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Will the Biden administration manage to reach an agreement with Tehran?

Another round of talks between Iran and international mediators began in Vienna on November 29. At the heart of the discussion is a joint comprehensive action plan (the so-called “nuclear agreement”). The agreement was met by an unenviable fate, and JCPOA participants are trying to compromise for the seventh time. However, the experience of previous meetings and their consequences clearly show that breakthroughs cannot be expected even now.

President of Iran Ibrahim Raisi. Photo: AP

The nuclear agreement from 2015 was signed by the Iranian authorities and representatives of the so-called 5 + 1 countries (Great Britain, China, Russia, USA, France and Germany).

The plan meant curtailing Iran's nuclear program & ndash; in addition to reliable peaceful intentions, & mdash; and the international community has committed itself to gradually lifting sanctions in response. Although the process came to a halt, some kind of dialogue continued not only at summits but also at informal consultations (the last one took place on 27 November, by the way), and many experts noted that Tehran seemed seriously prepared for compromises.

The situation spiraled out of control with President Donald Trump coming to power in the United States in 2016, which is known for much tougher rhetoric in the Iranian direction than its predecessor Barack & nbsp; Obama.

The Trump administration, as promised by the then-new leader during the election campaign, withdrew from the agreement two years later, making it clear that this would only increase sanctioning pressure on Tehran. Many have associated this with an active pro-Israel lobby in the United States, with the same position as Obama, who has earned the reputation of being the worst American president for the Jewish state in Israel.

The rest of the participants in the process have repeatedly stated that one country's actions cannot distance themselves from such documents (in justice, for example, under Trump, the United States left the Paris Climate Agreement, but it did not cease to exist). However, from the Iranian point of view, the situation has gone too far and Tehran has declared its full right to return to building production capacity & mdash; which he began to do.

The meeting in the Austrian capital did not fundamentally change the situation, despite the seemingly more accommodating than its predecessor Trump, US President Joseph & nbsp; Biden.

This is especially the view of Islamabad expert Tom Hussein, whose article was published on the eve of the Vienna summit by the Hong Kong authoritative newspaper South China Morning Post (SCMP). According to the analyst, the Americans came to the meeting with one goal: to control the Iranian leadership and to suggest the possibility of extending sanctions in the event of a threat to the White House's regional partners.

For Tehran, as has been said repeatedly and openly, the crucial issue is to return to the terms of the JCPOA, one way or another, by all its participants.

In light of the confrontation between China and the United States & nbsp; The Chinese will certainly support Iran, but this & nbsp; it can only further worsen the already cloudless relationship between Beijing and Washington.

According to diplomats, the seventh round of talks on Iran's nuclear problem is likely to take longer than the previous one. The head of diplomacy of the European Union, Josep Borrell, spoke more optimistically and allowed a return to the first, agreed version of the agreement.

Finally, the Israeli factor cannot be written off. The country's Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has already warned: if he returns to the JCPOA, meaning that Iran will again declare a reduction in uranium enrichment, etc., the Islamic Republic's nuclear facilities will remain potential targets for the Israeli armed forces.

In general, the balance of power is so far that it would be naive to expect a momentary and, at best, compromise solution from Vienna. Perhaps the most optimal outcome of the negotiations will be at least the framework questions for the next negotiations. Of course, unless the differences between the parties to the process become even more violent.

Источник www.mk.ru

Experts threaten coup again

The fifth elections in 2021 took place in Kyrgyzstan on November 28, which, according to President Sadyra Japarov, was designed to complete the state's recovery process after last October's coup … The update ended in scandal: at first, the sum of votes 140% of the vote. And after removing the crash that happened & ndash; only 86%, the remaining 14% lost and searched the next day after the election. And all this with the lowest possible participation of 34%.

Photo: AP

Kyrgyz voters have shown not only low activity but also a fundamental reluctance to vote for the proposed candidates. Specifically, 4 districts with one mandate were organized in Bishkek, and in two of them the candidate “against all” won. In the rest of the constituencies, the same candidate took second and third place with 28 and 15% results. In addition, 9.62% of ballots were invalid across the country. For comparison, in the years 2017 to 2021 in the national elections this figure never exceeded 2%.

According to preliminary data, there are 6 parties in Yoghork Kenesh. Three of them are loyal to Sadyr Japarov and gain a total of over 40.29%. The opposition collected about 20.6%. However, this is only according to the lists and in most districts the authorities are expected to have & nbsp; stronger position.

