Putin Hopes...[ 536 ]

Putin Says He Hopes U.S. Ties Will Improve In 2010

U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin during a meeting near Moscow in July

December 31, 2009

MOSCOW (Reuters) -- Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said today he hoped for improved relations with the United States in 2010, days after his attack on U.S. missile-defense plans displayed the fragility of efforts to draw closer.

In a New Year greeting, Putin praised U.S. President Barack Obama's efforts to "reset ties," which had reached their lowest point since the Cold War under George W. Bush.

"I sincerely hope that this positive approach will allow us to find optimal solutions to even the most complex questions on the bilateral agenda," Putin said in the message.

Putin, Russia's preeminent politician, criticized the United States on December 29 for not giving Moscow enough information on its reformulated shield plans, and linked the plans to agreement on a new nuclear arms pact.

In a speech in the Far Eastern city of Vladivostok, Putin described the planned antimissile system as a "problem" and warned that Russia would respond by developing new weapons of its own to maintain a military balance.

In September, Obama said the United States would scrap parts of George W. Bush's missile-defense plans, a step seen as an attempt to allay Kremlin fears that the system was a direct threat to Russia.

Obama's revised antimissile plans are based on sea- and land-based missile interceptors in Europe.

Moscow has previously voiced some unease with the vagueness of the new scheme but before Putin's comments it was not directly tied to agreeing a successor to the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START I).

Russia and the United States failed to agree on a successor to START I by December 5, when the treaty was due to expire, and have extended it as they try to work out a new agreement.

Putin also congratulated Obama on his Nobel Peace Prize and said they must work together on other issues.

"It is also important to intensify joint efforts to settle the most sharp international and regional problems," said Putin, without elaborating.

Airplane passenger's story [ 535 ]

A 'lucky to be alive' passenger's story

By David Schilke, Special to CNN

January 1, 2010 -- Updated 1232 GMT (2032 HKT)

Editor's note: David Schilke and his family were passengers on Flight 253. He and his wife Iliana work for Ford Motor Co. The following is from an e-mail he plans to send his co-workers on January 4.

(CNN) -- As most of you already know my wife, my son and I were on "that plane" on Christmas Day. We had ringside seats. In order to keep myself from going crazy (repeating everything about everything over and over again) I am writing this e-mail. The therapeutic value of writing things down and staring at the words over and over again after such an event should also not be overlooked.

Please, that definitely does NOT mean that you can't come by and say hi, ask how we are doing, ask other questions or just stare at one of the luckiest persons you'll ever know. Stop by if you wish, any time. The only thing you are absolutely forbidden to ask me about is work.

So, here goes.

The most important thing:

My family and I are still here and so are 275 other people -- so it didn't turn out so badly after all.

The facts:

The guy was on the left side of the plane, window seat, aisle 19. We were two rows back and I was four seats, plus an aisle, sideways from the guy. My son was next to me (on the aisle) and my wife was across the aisle from him.

About 15 minutes before landing -- tray tables up, chairs forward, strapped in -- most everyone heard a pop, very much like a New Year's Eve popper. I immediately poked my head up. I thought the sound had come from ahead of me but I saw a flight attendant standing in our aisle about four or five rows up looking straight across to the other side of the plane. Her eyes were wide open staring over in what proved to be the generally correct direction.

I watched her and looked around for people who might be looking back or over towards a particular location. But neither the flight attendant, presumably, nor I could locate the origin of the pop and a lot of people weren't staring towards one particular area of the plane.

She gave up, presumably, and continued down the aisle. I slumped back into my chair. I then was thinking that it was a child with a balloon or some not-very-intelligent person popping a bag. It had been a good 10 or so seconds since the pop.

Some people over on the other side of the plane suddenly started yelling "fire" and "smoke." My head popped up again. I could see smoke -- not a lot -- rising from a set of two window/aisle chairs on the opposite side of the plane a couple rows up. I could see an orange reflection -- no flames -- low on the cabin walls. People were yelling for water.

After a short time I unbuckled my belt, stood up and stared over at aisle 19, the left window seat. There was one person to stare at because his neighbor had fled. People continued yelling "fire" and "water." People around the guy, and others who had water, started pouring water on his lap and the seat. The flight attendants started yelling for fire extinguishers. The fire continued but always was just a reflection off the cabin walls. Once or twice I looked up at the smoke -- it was never more then a small smoke trail rising up from the area and spreading out over a few rows in each direction. I could just barely smell the smoke.

