliament to agree to any military action after it rejected air strikes in Syria last year.

    But he rejected the idea that the vote on Syria meant that Parliament would not vote in favour of military action in different circumstances.

    Mr Hague rejected suggestions that the turmoil in Iraq was a direct legacy of the US-UK led invasion of the country to topple Saddam Hussein in 2003.

    While errors had been made “in the aftermath” of the invasion, he said he did not think it had been a mistake itself for the UK to participate in the invasion.

    “It is entirely possible to say it was the right thing to remove Saddam Hussein but that mistakes were made in the aftermath,” he said.

    On the wider issue of Western intervention in the Middle East, he added: “It is possible to argue that Western intervention makes these problems worse and it is possible to argue that the absence of Western intervention makes these things worse.”

     

  • ‘Obama getting regular briefing on girls’

    ‘Obama getting regular briefing on girls’

    The White House said yesterday the United States is doing what it can to help find and free nearly 300 Nigerian girls kidnapped by Islamic extremists.

    White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters on Monday the U.S. assistance includes counterterrorism support and logistics to Nigerian investigators. Carney is calling the April 15 mass abduction from a school “an outrage and a tragedy”.

    The leader of Islamist extremist organisation, Boko Haram, says he’s keeping the girls as slaves and threating to sell them. Carney called Boko Haram a group of terrorists with “heinous and malicious intent”.

    Carney says President Barack Obama is receiving regular updates from national security advisers who are closely monitoring the situation.

     

  • How not to play politics

    How not to play politics

    In May 2013 when a US state under the control of the Republican Party was hit by deadly tornado, politics of division and exclusiveness was shoved aside by the stakeholders to bring succour to the people who had been bereaved, injured and rendered homeless. Democratic Party President Barack Obama who was far away from the scene promptly ordered massive federal support.

    A president who is often embroiled in a struggle with the Republicans over their disdain for expansive federal agencies, Obama nevertheless went to Oklahoma State under the Republican Governor Mary Fallin, who only the year before described the Obama administration as pursuing “failed policies”.

    She declared: “In Oklahoma, we could teach Washington a lesson or two about fiscal policy and the size and the proper role of government,” adding that the Democrats were having a record of “dysfunction and outrageous spending”.

    But that was all politics, unfit for realistic governance in the face of a situation that required the two politicians to govern and not to play politics at the expense of the welfare of the people. To be sure, they did eventually come together as two statesmen elected not to massage their egos but to submit themselves to service to the people.

    That I think was the point the ex-governor of Abia State Dr Orji Uzor Kalu was making the other day when he called on Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State in Ibadan. Noticing the monumental progress that Oyo State has witnessed under the administration of Ajimobi since his advent in 2011, Kalu warned the politicians in the area not to allow divisive politics to rubbish these great advances.

    He commended Governor Ajimobi’s administration for its developmental strides across the state adding, “I am convinced that you (Ajimobi) have done very well and I give a very high mark. I have been in Ibadan before and I can see the development that has taken place. We have seen a lot of change… If Governor Ajimobi wins (again) in future election, he should be supported.”

    It is clear that what the ex-governor of Abia is preaching has to do with doctrine of how not to play barren politics with governance. But for politics not to be barren and make nonsense of the mandate of the electorate, the interest of the society must be reckoned with. So, if there is a performing government in place as it is with the Ajimobi administration in Kalu’s well considered verdict, all of society in Oyo State should rally around the governor in support and loyalty, regardless of party affiliation.

