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Tag: Mike Pompeo

  • US revokes visa for ICC chief prosecutor

    The U.S. has revoked an entry visa for Fatou Bensouda, the International Criminal Court’s Chief Prosecutor.

    The office of the prosecutor confirmed the information to dpa on Friday.

    The U.S. wants to prevent the court from opening an investigation into alleged crimes by U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan.

    Bensouda can still travel to New York when she has to report to the United Nations Security Council, the spokesperson said, adding that the prosecutor’s work will continue despite the visa issue.

    Bensouda had requested judicial approval for an official investigation, saying there is sufficient evidence of war crimes and proof that U.S. soldiers and CIA employees tortured or brutally handled prisoners in 2003 and 2004.

    U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had already threatened to revoke entry visas for employees of the court.

    The U.S. is not a signatory to the statute governing the International Criminal Court and has rejected the judicial body’s legitimacy for years.

    The International Criminal Court prosecutes war crimes and crimes against humanity.

    It is based on the Rome Statute, which entered into force in 2002.

    A total of 122 countries signed the statue, including all EU member states.

  • US unveils new restrictions on foreign aid for abortions

    The U.S. will further clamp down on the use of foreign aid for non-governmental organisations that support abortions or work with groups that help women access the medical service, an official said.

    The U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, on Tuesday said this as he announced new limitations on the use of federal government funds in Washington.

    “We can continue to meet our critical global health goals… while refusing to subsidize the killing of unborn babies,” Pompeo said.

    He said the new measures would include “strict prohibition on back door schemes” meant to help funnel money to organisations working on women’s health and that support abortions.

    Pompeo is a Christian conservative and has been facing lobbying by right-wing groups on the abortion issue in Latin America.

    U.S. President Donald Trump, upon taking office, reversed regulations that were in place during the Obama administration to reimpose the so-called Mexico City Policy, which prohibits organisations receiving U.S. money from even using non-U.S. funding for abortions.

    Critics call the policy the “global gag rule’’ as it not only limits what organisations can do with their own money, but also places restrictions on the types of conversations health care providers can have with patients.

    Human Rights Watch, a lobby group, warned already in 2018 that Trump was applying the rule not only to the tens of millions of dollars the U.S. gives to family planning programmes but to the more than 8 billion dollars the U.S. donates to global health issues.

    Trump has further been criticised at the UN for supporting conservative, non-democratic states, who oppose using the international organisation for gay rights and key women’s health issues.

    US unveils new restrictions on foreign aid for abortions

    The U.S. will further clamp down on the use of foreign aid for non-governmental organisations that support abortions or work with groups that help women access the medical service, an official said.

    The U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, on Tuesday said this as he announced new limitations on the use of federal government funds in Washington.

    “We can continue to meet our critical global health goals… while refusing to subsidize the killing of unborn babies,” Pompeo said.

    He said the new measures would include “strict prohibition on back door schemes” meant to help funnel money to organisations working on women’s health and that support abortions.

    Pompeo is a Christian conservative and has been facing lobbying by right-wing groups on the abortion issue in Latin America.

    U.S. President Donald Trump, upon taking office, reversed regulations that were in place during the Obama administration to reimpose the so-called Mexico City Policy, which prohibits organisations receiving U.S. money from even using non-U.S. funding for abortions.

    Critics call the policy the “global gag rule’’ as it not only limits what organisations can do with their own money, but also places restrictions on the types of conversations health care providers can have with patients.

    Human Rights Watch, a lobby group, warned already in 2018 that Trump was applying the rule not only to the tens of millions of dollars the U.S. gives to family planning programmes but to the more than 8 billion dollars the U.S. donates to global health issues.

    Trump has further been criticised at the UN for supporting conservative, non-democratic states, who oppose using the international organisation for gay rights and key women’s health issues.

  • NNPC to woo foreign investors at CERA week, Houston

    The Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr. Maikanti Baru, will on Monday address foreign investors at the CERAWeek, an international energy conference taking place in Houston, United States.

    Baru, who will speak during a Special Session entitled “Africa: Foundations for New Investment” will be joined by some African petroleum ministers, heads of National Oil Companies (NOCs) and other global energy industry leaders.

    He is expected to discuss the abundant investment opportunities in Nigeria’s Oil and Gas Industry, particularly providing meaningful insights into key investment initiatives as they affect the country’s emerging capital projects within the oil, gas, power and the renewable energy sectors.

