EDITORIAL

Zepp-LaRouche Strategic Webcast: ‘Ukraine Provocations Staged To Cancel Trump-Putin Summit’

Nov. 29 (EIRNS)—Shortly after U.S. Air Force One took to the air this morning to carry President Donald Trump to Buenos Aires for the Group of 20 Summit, he sent a tweet reading: “Based on the fact that the ships and sailors have not been returned to Ukraine from Russia, I have decided it would be best for all parties concerned to cancel my previously scheduled meeting in Argentina with President Vladimir Putin. I look forward to a meaningful Summit again as soon as this situation is resolved.”

This turn of events was obviously the intention of the Ukrainian provocation all along. Helga Zepp-LaRouche, Chairwoman of the Schiller Institute, commented on this today, just as the news was breaking on Trump’s cancellation of his planned Buenos Aires meeting with Putin. Speaking on her weekly webcast, she further described how war-mongers are demanding military actions against Russia, proposing, for example, there should be a NATO flotilla to the Black Sea; and that the U.S. should send weapons to Ukraine. Plus, there are demands to cut Russia off from the Western financial system, in addition to putting on more sanctions. Zepp-LaRouche said, “Trump said he hopes to have a meaningful summit in Washington, soon. I think that is good, but I can only say: Be on absolutely super-high alert, because this is a very, very dangerous escalation.”

Zepp-LaRouche reported that, “Fortunately, it is obviously clear to many governments in Europe otherwise, that this has the potential of going completely out of control, so most of them said there should be a de-escalation, appealing to both Russia and Ukraine. And one can be sure that this will be a hot issue at the G20 meeting in Buenos Aires.

“But this is an extremely, extremely dangerous situation. [Ukrainian President] Poroshenko, as most people by now know, declared martial law. He wanted it to be for 60 days, but because of the opposition, including from Mrs. [Yulia] Tymoshenko, he could only get [the Verkhovna Rada legislature to agree to] 30 days. But our friend, [Progressive Socialist Party of Ukraine leader] Natalia Vitrenko made a webcast where she said that the danger is that Poroshenko plans to have a dictatorship, and … after 30 days you can announce another 30 days, because that has been the previous pattern in Ukraine.

“So I think we are really at an extremely dangerous point, because if NATO would indeed sent flotillas into the Black Sea, or even the Sea of Azov, as it has been demanded by one of the leading representatives of this [British] Integrity Initiative, Edward Lucas, who said that NATO should send entire flotillas into the Sea of Azov, and others [are] demanding heavy, lethal weapons to be supplied to Ukraine—I mean, this is the stuff out of which World War III could easily be triggered.”

Furthering the danger is the apparatus funded by the British government, called the “Integrity Initiative” which, Zepp-LaRouche reiterated, people should look into. The mainstream media are blacking out coverage of this operation to promote conflict and radical action. She said, “Sputnik did an interview with me about it, but, however, I think it would really deserve much wider attention, and I think in each parliament, there should be a parliamentary investigation. Because there’s big freakout about ‘Russiagate,’ about ‘Russian meddling,’ but here you have, again, a clear-cut case of British meddling. And this apparatus may very well be the same one, or in coordination with the forces which committed the coup, or attempted the coup against President Trump; and I find it extremely interestingthat [Russian Foreign Minister Sergey] Lavrov said that the provocation by Ukraine was done by the same circles which are trying to destroy the Trump Presidency, and that is exactly on the mark.”

On the Buenos Aires G20 summit, now hours from commencing, the great power leaders will be present, but with constraints. Zepp-LaRouche reprised the policy fight. “We have made a campaign from the Schiller Institute, for the last several weeks, where we demanded that what must be put on the agenda is a New Bretton Woods credit system, the Four Laws of Lyndon LaRouche—Glass-Steagall, a national bank, credit system, and a crash program for fusion and space cooperation to increase the productivity of the world economy. I think it is already pre-determined that because of the presence of certain governments, this will absolutely not happen, and because of this sabotage, it is also not going to happen between Trump and Putin, and Trump and Xi Jinping.