    Right-thinking Nigerians would find it easy to align with Kalu’s position, since he pins it on the need to “ensure the enthronement of an egalitarian society and ensure development” as he put it when he spoke with Governor Ajimobi. In other words if the citizens of Oyo state truly want a progressive and stable environment the ball is in their court to cooperate with their governor and his administration. They should seek to constitutionally perpetuate a system that is fostering peace, progress and development and refuse to be swayed by ethnicity and divisive politics. Truly, Oyo State has seen breathless changes lately. This development is assuming a spirit that is taking the citizens where they ought to be rather than where the poverty and visionless path of the past was herding them. There is no partisanship in the delivery of the good things of life to the people. It would patently be unpatriotic for politicians to confuse the people about politicking and governance. The former is manipulative, blinding the masses with the idea of government as exclusive political machinery aloof from the people. But the latter is the collective administration of society that seeks the welfare of the people who put the representative government in power.

    We must draw the line and let the people know that real test for a public office holder lies in performance not in his ability to play politics. In Oyo State, the people are recognizing for the first time in more that decade that if you have a disciplined and a forward-looking administration, it can be trusted with the taxpayers money to initiate projects that benefit the larger society and not a few.

    Today the citizens of the state are wondering where the funds came from for the construction of new roads, the rehabilitation of long abandoned water works, the provision of brand new buses for free transportation of workers and student, the cleanup of Ibadan, the prompt payment of workers and retired civil servants’ entitlements etc. The money was always there; it was only waiting for a good husbandman with a disciplined profile.

    • Olaopa is a retired civil servant in Saki, Oyo State.

     

  • U.S. and Philippines begin annual military exercises

    U.S. and Philippines begin annual military exercises

    About 5,500 troops from the United States and the Philippines have begun a military exercise, amid tensions between Manila and China.

    The drills, called Balikatan (Shoulder to Shoulder), take place every year.

    These exercises come a week after a military pact to increase the US troop presence in the country was signed.

    Visiting Manila last week, US President Barack Obama pledged “ironclad” backing for the Philippines, which is engaged in a maritime dispute with China.

    The two countries have competing claims over a number of islands and shoals in the South China Sea, such as Second Thomas Shoal and Scarborough Shoal.

    The South East Asian nation has asked a United Nations arbitration tribunal to rule on the issue.

    At Balikatan’s opening ceremony, Filipino Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said it was necessary to deal with “aggressive” neighbours intent on “changing the status quo”, without mentioning China.

    He said the 10-day drills would focus on maritime capabilities. They would also include live-fire and maritime surveillance exercises, the Philippine military said.

    Its public affairs office chief, Ramon Zagala, however, sought to play down Balikatan’s significance, saying it was “not related to any current situation”.

    Instead, it was aimed at improving “tactical-level military proficiency” and enhancing US-Filipino co-operation, he said. The military exercise would also focus on humanitarian assistance and disaster response.

    Military personnel from both countries will offer free medical, dental and veterinary care in Legazpi City, and build and repair infrastructure such as schools in Bicol.

    As tensions with China have grown, the US and the Philippines have moved to increase co-operation.

    Last week, Washington and Manila signed a deal allowing US troops better access to military bases, ports and airfields.

    This exercise comes amid reports China has sent more ships to an area disputed with the Philippines.

    Over the weekend, Philippine media reported the sighting of more Chinese vessels near Second Thomas Shoal, as the Philippine military air-dropped provisions to its troops stationed on a rusting vessel beached there.

    Meanwhile, Vietnam has protested against a plan by China to move its first deep-water drilling rig into an area which Vietnam claims as its territory.

    China’s maritime safety authority announced on Saturday that the oil rig Haiyang Shiyou 981 would be drilling in an area located 120 nautical miles off the coast of Vietnam until 15 August.

    It prohibited ships from entering within one mile of the rig.

    On Sunday, Vietnam’s foreign ministry spokesman Le Hai Binh insisted that this area belonged to them.

    Any activity by foreign countries conducted in Vietnam’s waters without its permission would be considered “illegal and worthless” and would be “resolutely opposed” by Vietnam’s government, he said.

    State oil and gas group PetroVietnam also sent a letter of objection to China’s state-run oil company CNOOC, demanding they immediately pull out the rig.

    In response, China yesterday expanded the prohibited area to three miles.