Before the fire extinguishers arrived, a fellow on our side of the plane, about three rows up in a window seat, jumped out of his seat and over the middle four seats towards the suspect. He grabbed at the suspect and after a very short period of time had dragged him out of his seat to the floor. Less than a minute after the initial pop, two flight attendants ran up the aisle with fire extinguishers and doused the seat and presumably the suspect. The fire and smoke were gone at this point.

The suspect was dragged up to the first-class section by the guy from our side of the plane. We did not see the suspect again until he was removed by police after landing. We clapped twice during the flight. Once when the guy from our side of the plane came back to sit down and again when we landed.

My recollections may not exactly correspond to others that you may have heard or read -- a person can only watch and record so many things in a short period of time and different aspects of an event are more or less important to different people. I would say that my recollections are very accurate as far as the smoke, the fire and the suspect are concerned.

I may not be recollecting exactly who said what and when, exactly what people said ("water" or "we need water," etc.), how many people poured water and from what direction, who moved from somewhere to assist (except for the fellow mentioned above), what happened to the suspect after he was pulled from his seat onto the floor, exactly how he was removed from his seat, etc.

My wife stated that she did hear people screaming. I was focused on one area of the plane and only heard things going on in that area ("water," "bring fire extinguishers," etc.). There may have been screaming going on (which would imply some measure of panic) but I didn't realize it.

The suspect: I remember staring at him for "long" periods of time (many seconds). I could very clearly see his face. He never moved. He never turned his head. He never spoke a word or moved his lips. He never struggled. He never stopped anybody from pouring water on him. His expression was completely emotionless.

The aftermath: After the suspect was moved to the front of the plane we quickly landed and moved to a gate -- about 15 minutes or so later. During this time my wife's attention -- and mine -- were on our son. He is 5 years old, and the questions from him were non-stop. We answered his questions calmly and as accurately as necessary without lying. He was pretty good about things, maybe because a 3-foot-9-inch person strapped in his seat couldn't possibly see anything of consequence in this case.

His expression was completely emotionless.
--David Schilke

The flight attendants had to yell at a couple of passengers who felt that it was absolutely necessary to remove items from the overhead bins.

The police came aboard and quickly got the suspect off the plane. We waited another few minutes before we were allowed to depart. I did not get a good look at the remains of the fire (wrong side of the plane). We went into the international luggage pick-up area of the terminal and remained there for about five hours or so.

We heard that other people were forced to sit on planes on the runways for hours, so sitting in the luggage area was not so bad after all. For some reason we were moved to the hall between the gate and the luggage area for about 20 or 30 minutes and then back to the luggage area again. We had our carry-on belongings with us the whole time.

Dogs were brought in to sniff through the carry-on luggage. The conclusion of our stay in the luggage area was an interview with the FBI. (about a half hour for us). My wife was interviewed by a herd of reporters as we exited the international terminal. During the bus ride to our car, I kissed my wife and bid her a Merry Christmas.

Until we started viewing the events on TV, many of us thought that this was some amateur-hour idiot or some suicidal moron looking for a little publicity. We have since learned that we got lucky, very lucky. This person and his handlers wanted and expected chaos, panic and mayhem.

Two common questions that we were asked over the next few days from various reporters and commentators:

1) Were you scared? If you asked my wife, she would say "yes" because for awhile, during that minute or so after the pop, she thought that the explosion and fire might cause a hole in the side of the plane that would decompress it.

If you asked me, I would say "no." I never saw any chaos or panic (perhaps controlled chaos, at worse). The flames were always very low, never rising high enough for me to actually see them even while standing (just that orange glow on the cabin walls). The smoke never got thick.

People cried out about the fire and smoke (as they should). They cried out for water and fire extinguishers. The water was poured on the fire. The fire extinguishers were brought over and the fire was extinguished. The suspect never moved or spoke. He didn't try to scream at us. He didn't try to run out of his seat to possibly spread the fire. He didn't try to fight being removed from his seat. I watched and never got concerned to the point of being scared for me or for my son or wife.