“However, … there are many interesting meetings: Trump is meeting with Putin briefly [if this still happens], with Xi Jinping, I think with Shinzo Abe, with Narendra Modi, with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, with Angela Merkel; then there is a three-way meeting, with, I think, Trump, Modi, and Abe—so a lot of interesting developments will come out of it, but it will, for sure not be what is needed, given the fact that the financial crash, is hanging over the world as a Damocles Sword.”

On this front, it is important that this week, leaders from Italy are in Washington, D.C. to talk to lawmakers and policy experts about the necessity for reinstating Glass-Steagall, and linking up with the Belt and Road Initiative development drive. Zepp-LaRouche reported, “I think this is an extremely important trans-Atlantic coordination, where the Italian government—[Italian Undersecretary for Economic Development] Michele Geraci also met with a counterpart of the Trump Administration, Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Jeffrey Gerrish, so in any case, there’s government-to-government connection now, and according to the website of Michele Geraci, what he has been proposing is an EU-U.S. summit to discuss joint development projects in Africa. Now, I don’t know what the response to that was, but I think it’s a wonderful idea, and actually, what we have been proposing for a very long time, and now it’s being proposed on an inter-government level between a pro-Trump government, and a government which is otherwise also pro-China and pro-Russia.”

Zepp-LaRouche committed the Schiller Institute and collaborators to continue to fight. “We will continue our mobilization, because unless there is a complete change in international relations, the danger of a repetition, or even worse than what just happened around Ukraine, is going to be there.”

STRATEGIC WAR DANGER

Zakharova Can’t Rule Out Some ‘Partners’ Were Behind Kerch Strait Provocation

Nov. 29 (EIRNS)—Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova does not rule out that some of Russia’s Western “partners” may have been complicit in the Nov. 25 provocation by Ukrainian warships in the Kerch Strait, according to coverage in TASS, yesterday. “This is a deliberate provocation. I don’t have any doubts that some of our Western partners knew about it or even participated in planning it. This is why all of this is not accidental,” Zakharova told Russia’s Channel One. “The assessments that we hear and the informational campaign underway right now, only prove it,” she said.

Afghan President Has a Team Ready To Hold Peace Talks with the Taliban

Nov. 29 (EIRNS)—Addressing the Nov. 28-29 UN Conference on Afghanistan in Geneva, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said: “I’m pleased to announce today, that after several months of intensive consultation with our citizens across the country, we have formulated a road map for peace negotiations. The constitutional rights and obligations of all citizens, especially women, should be ensured.” He also said his 12-member negotiating team will be led by Presidential Chief of Staff Abdul Salam Rahimi, and will include men and women with the “necessary credentials to deal with the key challenges of peace negotiations,” Al Jazeera reported on Nov. 28.

It is evident that a lot of efforts are now afoot to get a peace process going with the Taliban. U.S. Special Envoy and former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad has met negotiators from two different Taliban groups, including a representative of Mullah Yaqub, the son of the late Taliban founder Mullah Omar. Mullah Yaqub is very high up in the main Taliban faction led by Mawlawi Haibatullah Akhundzada.

U.S. POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC

Trump Says China May Offer a Trade Deal at Buenos Aires, But He May Not Take It

Nov. 29 (EIRNS)—The author of The Art of the Deal, U.S. President Donald Trump, prior to his departure for Argentina to attend the G20 Summit and a scheduled meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, told reporters that he may walk out on a potential trade deal with China, saying he is just not satisfied with what they may be offering, the Washington Examiner reported today. He did not elaborate.

“I think we are very close to doing something with China, but I don’t know that I want to do it,” Trump told reporters at the White House before leaving for the trip. “I will tell you I think China wants to make a deal. I’m open to making a deal. But frankly, l like the deal we have right now,” Trump said.

