I agree that it is all contingent. That's why I put 'if'.
If the U.S. pulls out of Iraq I think one would be justified in believing that a large percentage of U.S. troops will be stationed in The Base.
Start by looking from the left side, you will notice that there are 4 rows of buildings, the first row are buildings with only small doors, there are no large doors we can see for trucks so I don’t believe they are warehouses, those doors are for people to walk through. You will noticed the next two rows are the same and then the forth row are buildings for offices or storage they have larger doors. #msg-6977807
Our reporters write that it is be a forward base for the impending New Middle East. This would mean the housing of troops. It is my belief that some of those troops will be US or NATO, same thing. I don’t see a forward base of this size being manned only by non-US troops. We have our hand in everything.
Forget Israeli sovereignty. Our precious and holy land will soon be used as a forward base for the impending New Middle East.
The possibility of deploying North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) troops in the Middle East, as they did in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Afghanistan, has emerged.
After contacts in Israel and Palestine, the NATO Parliamentary Assembly submitted to these two countries a proposal on deploying NATO forces in the region. Palestine has approached the NATO proposal positively, Israel has not said "no" but gave the message that they "will evaluate the situation according to the developments". #msg-6507932
The U.S. military has maintained a presence at Incirlik since the 1950s, and because the base is only an hour's flight from Iraq, it is an ideal location to support the rotations.
In the much smaller Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan bases we have, had in the case of Uzbekistan, 800 and 1,000 troops
The US regional presence includes two key air bases that have handled tens of thousands of US flights - Manas air base north of Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan, where more than 1,000 troops are stationed, and the Karshi-Khanabad air base in Uzbekistan, with at least 800 US troops. The US also has overflight rights, "gas and go" refueling agreements and emergency landing agreements with these countries. #msg-7121826
Maybe our troops will not be prominent in the Holy Land in the beginning but it is a foot in the door and this seems to be what the Jews fear.
This seems to be a rather large ‘rift’. The Israel minister scraps US trip designed to end China row at a time when Israel is looking heavily to support from the Bush administration for the pullout from the Gaza Strip starting in August.
Israel will probably get her support but she is taking a chance in receiving a reduced support.
Is this only about China or is Israel getting sick of Bush pushing his agenda in other areas?
Note: The money will cover the cost of relocating military bases to Israel and improving security on the Egyptian-Israeli border after the pull-out.
Probably where the big base comes in.
-Am
Israel minister scraps US trip designed to end China row: report
JERUSALEM (AFP) Jul 27, 2005 Israeli Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz has scrapped a planned visit to the US where he was to have drawn a line under a row over an arms deal with China after Washington made new demands, a report said Tuesday.
Although Israel has already expressed its regret over the spat centred around an agreement to upgrade Harpy Killer drones it had sold to Beijing, the Haaretz daily said that Washington wanted Mofaz to sign an official apology.
While the defence ministry has previously said negotiations which would see Israel clear future arms deals with Washington were at advanced stage, Haaretz said the government had baulked at further demands for legislation tightening the monitoring of military exports to be signed within the next 18 months.
Israel's ties with its usually staunch US ally took a major hit from the row over the drones deal, with the Pentagon imposing some restrictions on arms sales and technology transfers to Israel.
The government has been particularly keen to resolve the dispute with Washington at a time when it is looking heavily to support from the Bush administration for the pullout from the Gaza Strip starting in August.
If Israel does eventually sign a memorandum of understanding with the US, it will have to renege on the agreement to upgrade the drones and open the way for a multi-million dollar compensation claim from China for the second time in five years.
Israel had to pay Beijing 350 million dollars in compensation after breaking an agreement in 2000 to supply Falcon airplanes with an AWACS radar system.
The defence ministry would not comment on the reported cancelling of Mofaz's visit but said in a statement that it was "continuing our dialogue with the United States in a concrete and discreet fashion to conclude an agreement as soon as possible."
There was no immediate reaction from the US embassy to the report.
Israel looked on Monday to international support for its pull-out from the Gaza Strip, requesting a multibillion-dollar aid package from the United States and lobbying for European Union backing from visiting EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana.
A senior aide to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said officials who have travelled to Washington will be seeking a package of aid amounting to about $2,2-billion to help cushion the impact of next month's withdrawal.
"This package, which will require approval from the American Congress, could take the form of a combination of grants, loans or bank guarantees," the official said on condition of anonymity.
Israel had been on track to extract $500-million from Washington to help finance the pull-out, but in initial talks, the Americans said they were prepared to grant Israel "generous aid", according to a report on public radio.
The money will cover the cost of relocating military bases to Israel and improving security on the Egyptian-Israeli border after the pull-out.
The rest will be used to develop the Galilee and Negev regions, where many of the settlers from Gaza are likely to be rehoused.
Led by the director generals of the prime minister's office and the finance ministry, Ilan Cohen and Yossi Bachar, and including various security officials, the delegation left Israel late last week.
The officials are to meet a group of US officials including Elliott Abrams, Deputy National Security Adviser.
Washington's annual aid to Israel amounts to about $3-billion, including $2-billion in military outlay.
Israel's operation to evacuate all 8 000 Jewish settlers living in Gaza, as well as the inhabitants of four small Jewish enclaves in the northern West Bank, is to begin in mid-August.
While hugely contentious in Israel, the move has won widespread international backing, including from the EU.
Solana said the 25-nation bloc wants to do its bit to ensure the success of the pull-out as he began a four-day visit to the region.
"We would like to be of help, if possible ... help economically, help politically and help from a security point of view," the Spanish diplomat told reporters ahead of a meeting with Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Silvan Shalom.
Solana called the disengagement from Gaza a "courageous decision", but made it clear that the EU wants it to help revive the bilateral peace process.
"It is vital we continue to re-energise the peace process," he said.
Shalom urged Solana, who is to meet with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas later in the week, to exert his "full influence on the Palestinian Authority so that it dismantles the terror infrastructure and prevents attacks during the withdrawal from Gaza".
"I'm sure you'll do all you can to narrow the gaps between the Israelis and Palestinians," he added in reference to major sticking points such as the issue of a safe passage between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
In an interview published on Sunday, Abbas said negotiations with Israel on a safe passage between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, and re-opening Gaza airport, are going well.
Solana's trip coincides with a visit by former World Bank president James Wolfensohn, who was recently appointed as the international community's special envoy for the pull-out.
Wolfensohn, who met the Palestinian leadership over the weekend, was on Monday meeting with Israeli officials, including Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres. -- Sapa-AFP
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