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WORLD NEWS Thursday 27 June 2019

NATO weighs boost to air defenses over Russia missile system

By LORNE COOK launched from outside Eu-
Associated Press rope and North America.
BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO is At the time, it was meant
considering beefing up to counter any threat from
European air and missile North Korea or Iran. De-
defenses and ramping up spite Moscow’s vehement
its war games plans should objections to the system,
Russia fail to respect a the alliance always insist-
Cold War-era nuclear mis- ed that it could never be
sile treaty by August, alli- turned against Russia.
ance Secretary General The INF treaty bans produc-
Jens Stoltenberg warned tion, testing and deploy-
Wednesday. ment of land-based cruise
The United States gave and ballistic missiles with a
notice in February of its in- range of 500-5,500 kilome-
tention to withdraw from ters (310-3,400 miles).
the landmark 1987 pact The Pentagon has shared
unless Russia destroyed its information with NATO al-
new SSC-8 missile. NATO lies asserting that Russia’s
allies believe the system ground-fired cruise missile
contravenes the Intermedi- could give Moscow the
ate-Range Nuclear Forces ability to launch a nuclear
treaty, which is considered strike in Europe with little
to be a cornerstone of Eu- Acting U.S. Secretary for Defense Mark Esper, left, speaks during a press point with NATO Secretary or no notice. Moscow in-
ropean nuclear security. General Jens Stoltenberg prior to a meeting of NATO defense ministers at NATO headquarters in sists the missile has a range
Speaking after a meeting Brussels, Wednesday, June 26, 2019. of less than 500 kilometers
of defense ministers in Brus- Associated Press and counters that the U.S.,
sels, Stoltenberg said Russia well as intelligence, surveil- tion to deploy new land- divulge “exactly what we itself, has been breaching
showed no sign of returning lance and reconnaissance. based nuclear missiles in will do because we are still the INF treaty. “These mis-
to compliance before the We will also look further at Europe.” focused on how we can siles are capable of carry-
U.S. deadline and “NATO is our air and missile defenses Asked earlier Wednesday if get Russia back into com- ing nuclear warheads. They
preparing for a world with- and conventional capabili- the military alliance might pliance.” can reach European cities
out the INF treaty.” ties,” he said. use its nascent missile de- NATO allies decided in 2010 within minutes. They are
The ministers discussed “po- Stoltenberg declined to fense shield to counter the to develop a ballistic missile hard to detect,” Stolten-
tential measures such as give details, but underlined new Russian missiles, Stol- defense system to protect berg told reporters at NATO
our exercises program, as that NATO had “no inten- tenberg said he wouldn’t Europeans from an attack headquarters.q

Saudi envoy blasts UN expert’s report on Khashoggi killing

By JAMEY KEATEN report made public last The report by Callamard,
Associated Press week. an independent expert on
GENEVA (AP) — A top “Accusations have been extrajudicial and arbitrary
Saudi diplomat lashed out launched, and fingers have killings, alleged that Saudi
Tuesday at an indepen- been pointed — (she is) Arabia bears responsibil-
dent U.N. expert’s searing supporting herself on non- ity for The Washington Post
report alleging that Saudi credible articles or sourc- columnist’s grisly apparent
Arabia was responsible for es,” he told the Human dismemberment by Saudi
the killing of Saudi journal- Rights Council, in Arabic agents at the kingdom’s
ist Jamal Khashoggi, saying through a U.N. interpreter. consulate in Istanbul in Oc-
it was based on “prejudice Callamard, sitting at the tober. She also wrote that
and pre-fabricated ideas.” council podium to present Saudi Arabia, which has
In what amounted to a her report, retorted that her put 11 people on trial in
face-off at the U.N’s top methodology had respect- non-public proceedings,
human rights body, Am- ed precedent and insisted shouldn’t be allowed to
bassador Abdulaziz Alwasil her report wasn’t based mete out justice alone in a
insisted that special rappor- Agnes Callamard, UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial during on media reports. She also case with vast international
teur Agnes Callamard had the 41th session of the Human Rights Council, at the European said she hadn’t received implications — and called
failed to follow proper pro- headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, on any responses in writing for a “proper authority” to
cedures and used flawed Wednesday, June 26, 2019. from Saudi authorities to determine if crimes had
sourcing in her 101-page Associated Press her report. been committed. q