Meanwhile, the South China Morning Post is reporting the sudden inclusion of Peter Navarro, a vociferous anti-China hawk, on the guest list of the crucial dinner meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping in Buenos Aires on Dec. 1. Earlier, Navarro was not in the team accompanying Trump at the dinner, which includes U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, National Security Adviser John Bolton, Director of the National Economic Council Larry Kudlow, and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

Italian Under Secretary of Economic Development Geraci Brings His Ideas to Washington

Nov. 29 (EIRNS)—Italian Undersecretary of Economic Development Michele Geraci is in the United States, where he is having several meetings with U.S. government officials, members of Congress, and individuals in the Italian-American community and world of finance. Yesterday he met Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Jeffrey Gerrish, with whom he discussed the Geraci Plan for foreign direct investment, and told him that U.S. sanctions against German cars will also hit Italian industry, which makes 40% of their components. In meetings with members of Congress, Geraci discussed the idea of an international conference for U.S.-EU cooperation in Africa.

COLLAPSING WESTERN FINANCIAL SYSTEM

German Law Enforcement Raid Deutsche Bank Headquarters in Frankfurt

Nov. 29 (EIRNS)—About 170 German police, Bundeskriminalamt (BKA) officials and Revenue agents raided Deutsche Bank headquarters in Europe’s financial center of Frankfurt, and offices in two other localities in Hessen this morning, in the context of an investigation of the so-called “Offshore Leaks.” Two bank officials are accused of having helped set up offshore accounts for 900 customers without reporting to money-laundering authorities. The investigation is based on data published by “Offshore Leaks” and “Panama Papers,” both published by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists.

Macron and Europe’s ‘Elites’ Are as Blind as Ever, Deserve the Hillary Clinton Prize

Nov. 29 (EIRNS)—On the Yellow Vests (Gilets Jaunes) movement, note that French President Emmanuel Macron’s Nov. 27 intervention to calm the unrest around the movement, had in the exact opposite effect. Latest polls show 88% of the French population fully support the movement, up from 63% on Nov. 24, last Saturday, when they demonstrated along the Champs Elysées.

In view of this support, Macron asked Ecology Minister François de Rugy to meet with two Gilets representatives: The discussions went well, but as they left his office, the two Yellow Vests announced that they are planning a new demonstration to take place on the Champs Elysées, on Saturday, Dec. 1.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced that he would not meet with the Gilets, and reiterated that taxes on energy will go up as planned, beginning 2019, and that the minimum wage would not be raised beyond a tiny increase ostensibly meant to account for inflation. But after those polls, Philippe—not quite as insane as his mentor, former Prime Minister Alain Juppé—announced that he would meet with the Gilets tomorrow. (In 1995, as Prime Minister Alain Juppé had tried to frontally impose a brutal austerity plan, which provoked a general strike in greater Paris, and especially in transportation, which lasted over a month and cost him his job.)

On Nov. 27, Macron’s speech was outrageous. He tried to deal with the Gilets Jaunes as a minor problem which he included at the end in a speech on his energy “transition” policies, saying that he would organize three months of citizen’s debates on the energy transition policies and the difficulties in implementing them, but that the Gilets Jaunes could participate in the debates in the provinces, not there in Paris!  In brief, who are you little people to meddle into questions which define the policies of the nation?

Macron mumbled not one word on justice, not one word on the suffering of the majority of the French population! Macron announced no specific measures to help people deal with those taxes. In concrete terms of financing, he only announced a couple billion more toward the development of “renewables,” and similar amounts for promoting energy savings in housing.

As for France’s justly famous nuclear power, he confirmed that he was not elected on a program of eliminating nuclear entirely, but only (another insane one) of reducing it to 50% of the national mix (from 70%). He announced the shutdown of 14 nuclear plants beyond the Fessenheim reactors, which are the only ones that will be closed during his term; the others are to be closed sometime between 2022 and 2035.

Before announcing the deployment of new EPRs (European Pressurized Water reactor), he said they are waiting for all the experience gained from the construction of EPS in Flamanville; he called on France to continue its research into nuclear energy in the meantime. The new unit at Flamanville is one of the first two European EPR reactors.  Both are facing costly construction delays. As of July 2016, the Flamanville EPR project was already three times over budget and years behind schedule.