Director of the Elchi Center for Social and Political Research; Denis Berdakov The Ministry of Culture stated that the participation in the parliamentary elections was the result of the fact that the authorities initially abandoned the idea of ​​cheating. “ All previous elections were most likely the result of media coverage and bribery. For the first time in many years, administrative resources were not used and bribery was voted against vigorously. As a result, we have a European image. People do not want to vote or even run for parliament, although a year ago they had to pay $ 300-500,000 for placement in the top five of the list, & ndash; said the expert.

This is largely due to the fact that Kyrgyzstan has reduced the number of seats in parliament from 120 to 90. According to the lists, only 54 deputies are elected and the rest must be obtained in the majority constituencies. Given that, following the constitutional reform, Kyrgyzstan has in fact turned & nbsp; to the super-presidential republic, many previously active politicians ceased to be interested in participating in the mandate.

“ Many deputies have some difficulty with higher education, but this time the oligarchs did not go there, with a few exceptions. Gone are the regional leaders, who are not the smartest and most intelligent, but have the political will and authority. First of all, they will attract money to their regions. They will be respected people who will establish relations with the deputies of neighboring countries and so on. The situation is similar in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. At the same time, the parties represent both the north and the south of Kyrgyzstan & # 39; & # 39 ;, & ndash; Berdakov remarked.

The collapse of the electronic counting system has added to the scandal of the election. First, Kyrgyzstan Security Council Secretary Marat Imankulov said hackers had attacked Central Election Commission resources from 20 countries around the world. Then the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic Edil Baisalov attributed the incident to a technical error: someone entered the wrong formula into the system.

As a result, votes had to be counted manually and 5 opposition parties that could not get into parliament called a new election in two days. True, if the recalculation of votes does not lead to dramatic changes in the list of winners and losers, it will be difficult for anyone to listen to them. So far, all 5 parties have managed to gather a maximum of 100 people at the entrance to the CEC.

According to Denis Berdakov, the perpetrators should be punished for failing to count the votes, but the technical defect should not affect the final results of the election.

“ There were observers in all polling stations who did not notice any serious violations that could call into question the results of the vote. There were no refills as such, & nbsp; people were caught in wheelchairs, but we don't know who they voted for. In principle, this should not affect the legitimacy of the parliament, but so far there are no voting results, the situation is ambiguous. Votes will be counted twice to reduce tensions in & # 39; & # 39 ;, & ndash; concluded Berdakov.

In return editor of MK-Kyrgyzstan; Alexander Bannikov believes that a critical mass of dissatisfied people can still accumulate in the country, leading to new upheavals. & Nbsp;

“ The protests have actually started, and an assembly was held in front of the CEC building, which was attended by parties that did not exceed the 5% limit. They demand new elections, the resignation of the government and so on. They had a reason because the voting results changed several times. In particular, they first went to parliament and then it turned out that they did not. In addition, according to new data, none of the opposition parties is allowed to get into parliament & # 39; & # 39 ;, & ndash; Bannikov noted.

On the evening of November 29, the Central Committee manually recalculated 15% of the vote, revealing that one of the country's leading opposition forces & ndash; Butun Kyrgyzstan & ndash; does not go to parliament. We will find out, at best, on 30 November, ie two days after the elections, what will happen after the sum of 100% of the ballots.

“ If the election results differ significantly, serious protests will begin from what was originally stated. The question is whether the number of dissatisfied will exceed a critical mass. We have to wait for the official election results. If the 6 pages discussed the morning after the vote pass, everything will be fine. If only the pro-government parties pass, the company decides it's overboard, & ndash; considers Bannikov & nbsp; & ndash; In general, the elections were very slow. There was almost no advertising, the parties blamed each other for bribes and the like. The CEC hardly responded. Turnout is very low. In Kyrgyzstan it barely exceeded 30%, abroad it was about 10%. Most likely, people simply do not have confidence in the electoral system and candidates for MPs. & # 39; & # 39;

Источник www.mk.ru

Where more people are worried about the lack of electricity and heat

The press marathon, which was launched last Friday by Volodymyr Zelenský's team, is still being discussed in Ukraine. Judging by a number of indirect signs, there will be no violent change of power. People are not on a revolution, fellow citizens are puzzled above all about how to survive the approaching winter in warmth and comfort.

Photo: president.gov.ua .

