Cambodia Readies Security Measures for ASEAN Summit
A week away from the 21 Summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), Cambodia is giving special attention to security for the heads of state who have confirmed their attendance at the event.
Thousands of soldiers, police agents and bodyguards have been trained at Diamond Island in this capital, to strengthen their capacities, as reported by Gen. Ya Kim Y, who commands the armed forces for the municipality.
Besides the 10 heads of state for the bloc, the U.S. President, Barack Obama, the Prime Minister of China, Wen Jiabao, and of Japan, Yoshihiko Noda, and likely the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, are all expected to attend, reported an official spokesman.
Such extra-regional attendance confirms the importance given to Asean, included in the continent with the most dynamic economy in the Pacific, just a few days after the holding of the Asia-Europe Summit in Laos.
About 1,600 reporters from all over the world have registered so far, without taking into account those who will accompany the delegations.
The most urgent topics for the bloc in the meeting’s agenda, include steps toward the creation of a community in 2015, the East Sea dispute, and the interest of states beyond strictly Southeast Asia.
Cambodia is hosting the Asean Summit for the last time, because it will pass its annual rotating presidency to Brunei, another member of the group along with Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
CIA Director Petraeus Resigns Over Extramarital Affair
The director of the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Gen. David Petraeus, resigned Friday, citing an extramarital affair.
In his resignation letter dated Nov. 9, Petraeus said he went to the White House on Thursday afternoon and asked President Barack Obama to be allowed to resign, saying he “showed extremely poor judgment by engaging in an extramarital affair,” US media reported.
Obama accepted the resignation.
Petraeus took over as head of the CIA on Sept. 6, 2011. Prior to becoming CIA director, Petraeus was a four-star general in the US Army. He also served as the top US commander in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Mike Morrell, the deputy CIA director and a longtime CIA officer, will likely be offered the job as acting director, multiple sources told NBC News.
Putin Reshuffles Top Military Circle
Russian President Vladimir Putin made a reshuffle in the country’s top military circle following the dismissal of defense minister Anatoly Serdyukov, the Kremlin said Friday.
Putin relieved the chief of the armed forces General Staff Nikolai Makarov and the first deputy defense minister Alexander Sukhorukov of their duties, the Kremlin press service reported.
He appointed Commander of the Central Military District Valery Gerasimov as the new Chief of General Staff and Commander of the Western Military District Arkaly Bakhin as the first deputy defense minister.
Gerasimov, 57, also assumed a post of first deputy defense minister.
“One of our priority tasks is to rearm army and fleet,” Putin told the new Chief of General Staff during a meeting along with the new defense head Sergei Shoigu.
“Science and technology in this sector develop fast, and new means of warfare are emerging all the time. Of course we must orient ourselves toward prospective means, but at the same time a degree of stability is also essential,” Putin said.
Meanwhile, Putin promoted Commander of the Air Space Forces, 55-year-old Oleg Ostapenko to the position of deputy defense minister and relieved several dozens of Serdyukov’s advisors off their duties.
Serdyukov was fired Wednesday amidst a corruption scandal in a company affiliated with the ministry. The Governor of the Moscow region Shoigu was appointed as the new defense head. Prior to becoming a governor in May, Shoigu worked as a minister of emergency situations.
Local media reported the 50-year-old Serdyukov was accused of state funds embezzlement and nepotism. In order to create objective conditions for investigation, Putin made the decision to sack Serdyukov, officials said.
Following the dismissal, the independent Investigative Committee said Serdyukov would be questioned over the embezzlement allegations.
Investigators were probing the Oboronservice company as part of a criminal inquiry on public assets fraud and possible misappropriation, said the committee.
Via PL