Pompeo defends US foreign policy
Cargo traffic resumes
BRUSSELS, Dec 4, (Agencies): Secretary of State Mike Pompeo mounted a staunch defence of US foreign policy on Tuesday, arguing that Washington is building a world order to fight cynical abuses by Russia, China and Iran.
On a visit to Brussels, the former CIA chief took aim at European critics who accuse the US of undermining global institutions, insisting that President Donald Trump is restoring America’s traditional leadership role.
He urged US allies to join Trump’s efforts and to assess honestly whether bodies like the World Trade Organisation, the International Criminal Court and the International Monetary Fund are serving their citizens.
“Bad actors have exploited our lack of leadership for their own gain,” Pompeo told a gathering of diplomats in the European capital, ahead of talks at NATO.
“This is the poisoned fruit of American retreat. President Trump is determined to reverse that.”
Pompeo’s speech came as NATO foreign ministers meet to discuss the latest tensions with Moscow, after a naval clash between Russia and Ukraine and with a landmark Cold War arms control treaty hanging by a thread.
A US decision to pull out of the 1987 Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty in response to Russian violations has prompted accusations that Washington is weakening a bulwark of European security.
But Pompeo said that Washington was simply taking action to either improve or terminate agreements that were outdated or did not work.
“The first two years of the Trump administration demonstrate that President Trump is not undermining these institutions nor is he abandoning American leadership. Quite the opposite,” Pompeo argued.
Pompeo
Cargo traffic resumes:
Ukraine says traffic has resumed to and from its ports on the Sea of Azov following a standoff with Russia.
Ukraine’s Infrastructure Minister Volodymyr Omelyan said merchant ships were moving through the Kerch Strait linking the Sea of Azov with the Black Sea.
Omelyan, who accused Russia last week of blocking the Strait for Ukrainian cargoes, said Tuesday that the ports of Berdyansk and Mariupol have been “partially unblocked” thanks to a “stern international response.”
Russia, however, insisted that it never blocked vessels from traveling through the Kerch Strait and that any possible disruptions were linked to bad weather.
Relations between the two neighbors have been further strained over a Nov 25 incident in which the Russian coast guard fired upon and seized three Ukrainian naval vessels and their crews.
Italy probes 5 Egyptian suspects:
Italian prosecutors have placed five members of Egypt’s security forces under official investigation for their alleged involvement in the disappearance of student Giulio Regeni, a judicial source said.
Regeni, a 28-year-old postgraduate student at Cambridge University, vanished in Cairo in January 2016. His body was found almost a week later and a post mortem showed he had been tortured before his death.
Egyptian officials have repeatedly denied any involvement in Regeni’s killing. The five security officials are being investigated for allegedly kidnapping Regeni. Being placed under official investigation in Italy does not imply guilt and does not automatically lead to a trial.
Mafia boss arrested in Sicily:
Italian police on Tuesday arrested new Mafia boss Settimino Mineo and dozens of other suspects in a major swoop against a resurgent Cosa Nostra.
Police arrested jeweller Mineo, 80, and at least 45 others in Sicily just before he was due to be officially anointed at a reconvened Mafia Commission or Cupola, the police said.
The suspects are accused of extortion, illegal gun possession, arson, Mafia association and other crimes, investigators said.
The Sicilian Mafia managed to rebuild the Cupola after it had not met for years, Italian media reported.
The Cupola met in May for the first time since 1993 and was due to appoint Mineo official heir to notorious Mafia boss Toto Riina who died in prison last year.