It quickly became clear where the “Lubyan version” of the coup promised on December 1 had taken place. Christopher Miller, an American journalist with many connections at all levels of the Ukrainian government, named the names of the three partners of the “FSB emissary of the Russian Federation” mentioned by Zelenský. Two of them are definitely not “defectors to the Russian Crimea” (as Vladimir Zelensky assured). We are talking about the former head of the Poltava Regional Police Department, Eduard Fedosov, and the retired general of the Ministry of the Interior of Ukraine, Vasily Gritsak, the namesake and namesake of the previous SBU chairman, who faithfully served Petr Poroshenko.

According to former Deputy Interior Minister Lieutenant General Gennady Moskal, Gritsak never got into politics during his tenure and never made illegal contacts with oligarch Rinat Akhmetov. Well, the military rank of the allegedly Russian curator of the “December 1 coup”, Gennady Gennadyevich, by definition could only amuse. He's just a captain. This means that it has neither the appropriate powers from Vladimir Putin nor extensive connections in Kiev “above” …

However, an attempt at the foundations of Ukraine's constitutional system took place the other day. Although not in Kiev. The staff of the SBU Directorate for the Kirovograd Region has launched criminal proceedings “for actions aimed at forcibly changing the constitutional order or seizing state power.” Defendants in the case appointed either 15 or 20 local activists, led by a certain Tatiana Andreichenko. “The conspirators, who received funding from the aggressor's country” (ie from Russia), decided to create “parallel bodies” in the Kropyvnytskyi regional center: the Serf and Podolsk district councils. The activists were going to “return everything stolen by the state authorities from 1991 to the present.” Simply put, transfer to the state all the services that were “liquidated, privatized and illegally sold” to private persons after the collapse of the Ukrainian SSR. The “conspirators” were also strongly opposed to the sale of land, which began in Ukraine.

Of course, trying to restore social justice in one particular region seems like a caricature. But with the current unenviable situation of most people, something still needs to be done.

Well-known Ukrainian politician Volodymyr Lytvyn, who twice headed the Verkhovna Rada, instead of devastating analysis of the press conference Volodymyr Zelensky spoke about the daily lives of residents of his native village Sloboda Romanovskaya. The villagers in their huts tried to unscrew as many light bulbs as possible from the sockets, because they did not “pull” the current tariffs. Household gas is also switched on only when absolutely necessary. People did not have time to bring wood in time, because this type of fuel was fabulously expensive for them.

You will not spend a thousand hryvnia in the whole coronavirus vaccination cycle in this and other Ukrainian villages. The promised “Vovina thousand”, as previously written by “MK”, ​​can, at the discretion of its recipient, either travel to the museum and cinema box office or “materialize” in the fitness center. There has never been anything like this in the villages.

The recent flights of the Zelenský family to the winter Carpathian residence cost much higher amounts. In a debate with investigative journalist Mikhail Tkach about his scandalous helicopter flight by the Ministry of Emergency Situations, Zelensky has repeatedly shown his reluctance to lie constantly. Most likely, Zelensky will break with even more fury at subsequent meetings with media representatives than his predecessors. Vladimir Alexandrovich is clearly not ready for that. He begins to lose his mind, be nervous and eventually loses with an overwhelming score. So far only “on the pen and microphone sharks.”

Источник www.mk.ru

Germany's new ruling coalition plans to overhaul laws countries on citizenship and migration. The new legislative initiatives are outlined in a 177-page coalition agreement, which was introduced last week, DW specifies.

For example, in the section on Eastern European and Russian countries, representatives of the governing coalition pointed out the possibility of introducing visa-free travel to Russians under 25. According to German politicians, such a measure should support the development of civil society in the Russian Federation.

“We are opposed to a comprehensive restriction of civil and democratic freedoms and expect the Russian authorities to give civil society the opportunity to maintain ties with German partners … Our aim is to create visa-free entry from Russia to Germany for particularly important targets. groups, including young people under the age of 25, ”the document states. Recall that the ruling coalition of Germany includes: the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), the Union 90/Greens and the Free Democratic Party (FDP).

Источник www.mk.ru

Photos wikipedia.org

Official White House & In an interview with reporters, only Psaki expressed her opinion on the chances of a native of the USSR & nbsp; Saul Omarova to gain a high position in the US Treasury Department.

The official said that despite the protests of the Democrats in the US presidential administration, Joe Biden, was looking forward to Omar's candidacy.

“We at the White House continue to support her nomination,” Psaki said.

Источник www.mk.ru

Why the Alliance is moving forces to Eastern Europe

Foreign media and eyewitnesses on social media report the relocation of other NATO troops to Latvia. The people of Poland filmed several army convoys moving north and east. The alliance claims that the increase in the contingent is due to “growing aggression” from Russia. Armed forces of Germany and the United States have previously been deployed to the eastern borders of the European Union. Experts combine the actions of Western countries with possible plans to invade Belarus.

