BRITAIN, EUROPE & RUSSIA:

International Herald Tribune, 06 Aug 08, by Katrin Bennhold
France rejects Rwanda's charge of links to '94 genocide
'France dismissed as "unacceptable" on Wednesday a Rwandan report alleging the involvement of top-level French politicians, including former President François Mitterrand and former Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, in the 1994 genocide that killed up to 800,000 people.'

International Herald Tribune, 06 Aug 08, by Judy Dempsey
German Social Democrats in trouble
'It just keeps getting worse for Germany's Social Democrats. As one of Europe's oldest and biggest left-wing parties, it has managed to survive many upheavals, from the times of the Kaiser starting in the 19th century through the Nazi era, the Cold War and, more recently, differences with the United States.'

International Herald Tribune, 04 Aug 08, by Stephen Castle
Two ways of looking at the Lisbon Treaty
'Nice was considered such a failure that, within a year, European leaders called for another effort to streamline the bloc's ramshackle institutions to help the EU play a bigger role on the global stage. The intervening years have seen two attempts to do so, first through a proposed European Constitution, rejected by French and Dutch voters in 2005. Then came the Lisbon Treaty, which the Irish rejected in a referendum in June.'

International Herald Tribune, 05 Aug 08, by Michael Schwirtz
Russians pay tribute to Solzhenitsyn
'Scientists and clergymen, dissidents and government officials - both Soviet and Russian - joined together Tuesday to bid farewell to Alexander Solzhenitsyn, the Russian literary master who died Sunday evening. With his searing prose, Solzhenitsyn sliced into the propaganda of the Soviet Union, helping to alter the consciousness of a whole generation. For this, many braved driving rains in Moscow on Tuesday for a chance to offer final thanks.'

International Herald Tribune, 06 Aug 08, by Elisabetta Povoledo
Italy begins military effort to quell crime
'Soldiers were deployed throughout Italy on Monday to embassies, subway and railway stations, as part of broader government measures to fight violent crime here for which illegal immigrants are broadly blamed.'

International Herald Tribune, 23 Jul 08, by Nicholas Kulish and Graham Bowley
Hiding in plain sight: The double life of Radovan Karadzic
'Radovan Karadzic's foes and supporters alike are marveling at what appeared to be his complete metamorphosis during more than a dozen years in hiding as he tried to escape arrest on accusations of war crimes. As Serbs grappled with the repercussions of his capture and his place as a symbol of crimes carried out in their name, they were also left to sort out the two lives of a single man.'

International Herald Tribune, 22 Jul 08, by John F. Burns
A leader turned ghost
'With his arrest on Monday after more than 12 years on the run, Radovan Karadzic seems virtually certain to face trial in The Hague — and the prospect of life imprisonment — for his role in masterminding massacres that war crimes prosecutors have described, in indictments drawn up against him, as "scenes from hell, written on the darkest pages of history."'

International Herald Tribune, 22 Jul 08, by David Rohde
Karadzic arrest lends credibility to international tribunals
'The arrest of Radovan Karadzic has given credibility to the international war crimes tribunals that have struggled for years to bring fugitives to justice, according to former prosecutors, legal experts and human rights groups. And the arrest has bolstered arguments from tribunal officials that patience, multilateral diplomacy and creativity can make the institutions more effective.'

Christian Science Monitor, 09 Jul 08, by Jonathan Adams
U.S., Russia revert to cold-war rhetoric over missile-defense plan
'Russia says that the proposed US defense shield in Poland and the Czech Republic, an initial agreement for which was inked this week, is targeting Russia, not rogue states.'

RIA Novosti, 09 Jul 08
Russia must punish states hosting U.S. missile shield - analyst
'Russia must use economic and political means, and military ties with Asia, to punish European states that agree to host U.S. missile defense elements, a Russian political analyst said on Wednesday.'

AFP, 10 Jul 08
Rice calls for halt to violence in Georgian separatist zones
'Rice's visit to Georgia came amid increasingly open diplomatic confrontation between the United States and Russia over the status of Abkhazia and the other separatist province, South Ossetia, and over Georgia's desire to join NATO.'

Associated Press, 08 Jul 08
Abkhazia rejects US-proposed international force
'The breakaway Georgian republic of Abkhazia has rejected a U.S. proposal to deploy an international police force there, its leader said Tuesday. The regional government, which is not internationally recognized, instead pledged to keep Russian peacekeepers on the ground, despite Georgia's accusations that they are fomenting tensions.'

