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A6 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 20 January 2022
Russia says it will take nothing less but NATO expansion ban

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia bor but demanded guar-
maintained a tough pos- antees from the West that
ture Wednesday amid NATO will not expand to
the tensions over its troop Ukraine or other former
buildup near Ukraine, with Soviet nations or place its
a top diplomat warning troops and weapons there.
that Moscow will accept It also has urged NATO to
nothing less but "watertight" roll back the deployments
U.S. guarantees preclud- of its troops and weapons
ing NATO's expansion to to Central and Eastern Eu-
Ukraine. ropean nations that have
Deputy Foreign Minister joined the alliance after
Sergei Ryabkov, who led the end of the Cold War.
the Russian delegation at Washington and its allies
the security talks with the firmly rejected Moscow's
U.S. in Geneva last week, demands but kept the
reaffirmed that Moscow door open to possible fur-
has no intentions of invad- ther talks on arms control
ing Ukraine as the West and confidence-building
fears, but said that receiv- measures to reduce the
ing Western security guar- potential for hostilities.
antees is an imperative for Ryabkov insisted, however,
Moscow. urged the European Union Belarus, which shares a bor- air bases. that there can't be any
The talks in Geneva and a to quickly draw up a new der with Ukraine, for major German Chancellor Olaf meaningful talks on those
related NATO-Russia meet- security plan containing war games next month. Scholz said Wednesday it's issues if the West doesn't
ing in Brussels last week proposals to help ease ten- Ukrainian officials have said too early to tell whether heed the main Russian re-
were held as Russia has sions with Russia. that Moscow could use Be- talks could defuse the crisis, quests for the non-expan-
amassed an estimated Kremlin spokesman Dmi- larusian territory to launch adding that "after years of sion of NATO. He warned
100,000 troops near Ukraine try Peskov told reporters a potential multi-pronged rising tensions, staying silent that the Russian demands
in what the West fears Wednesday that talks be- invasion. is not a sensible option." "constitute a package,
might herald an invasion. tween Blinken and his Rus- The Russian Defense Min- "The Russian side is aware and we're not prepared to
Amid the soaring tensions, sian counterpart Sergey istry said Wednesday that of our determination," divide it into different parts,
U.S. Secretary of State Ant- Lavrov set for Friday in Ge- some troops already have Scholz told the World Eco- to start processing some of
ony Blinken visited Ukraine neva are "extremely impor- arrived in Belarus for the Al- nomic Forum. "I hope they those at expense of stand-
on Wednesday to reassure tant." lied Resolve 2022 drills that also realize that the gains ing idle on others."
it of Western support in the In a move that further beefs will run through Feb. 20. It of cooperation outweigh The Russian diplomat said
face of what he called "re- up forces near Ukraine, Rus- said the exercise will be the price of further confron- Ukraine's increasingly close
lentless" Russian aggression. sia has sent an unspecified held at five firing ranges tation." ties with NATO allies pose a
In Strasbourg, French Presi- number of troops from the and other areas in Belarus Russia has denied that it major security challenge to
dent Emmanuel Macron country's far east to its ally and involve four Belarusian intends to attack its neigh- Russia.q

Police arrest 29 for bringing people to EU on leisure boats

the phenomenon, for the least 1,100 people by boat prehending the presumed
next few weeks or the next from Turkey to the coast of criminals located there,"
few months,'' said Lt. Col. Puglia, and then on to oth- Leo said. Two of the ar-
Giuseppe Giulio Leo, head er European countries, EU rested were brothers who
of Italy's financial police in law enforcement agency are Iraqi citizens accused
the southern city of Lecce. Europol said. of running logistics to help
"Still, we need to take into Eleven people were arrest- the migrants reach north-
account that there will be ed in Italy, including smug- ern Europe. The men were
someone ready to join the glers who navigated the arrested without incident
organization and take over vessels, some of which had near Venice before dawn.
the various roles." been stolen, as well as Iraqi Italian financial police en-
The smugglers use mostly and Syrian citizens who car- tered a modestly furnished
sailboats and yachts, but ried out the logistics, Leo house peacefully, and the
also fishing boats and less said. Some had already brothers emerged wearing
sea-worthy craft, packing been taken into custody handcuffs and tracksuits.
between 30 to 180 people during the investigation, The suspects, identified as
By COLLEEN BARRY and Turkey on yachts and other on board, he said. Their which was launched more Alaa Qasim Rahima, 38,
PAOLO SANTALUCIA Asso- leisure vessels. destination is typically the than a year ago. and Omar Qasim Rahima,
ciated Press The coordinated action is southern region of Puglia, Another 18 were arrest- 30, are accused of running
FOSSALTA DI PIAVE, Italy believed to have dealt a the closest point, but they ed in Albania and one in a ring that helped bring Syr-
(AP) — Police in Italy, Al- serious blow to the lucra- often wind up in Calabria Greece, Europol said. ians from Turkey to the EU
bania and Greece on tive Turkey-Europe sailboat due to weather, Leo said. The masterminds of the op- using a network of associ-
Wednesday arrested some crossings, for which people The arrested suspects are erations are believed to be ates in various countries.
30 people accused of prof- pay between $6,000 to believed to be part of a in Turkey, and the Lecce Another ringleader, also
iteering several hundred $10,000 to reach southern wider ring with as many as prosecutors has activated Iraqi, is accused of helping
million euros to smuggle Italy, with an eye on north- 80 members that organized diplomatic channels in a the smugglers evade de-
refugees and migrants into ern European destinations. at least 30 smuggling oper- bid to extend the opera- tection in Italy and return to
the European Union from "We hope to have curbed ations that transported at tion, "with the hope of ap- Turkey via Greece. q