German Christian Democratic Think-Tank Fears Italy Will Pull Down the Euro

Nov. 29 (EIRNS)—The newly formed Europa-Forum, a production of the Ludwig Erhard Stiftung (LES) and the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) Economic Council, held its first meeting Nov. 20 in Berlin, dedicated to the “Target2, Brexit, Italy dilemma.” The main speech was given by Thomas Mayer and the conclusions were drawn by LES head Roland Tichy; their speeches were posted on the Ludwig Erhard Stiftung website.

They are paranoid that the “spending frenzy” of the Italian government will lead to a banking crisis that can theoretically be stopped, but possibly not. They discuss it from an “Ordoliberal” standpoint, spiced with the usual fake news on Italy.

One of the main points of conflict between the Italian government and the EU Commission, is the decision to spend money for the so-called “universal income” check. However, such a measure is an anti-poverty mechanism which is an imitation of the Hartz IV austerity system in Germany. The irony is that, whereas Italy plans to spend €10 billion, Germany already spends over €27 billion per year, which is greater not only in absolute terms, but also as a percentage of GDP.

THE NEW GLOBAL ECONOMIC ORDER

President Xi’s Visit to Panama Will Enhance New Silk Road in the Americas

Nov. 29 (EIRNS)—A day after his highly anticipated dinner meeting with President Donald Trump on Dec. 1, President Xi Jinping will head for Panama, for a state visit which will advance the relations established with Panama only in June 2017, when Panama cut ties with Taipei, and established diplomatic relations with Beijing.

Xi will meet Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela in Panama City, where the two will witness the signing of about 20 agreements to cooperate in areas such as commerce, technology and infrastructure during the unprecedented Dec. 2-3 visit, according to the Panamanian President’s office. Foreign Minister Isabel Saint Malo announced today that President Xi is expected to present President Varela with the completed feasibility study for the high-speed rail line between Panama City and David, which China prepared with Panamanian technical input.

The Varela government is enthusiastic, as are many Panamanians, about their country’s participation in the Belt and Road Initiative, through which Panama can become one of the world’s leading logistics centers and a key point of continental development. Trade Minister Augusto Arosemena told the Britain’s Guardian yesterday: “We will become the gateway for Chinese goods into Latin America. I think Panama will be an example of how smaller countries can negotiate with China.”

Panama Canal Authority Economist Portrays Belt and Road as a ‘Platform for Peace’

Nov. 29 (EIRNS)—“In the middle of 21st century human civilization, wars and conflicts should not occur again. The Belt and Road offers an opportunity for an equitable dialogue between the participating countries, and provides a platform for multi-disciplinary and multi-level exchanges, for dialogue about how to resolve problems in pursuit of common development…. The Belt and Road connects the world and offers opportunities for global development,” Panama Canal Authority economist Eddie Tapiero told People’s Daily, in an interview published today, in anticipation of President Xi Jinping state visit to Panama, Dec. 2-3.

Tapiero has been campaigning for the United States and the rest of the Americas to do as Panama has, and join in the Belt and Road Initiative. As part of that campaign, on Nov. 7 he released his book, five years in the making, titled The New Silk Road and Panama. A Prospective Strategic Scenario between the Americas and China. He emphasized there, as he again told People’s Daily, that “the Belt and Road Initiative’s purpose is not to intensify competition, but to promote synergies. China is willing to guarantee the shared progress of all humanity.”

Panama has come under intense pressure from U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and the U.S. State Department to stop Panama’s participation in the Belt and Road. London’s Guardian published a provocative article on Nov. 28, “Panama, the New Flashpoint in China’s Growing Presence in Latin America,” aimed at doing what HM Empire does best: feed conflict. The Guardian, however, had to acknowledge Panama’s commitment. Tapiero told the Guardian that “recent rhetoric from Washington suggests the U.S. has not accepted that the canal has shifted from being a military asset to a commercial one…. The U.S. has a decision to make: Does it accept free trade in the Americas, or does it revert to a Cold War approach? The latter would be disastrous.”