Photo: Still from video

The convoy of heavy military equipment advanced from Slovakia via Poland and Lithuania to Latvia. As part of the column, experts identified self-propelled artillery of large caliber Zuzana-2. Artillery, accompanied by supply vehicles and army trucks, was later seen in the border area between Latvia and Belarus.

According to an official statement from NATO Command, the military equipment of the Slovak army is directed to the Baltic states to “ensure a flexible and effective ability to respond to Russian aggression in the region.” Large units of the United States and German armed forces have already arrived at the western borders of Russia and Belarus. The U.S. military deploys large-scale artillery in the border zone, while the Bundeswehr deploys tanks and light armored vehicles.

The strengthening of the NATO contingent takes place against the background of a statement by a number of officials about the planned “Russian invasion” of Ukrainian territory. Washington says armored groups are concentrated near the Russian-Ukrainian border. Kiev claims that Russian aggression may begin in January 2022. The United States, Britain and Canada have already announced that they want to send troops to support Kiev.

According to military expert Alexei Valjuzhenich, publicly available information on the transfer of NATO forces indicates the Alliance's desire to increase its group's firepower in Europe. Such preparations may indicate the preparation of a large-scale military operation.

– When you look at photos and videos taken in recent weeks, the trend is obvious. The West is pushing heavy artillery to our borders. The Americans carry 155mm self-propelled artillery guns Palladin, the Germans self-propelled guns PzH 2000, also 155mm. Now the Slovaks are sent with their self-propelled guns Zuzana-2 caliber 152 mm. This means that everyone is pulling large-scale artillery to the east. Such weapons can, of course, be used for defensive purposes. But in general, these are offensive weapons. They were created to break into the enemy's defenses, suppress its artillery batteries and cover the concentration of troops. In short, this is a very serious weapon.

“I can't say for sure.” I think that part of the soldiers who arrive on the border with Ukraine (these are mainly US Army units) can be used to fire support the Ukrainian army in the Donbas. During the trench warfare, LPR-DPR forces there created a deep defense with many secrets. That's why I see such a scenario of events. At some “X o'clock”, NATO declares that Ukraine is in danger of invasion and sends its troops to Donetsk and Lugansk. Artillery, controlled from satellites and drones, covers the positions of the DPR and LPR forces. Turkey, for example, in Syria acted as follows: guided self-propelled drone cannons, which destroyed several Syrian batteries thanks to their advantage in range. After creating such an advantage, the Ukrainian army enters breakthroughs: tanks, infantry, reinforced by all sorts of Nazis and mercenaries.

– Demonstration of force. Like, don't interfere, because all your borders are aimed at weapons. At least now, NATO's statements and actions look extremely aggressive. This is not just the usual rattle of sabers. This is the real pressure on our western borders, an attempt at intimidation. In a word, the pressure on our country. So far, it has been mediated through Ukraine and Belarus. But the ultimate goal is our country.

Источник www.mk.ru

Photos: Photos from the video

British Telegraph readers commented on an article about the possibility of war in Ukraine. The publication pointed to Alexander Lukashenko's words that his Belarus would stand by Russia if war broke out in Ukraine. The publication also recalls earlier exercises between Russia and Belarus on the border with Poland and accuses Lukashenko of creating a migration crisis at the border.

However, the view of most commentators did not agree. editorial board. They noted that British citizens are not interested in Ukraine. “To anyone who wants to start a war with Russia: get ready to sacrifice your sons. The UK has a professional army, but it is extremely weak, and for a conventional war, if it does not immediately turn into a nuclear one, they will take everyone, “the reader warned.

Some have even called the NATO Armed Forces a “slag” that will not “hold out” against Russia for five minutes. Some British people remembered that the Russians had fought well in the cold and reminded them of the Battle of Stalingrad, while others stressed that talking about a “Russian threat” was more advantageous for Kiev. “Ukrainian duck” Russians are coming ” “said one commentator.

Источник www.mk.ru

Vladimir Bazanov. Photo: Wikipedia.org.

President of the Belarusian Football Association Vladimir Bazanov has been detained in the Czech Republic.

At the same time, the Czech media warns that the police of the Moravian-Silesian Region in the north-east of the Czech Republic, where the Belarusian sports official was detained, still refuses to comment.

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A possible reason for the arrest is the fact that Bazanov could have come to the match between the Czech Republic's football players and Belarus without permission to enter.

Источник www.mk.ru