Page 10 - aruba-today-20171216

A10 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 16 december 2017
Poland’s senators defy EU warnings, approve judicial laws

WARSAW, Poland (AP) of the Judiciary are part of Wednesday, when they will leader, Katarzyna Lub- Under the new rules, law-
— Poland’s senators ap- a string of policy changes be reviewing the new leg- nauer, said their adoption makers would choose sev-
proved legislation Friday pursued by Poland’s ruling islation to see if it is in line would mean the “demise en out of nine commission
that gives the government Law and Justice party that with European standards of of what we call democ- members, who are current-
greater control of a top EU officials have said go the rule of law. racy.” ly chosen by judges. The
court and a key judicial against the bloc’s funda- Hours earlier, lawmakers in The head of the State Elec- interior minister would be
body despite warnings mental values. the lower house of Poland’s toral Commission, Wojciech given authority to appoint
from European Union lead- The laws overwhelmingly parliament, the Sejm, Hermelinski, said Friday he election supervisors.
ers that the move could put endorsed by the Senate passed much-criticized will seek a meeting with the Rules governing the valid-
the country at risk of losing still need President Andrzej new rules for local elections president to share his skep- ity of ballots also would
its EU voting rights. Duda’s approval, which he that opponents claimed ticism. be liberalized by allow-
The measures affecting ap- is expected to give. undermine the indepen- Duda and the Senate still ing voters to correct their
pointments and other as- EU officials could trigger dence of electoral bodies need to approve the regu- choices on the spot. Critics
pects of the Supreme Court a procedure to strip Po- and fair elections. lations, but could also ques- say that opens the door to
and the National Council land of its voting rights on Opposition Modern party tion or reject them. manipulation.q

Germany’s Social Democrats to talk with Merkel on new gov’t

By GEIR MOULSON during the first two weeks
Associated Press of January, Schulz said. A
BERLIN (AP) — Leaders of party congress to decide
Germany’s center-left So- what happens next — ap-
cial Democrats agreed proving the possible open-
Friday to enter exploratory ing of formal coalition talks,
talks on joining or support- for example — has been
ing a new government penciled in for Jan. 14 but
under Chancellor Angela could be delayed, he said.
Merkel, moving unprec- Schulz has already prom-
edentedly long efforts to ised a vote by the full party
form a new administration membership on any coali-
a small step forward. tion deal.
Merkel’s conservative That means Germany is
Union bloc and the Social on course easily to beat its
Democrats have governed previous record of 86 days
Germany together since — set in 2013 — for the time
2013 in a “grand coalition” from an election to the
of the country’s biggest swearing-in of a new gov-
parties. The Social Demo- ernment. Merkel, speaking
crats initially said they later Friday at a congress
would go into opposition in Nuremberg of her Ba-
after a disastrous election German Chancellor Angela Merkel addresses a media conference at an EU summit in Brussels on varian conservative allies,
result in September. Friday, Dec. 15, 2017. European Union leaders were set Friday to authorize a new phase in Brexit the Christian Social Union,
The party reluctantly recon- talks as time runs short to clinch an agreement on future relations and trade with Britain before it voiced “great respect” for
sidered after Merkel’s talks leaves the bloc in March 2019. the Social Democrats’ deci-
with two smaller parties (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert) sion. She said she hopes the
collapsed last month, but Merkel’s bloc, that would While Merkel’s bloc wants ernment is open,” he said talks will “deliver the foun-
party leader Martin Schulz leave an unprecedented a coalition, Schulz indi- Friday. “I must repeat, and dation for a stable govern-
— Merkel’s defeated chal- minority government led by cated the exploratory talks we mean this very seriously: ment, for the formation of a
lenger in September — is Merkel or a new election will also consider the pos- in opening these explor- coalition.” “Europe without
treading carefully to avoid as possibilities. President sibility of a looser arrange- atory talks, we have made a strong Germany, without
alienating a membership Frank-Walter Steinmeier, ment that still would allow no decision on a particular strong German-French co-
that is deeply suspicious of who alone has the power a Merkel-led government form of putting together a operation, is unthinkable,
another coalition. to dissolve parliament, has to be formed. government.” so we have a huge respon-
If the Social Democrats made it clear he doesn’t “Whether the talks will lead An initial phase of explor- sibility to form a stable gov-
don’t enter a coalition with want a new election. to the formation of a gov- atory talks likely will be held ernment,” she said.q

NATO concerned Russian missile system breaks Cold War pact

By LORNE COOK Russian missile system that Cold War-era pact bans an The concern centers on Russia’s behavior as “dan-
Associated Press raises serious concerns.” entire class of weapons — Russia’s 9M729 missiles. gerous and destabilizing.”
BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO said It urged Russia “to address all land-based missiles with Washington has given evi- “Our Allies reaffirmed that
Friday that it is concerned these concerns in a sub- a range between 500 and dence that Russia is de- the U.S. is in compliance
about a Russian missile sys- stantial and transparent 5,500 kilometers (310-3,410 veloping the ground-fired with our obligations under
tem that could carry nucle- way, and actively engage miles). cruise missile and said the the INF Treaty and that Rus-
ar warheads, and which it in a technical dialogue The statement said a situa- system could give Moscow sia’s behavior raises serious
says could violate a land- with the United States.” tion whereby the U.S. and the ability to launch a nu- concerns,” she said in a
mark Cold War arms treaty. NATO fears the system other parties abided by the clear strike in Europe with statement.
The U.S.-led military alliance contravenes the 1987 In- treaty but Russia did not little or no notice. Russia has rejected the ac-
said in a statement that termediate-range Nuclear “would be a grave and ur- U.S. envoy to NATO, Kay cusations, which had been
“allies have identified a Forces (INF) Treaty. The gent concern.” Bailey Hutchison, described levelled earlier by the U.S.q