    In the same vein, Dr. Baru will be among African Oil and Gas industry leaders who will join the US Energy Secretary, Rick Perry, in a private Government-to-Government meeting on trade engagement between the US and African countries.

    Organised by IHS Markit, CERA is a global platform on energy trends and public policy where over 4,000 oil and gas experts convene annually to debate the future of oil, natural gas, renewable energy, power and new technologies.

    The 2019 edition has the theme: “New World of Rivalries: Reshaping the Energy Future.”

    The year’s edition will also explore other big issues confronting the energy industry, hosting such speakers as U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo; OPEC Secretary General, Mohammed Sanusi Barkindo and the Crown Princess of Denmark, Mary Elizabeth among others.

  • North Korea sanctions remain until complete denuclearization – U.S

    The United States Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, said on Thursday North Korea would not see any economic sanctions lifted until it has demonstrated “complete denuclearization.”

    Mr. Pompeo was speaking at a press conference in Seoul with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts, the BBC reports.

    It comes days after U.S President Donald Trump and North Korea leader, Kim Jong-un held a historic summit in Singapore.

    The leaders signed a statement pledging to establish a new relationship.

    Mr. Kim also reaffirmed its previous promises to work towards the “complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.”

    But there has been deep skepticism about the agreement, with observers saying it lacked detail on how North Korea would give up its nuclear weapons and how that process would be verified.

    Mr. Pompeo travelled from Singapore to South Korea to brief the U.S’s regional allies on the summit, and on Mr. Trump’s surprise announcement that he was ending routine U.S-South Korea military drills.

    He said the summit had marked a “turning point” in the relationship between the U.S and North Korea.

    Mr Pompeo dismissed a report by North Korean state media that indicated the U.S would grant concessions to Pyongyang for gradual progress.

    He said the U.S remained “committed to achieving the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation of North Korea.”

     

  • North Korean official meets U.S Secretary of State in New York

    The right-hand man to North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, has met United States Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, in New York to discuss a historic summit.

    Gen Kim Yong-chol dined with Mr. Pompeo after flying in from China, and the two are due to meet again on Thursday, the BBC reports.

    He is the most senior North Korean to visit the U.S in nearly 20 years.

    U.S President, Donald Trump, cancelled the June 12 summit, but both sides have since made fresh efforts to hold it as planned.

    Scheduled to happen in Singapore, the historic meeting between Mr. Trump and Mr. Kim would be the first between sitting U.S and North Korean leaders.

    On Wednesday evening, Mr. Pompeo and Gen. Kim arrived separately at a building close to the United Nations headquarters.

    Emerging later, Mr. Pompeo tweeted: “Good working dinner with Kim Yong Chol in New York tonight. Steak, corn, and cheese on the menu.”

     

  • U.S vows strongest ever sanctions on Iran

    United States Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, has said Washington is imposing the “strongest sanctions in history” on Iran.

    In a speech in Washington, America’s top diplomat said Iran would be “battling to keep its economy alive” after the sanctions took effect, the BBC reports.

    Mr. Pompeo said he would work closely with the Pentagon and regional allies “to deter any Iranian aggression.”

    Earlier this month, President Donald Trump took the U.S out of the landmark 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

    In his first major foreign policy speech as secretary of state, Mr. Pompeo unveiled the administration’s “Plan B” for countering the Islamic republic on Monday.

    He laid out 12 conditions that Washington would need to be met for any “new deal” with Tehran, including pulling all its forces out of Syria and ending support for rebels in Yemen.

    Mr. Pompeo said relief from sanctions would only come when Washington had seen a real change in Iran’s policies.

    “We will apply unprecedented financial pressure on the Iranian regime,” he said.

    “The leaders in Tehran will have no doubt about our seriousness.

    “Iran will never again have carte blanche to dominate the Middle East.”

    Following President Trump’s decision two weeks ago to withdraw the U.S from the Obama-era Iran nuclear deal, the U.S Treasury said economic sanctions would not be re-imposed on Tehran immediately, but would be subject to three-month and six-month wind-down periods.

  • Pompeo calls Buhari, reaffirms Nigeria-U.S relations

    United States Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, called President Muhamadu Buhari and reaffirmed the longstanding relationship between America and Nigeria, the U.S Department of State said.