The Guardian, 08 Jul 08, by Ian Traynor
France unveils pact on EU-wide immigration
'France yesterday jolted Europe into establishing common policies on immigration, refugees and asylum, unveiling a European immigration pact as its first big EU presidency move and pushing for 27 countries to back it at an EU summit in October.'

International Herald Tribune, 02 Jul 08, by John Vinocur
A Sarkozy spin as France rejoins NATO command
'... Sarkozy, 42 years after Charles de Gaulle's decision to pull out of NATO's integrated military structure, thinks there's no more profit in France being seen as a reflex antagonist of the United States on issues like Iran, the Middle East, Russia and China.'

International Herald Tribune, 02 Jul 08, by Judy Dempsey
Poland's snub of EU is all about local politics
'When President Lech Kaczynski of Poland said Tuesday that it was "pointless" for him to sign off on a new European Union treaty now that the Irish had rejected it, he opened a new chapter in his struggle with the center-right government over Poland's future role in Europe and its relations with the United States.'

International Herald Tribune, 02 Jul 08, by James Kanter
EU tries to ease fears on data-sharing talks with U.S.
'The European Union is under pressure from the United States to make it possible for the American authorities to obtain information about EU citizens - particularly about those who travel to the United States - as part of a fight against terrorism and international crime.'

International Herald Tribune, 02 Jul 08, by Elaine Sciolino
French counterterrorism system under attack
'France prides itself on having the most efficient counterterrorism strategy in Europe. French counterterrorism officials insist that the flexibility of the country's laws and judicial system has been crucial in their ability to respond to the threat of international terrorism and has helped prevent attacks on French soil.'

AFP, 23 Jun 08
Security of US nuclear arms in Europe is not our problem: NATO
'The security of US nuclear arms deployed in Europe is a matter for Washington and the host nation, not for NATO, an alliance official said Monday responding to a report outlining shortfalls. ... Hundreds of US nuclear weapons are held at air bases in six NATO countries, including Belgium, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, along with a total of 200-350 air-launched B-61 bombs, according to non-official US estimates.'

International Herald Tribune, 23 Jun 08, by Judy Dempsey
German parties press U.S. to withdraw nuclear arms
'Germany's Social Democrats, who share power in the governing authority, and opposition parties are calling on the United States to remove all nuclear weapons stored in military bases here after a report found that safety standards at most sites for nuclear weapons in Europe fall well short of Pentagon requirements.'

The Guardian, 23 Jun 08, by Rory McCarthy
Sarkozy urges Israel to share sovereignty over Jerusalem
'The French president, Nicolas Sarkozy told Israel today to share sovereignty over Jerusalem with the Palestinians and to stop building settlements in the occupied territories.'

International Herald Tribune, 16 Jun 08, by Steven Erlanger and Katrin Bennhold
French shifting strategic policy
'In its first new national strategic policy in 14 years, France has decided that its security is best guaranteed within Europe and the NATO alliance, marking a significant shift away from French exceptionalism.'

International Herald Tribune, 11 Jun 08, by Steven Lee Myers and Nicholas Kulish
Merkel backs Bush on Iran sanctions
'... But their news conference here, a day after Bush won general European support for consideration of additional sanctions against Iran, also illustrated the distance between them. While Bush stressed again that "all options are on the table," which would include military force, Merkel chose to emphasize diplomacy and the need to enforce the current sanctions.'

The Telegraph, 10 Jun 08, by Henry Samuel
French navy cut missions due to high fuel costs
'France's cash-strapped navy has decided to cancel three international sea missions due to rocketing petrol prices.'

International Herald Tribune, 11 Jun 08, by Judy Dempsey
Deadlock in Kosovo risks Balkan instability
'Whenever the European Union has sent the police or troops to trouble spots around the world, Russia has never objected. It always wanted a stronger Europe that could serve as a counterweight to the United States and weaken the trans-Atlantic alliance. But on Kosovo, one of the leftover conflicts of the Balkan wars of the 1990s, Russia has turned the tables on the EU.'

International Herald Tribune, 04 Jun 08, by Judy Dempsey
German government backs enhanced surveillance
'Despite strong criticism from the opposition and even its own coalition partners, Chancellor Angela Merkel's government agreed Wednesday to give Germany's police forces greater powers to monitor homes, telephones and private computers, maintaining that an enhanced reach would protect citizens from terrorist attacks.'

BBC News, 05 Jun 08
Brown makes armed forces pledge
'Prime Minister Gordon Brown has promised the government will do "everything in our power" to help members of the armed forces. ... 'His comments come after Army head General Sir Richard Dannatt said more money should be invested to ensure a well-trained and well-motivated force.

See Britain, Europe and Russia archive for past stories.