Eurasian Economic Union and Iran Ratify Free Trade Zone

Nov. 29 (EIRNS)—Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law ratifying an agreement on formation of a free trade zone between the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and the Islamic Republic of Iran. What is being called a temporary agreement has already been ratified by Russia’s State Duma and the Federation Council (the lower and upper houses of the Federal Assembly) on Nov. 15 and 23, respectively. The agreement was already drafted at the EAEU Astana Economic Forum last May, “To ratify the interim agreement on formation of a free trade zone between the Eurasian Economic Union and its member states, for one part, and the Islamic Republic of Iran, on the other part, signed in Astana on May 17, 2018,” the document says. Member-states of the EAEU are Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia.

SCIENCE AND INFRASTRUCTURE

Indian Space Research Organization Successfully Launches 31 Satellites in One Go

Nov. 29 (EIRNS)—The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has confirmed that all 31 satellites, including 23 from the United States, carried by its PSLV-C43 rocket, have been successfully launched. While the Hyper Spectral Imaging Satellite (HysIS) was placed in its orbit 17 minutes and 27 seconds after lift-off, the 30 co-passenger satellites were dropped into their designated orbits one by one within another hour, PTI reported.

HysIS, the latest Earth observation satellite developed by ISRO, has several uses. The satellite’s data will be useful in fields including agriculture, forestry, soil surveying, geology, coastal zone studies, inland water studies, environmental monitoring, and pollution detection from industries.

The 30 commercial satellites, including one micro- and 29 nano-satellites, are from eight countries. Of the total 30 satellites, whose combined weight is 261.5 kg, many will either be Earth-observing or communications satellites. One, though, is also expected to carry out scientific studies of the atmosphere.

This was the 45th launch of PSLV series rockets, which are also being considered for launching the manned missions into space that ISRO plans to achieve within the next few years, reported Indian Express today.

OTHER

Maritime and Space Silk Road on Portugal’s Agenda for Xi’s Forthcoming State Visit

Nov. 29 (EIRNS)—Portugal is insisting in its discussions with China that an Atlantic Route be included in the Maritime Silk Road, Portuguese state press agency Lusa emphasized in its Nov. 23 coverage on the Dec. 4-5 visit of President Xi Jinping to Portugal. That Atlantic Route “would allow the Sines port to connect the routes of the Far East to the Atlantic Ocean, benefitting from the expansion of the Panama Canal,” Lusa wrote.

This Atlantic Route is a project which the Schiller Institute has emphasized as crucial for linking the entire Western Hemisphere with the Belt and Road Initiative, and specifically for transforming the Caribbean Basin region into a world-class industrial and logistics center, with all the benefits that would provide the United States and its Caribbean, Central American, and South American neighbors.

In a Nov. 23 press conference on Xi’s upcoming visit, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister for European Affairs Wang Chao praised the “active cooperation” between Portugal and China in third countries, in Africa and Ibero-America. The visit aims to raise the two nations’ strategic partnership to a new level, he said. A joint statement is expected on the “results of the visit and important consensus,” and cooperation agreements in the fields of culture, education, infrastructure, technology, water resources, finance and energy will be signed, Lusa reported.

Details of the space cooperation agreement, which will build microsatellites for oceanographic research between Chinese and Portuguese scientists and researchers during the visit, were reported by the online publication SpaceWatch.Global on Nov. 8. A laboratory called STARlab, with facilities in Matosinhos and Peniche in Portugal, and in Shanghai, is to be established to build microsatellites for oceanographic research. Detailed research will be directed to study the interactions between oceanography and agriculture and fisheries.

The organizations involved are the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Tekever aerospace company in China, and the Center for Product Engineering and Development in Portugal. The Portuguese Minister for Science, Technology and Higher Education Manuel Heiter said that STARlab will cost $57 million, split evenly between both countries.

At the same time, Portugal announced that it plans to build a spaceport on the island of Santa Maria, in Portugal’s Azores, which it hopes will be operational in 2021. In what could play a part in the “Space Silk Road,” the Azores, in the middle of the North Atlantic, provide a geographic advantage for launches, as well as a “unique position between Europe, the Americas, and Africa,” says the website of the proposed Atlantic International Satellite Launch Program. Portugal plans to select a contract for the spaceport next year.