    The Spokesperson for the Department, Ms Heather Nauert, said Pompeo, during the call, also underscored Buhari’s visit to the U.S on April 30, and recognised Nigeria’s leadership in Africa.

    Nauert said: “On May 17, Secretary Pompeo called Nigerian President Buhari.

    “The Secretary noted the longstanding relationship between the Nigerian and American people and underscored the themes of the April 30 official working visit of President Buhari to the White House.

    “He recognized Nigerian leadership across the African continent on priorities we share: countering terrorism and other threats to peace and security, creating economic opportunity, fighting corruption, and advancing democracy and stability.

    “The Secretary welcomed continued cooperation in advancing our nations’ mutual prosperity.”

    NAN

     

  • Trump’s gambit Iran: World awaits decision on nuclear deal

    “Insane,” “ridiculous,” “worst deal ever” are some of the descriptions used by US President Donald Trump for the Iran nuclear agreement, which he has bitterly opposed since early in his campaign for the White House.

    The world will soon find out whether Trump’s rants about the 2015 deal will produce a concrete shift in US diplomacy, regarding one of the most important foreign policy issues of his presidency.

    Trump officially has until Saturday to decide whether to reintroduce US sanctions on Iran, which among other things could spell an end to the accord.

    But he has said he will announce his decision at 2.00 p.m. ( 1800 GMT ) on Tuesday.

    In January, Trump renewed waivers for US sanctions on Iran but warned that it was the last time he would do so unless several “disastrous flaws” in the agreement were addressed.

    His ultimatum triggered a 120-day period that ends this weekend.

    There is a growing consensus in the United States that his decision will effectively pull the US out of the deal, and that prospect has been accompanied by a range of speculation over what comes next.

    French President, Emmanuel Macron, said he didn’t know what Trump would decide.

    But after several meetings with the president over a three-day state visit recently he said: “My view is that he will get rid of this deal on his own for domestic reasons’’.

    “The president campaigned on getting out of the deal and I think that he’s going to do so,’’ Lieut.-Gen. William G Boykin said on Thursday on Fox News.

    Iranian leaders already have pledged to abandon the deal if the US withdraws.

    But it could remain in the deal with Britain, France and Germany, along with China and Russia, which have expressed their continued support.

    Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has warned that if Trump withdraws, it could risk war.

    Since Trump issued the ultimatum in January, U.S. and European negotiators have met a number of times to address US concerns within and beyond the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action ( JCPOA ), as the deal is formally known.

    The U.S. side has raised four main issues: Iran’s ballistic missile programme, its involvement in regional conflicts, inspection of Iranian nuclear sites and so-called sunset clauses.

    The sunset clauses, which let some restrictions on Iran’s nuclear programme expire, have proved the most difficult of these.

    The U.S. claims that the clauses provide Iran with a pathway to building nuclear weapons over time.

    Trump has pushed the European partners to search for possible compromises.

    Determined to stay in the deal, the bloc has argued that abandoning it would not help address the ballistic weapons issue or Iran’s role in the region.

    “The JCPOA is a non-proliferation agreement.

    “Other issues of concern are addressed separately,’’ a senior EU official said on condition of anonymity.

    “If the deal falls apart, you would not be in any better position to tackle these issues.’’

    Furthermore, the deal is doing what it is supposed to do, by curbing Iran’s nuclear activities, the official noted.

    If the agreement falls apart and there’s no substitute, he said, it would “probably trigger a nuclear arms race in the region.’’

    The dramatic developments on the Korean Peninsula may also influence Trump’s thinking on the nuclear deal.

    Pulling out of the JCPOA could erode the trust he’s tried to build in the effort to denuclearise the Korean Peninsula, ahead of a planned meeting with the North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un; or it could send a strong message to Pyongyang that Trump is prepared to deliver on his threats.

    Domestic politics could likewise have a role to play, as Trump could be thinking about fulfilling a campaign promise ahead of the November mid-term elections to boost his Republican Party’s chances of maintaining its majority in Congress.

    In recent weeks, Trump has manoeuvred aggressively.

    Read Also: U.S. Ambassador to UN disapproves of Trump’s “communication style”

    He has changed his secretary of state, switching the moderate Rex Tillerson for the more hawkish Mike Pompeo, a fierce critic of the Iran deal.

    He has also brought in John Bolton, a foreign policy hawk, as his national security adviser.

    Pompeo met Israeli President, Benjamin Netanyahu, on his first foreign trip after taking office, stressing that if the Iran nuclear deal cannot be fixed, Trump will withdraw.

    The “full array of threats,’’ including Iran’s missile systems and support for militant groups in Syria, Lebanon and Yemen must be addressed as part of a revised agreement, he said.

    Pompeo also said documents that Netanyahu revealed April 30 show that Iran had a secret nuclear weapons programme for years and lied about it.

    “What this means is the deal was not constructed on a foundation of good faith or transparency,’’ Pompeo said.

    NAN

  • Trump’s CIA nominee sought to withdraw over interrogation role – Sources

    President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the CIA, Gina Haspel, sought to withdraw over concerns about her role in the agency’s interrogation program, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Sunday.

    Sources said Haspel’s offer to withdraw on Friday was prompted by growing concern among her supporters that White House staff was becoming nervous that the nomination was in trouble.

    The Washington Post first reported her offer to withdraw.

    Haspel was summoned to the White House on Friday for a meeting to discuss her history in the interrogation programme that employed techniques, including waterboarding, widely condemned as torture, the Post reported, citing four unidentified senior U.S. officials.

    She told the White House she would step aside to avoid a brutal Senate Intelligence Committee confirmation hearing on Wednesday that might damage the CIA, the officials told the Post.

    She then returned to agency headquarters in Langley, Virginia.

    White House aides including legislative affairs liaison Marc Short and spokeswoman Sarah Sanders then rushed to Langley for discussions on Friday that lasted several hours but did not secure a commitment from her to stick with the nomination, the paper said.

    Only on Saturday afternoon was the White House assured she would not withdraw, the Post quoted the officials as saying.

    Read Also: Trump’s re-election campaign raises $10m so far in 2018

    “Acting Director Haspel is a highly qualified nominee who has dedicated over three decades of service to her country,” White House spokesman Raj Shah said in response to a request for White House comment.

    “Her nomination will not be derailed by partisan critics who side with the American Civil Liberties Union, a rights organisation over the CIA on how to keep the American people safe,” he added.

    Trump named Haspel, the first woman tapped to head the Central Intelligence Agency, to succeed Mike Pompeo, who became secretary of state in April.

    Haspel’s nomination has encountered opposition over her role in a defunct program in which the agency detained and interrogated al Qaeda suspects in secret prisons overseas using techniques widely condemned as torture.

    Former President George W. Bush authorized the Rendition, Detention and Interrogation Programme after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

    Many details of Haspel’s work remain classified. Sources familiar with her career who requested anonymity said that at one point she was the chief of the CIA station in a country where harsh interrogations were used on at least one terrorism suspect.

    Later, she served as chief of staff to Jose Rodriguez, the head of CIA undercover operations.

    In consultation with Rodriguez in 2005, Haspel drafted a cable ordering CIA officers to destroy videotapes of al Qaeda suspects being tortured.

    Haspel’s supporters argue that while she drafted the cable, Rodriguez sent it without the approval of CIA Director Porter Goss and without informing Haspel that he would do so.

    The destruction of the tapes is a key issue for Senate critics of Haspel, who complain that public agency disclosures regarding its interrogation programs have been inadequate.

    NAN

  • Iran nuclear deal built on lies – U.S

    United States Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, said a landmark nuclear deal with Iran was “built on lies,” after Israel claimed to have proof of a secret Iranian nuclear weapons programme.

    Mr. Pompeo said documents revealed by Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, were authentic.

    Analysts said they show nothing new, highlighting that concerns over Iran’s nuclear ambitions led to the deal, the BBC reports.

    U.S President, Donald Trump, who opposed the accord, has until May 12 to decide whether to abandon it or not.

    Other Western powers, including signatories Britain and France, said Iran has been abiding by the deal and it should be kept.

    Mr. Netanyahu on Monday accused Iran of conducting a secret nuclear weapons programme, dubbed Project Amad, and said it had continued to pursue nuclear weapons knowledge after the project was shuttered in 2003.

    That followed the revelation in 2002 by an exiled Iranian opposition group that Iran was constructing secret nuclear sites in breach of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, of which Iran was a signatory.

    Mr. Netanyahu presented what he said was evidence of thousands of “secret nuclear files” that showed Iran had lied about its nuclear ambitions before the landmark deal was signed in 2015.

    Tension between the long-standing enemies has grown steadily since Iran built up its military presence in Syria, which lies to the north-east of Israel.