Perhaps if I had actually seen flames that went higher and higher; perhaps if there had been more smoke; perhaps if other explosions had occurred; perhaps if the suspect had tried to move about while on fire, or had screamed at us, or had tried to fight back in any way; perhaps if people around me had been screaming -- then I probably would have been scared.

2) Will you fly again? Soon: We have to fly again in January. There is absolutely nothing that will keep us from flying in January. Nothing.

Later: We have enjoyed traveling the world and I expect we will continue to do so in the future.

...

We were not supposed to be on the Christmas Day flight from Amsterdam to Detroit. Our original itinerary was: December 23 - Moscow to Amsterdam, staying overnight in Amsterdam and December 24 - Amsterdam to Detroit.

On December 23, we started out for the Moscow airport 4-1/2 hours before the flight, which is normally way more than enough time to go the required 25-30 miles.

Traffic was horrible that day (weather, accidents) and we made it to the airport about 1/2 hour after the flight left. We stayed at an airport hotel in Moscow on December 23, flew from Moscow to Amsterdam on the December 24 and took the fated flight from Amsterdam to Detroit on December 25, a day late.

...

Some other things I have thought of in the week since Christmas:

The suspect would have just sat in his seat and slowly, and quietly, gone up in flames if nobody had done anything.

He paid cash. How nice.

Maybe we, and others, will keep an eye on each other next time. Walk around and watch people. Look into the eyes of strangers and determine if we like what we see.

Between that Reid guy and this guy (and others?), "they" will keep trying until they "get it right." When they do get it right, it won't be pretty.

...

My quote of a lifetime:

"I would rather have days where I am happy to be alive as opposed to days where I am lucky to be alive."

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of David Schilke.

Siberian Liberation Army [ 534 ]

Meet the Siberian Liberation Army

BY JOSHUA KUCERA | DECEMBER 28, 2009

IRKUTSK, Russia -- When you're the leader of a fringe political group, a cafe called "I'm Waiting for a UFO" may not be the best place to take a visiting journalist. But it's possible that alien abduction is more likely than what Mikheil Kulekhov is working for: Siberian independence.

Kulekhov was the head of the Siberian Liberation Army until officers from the FSB (the successor to the KGB) contacted him. "They asked me: 'Why are you calling yourselves an army? Are you going to take up arms?'" Assured that wasn't the case, the officers asked Kulekhov to change the organization's name. He did, and it is now the National Alternative of Siberia. (The two names share the same acronym in Russian, OAS, he points out.)

That Russian security let these would-be secessionists off with nothing more than a gentle scolding is probably a reflection of the group's modest size: Kulekhov counts about 30 members in the OAS. So, Siberia is not Chechnya.

Siberian independence is unlikely. But this region's long-term political and economic future is uncertain. Much of the oil and natural gas that has fueled Russia's booming economy over the last decade is found in eastern Siberia, and the area is also rich in timber, minerals, and other natural resources. But it doesn't have very many people. This was the last part of Russia to be settled, and the Russian history of much of eastern Siberia stretches back barely 100 years.

Contrary to Siberia's reputation, most of the cities I visited were pleasant -- Irkutsk, in particular, has gracious architecture and a bookish college-town feel. Siberians boast that they tend to be smarter and better-looking than their compatriots, because so much of Russia's elite was shipped out here when Siberia was used as a penal colony. But life here has always been difficult; it's remote and, in the winter, bitterly cold. The Soviets encouraged Russians to settle here, but after the collapse of the Soviet Union, people started heading west: The population of Russia east of Irkutsk decreased from 8 million to 6 million between 1998 and 2002 (the date of the last census). What would this mass exodus mean for Russia? Perhaps Russia's greatest claim to being a great power is its immense size, and a shrinking population in its farthest reaches could call its claim on Siberia -- and by extension its authority on the world stage -- into question. I was traveling through this region, heading east from Irkutsk, to see how Russia is holding on to its Far East.

Russian Church representative in Georgia..[ 533 ]

Russian Orthodox Church representative arrives in Georgia

Georgia, Tbilisi, 29.12.2009 12:53/ Trend News, N.Kirtskhalia /

Archimandrite Roman has arrived in Georgia. His visit was arranged by the Russian Orthodox Church Holy Synod. The Georgian Patriarchate said Archimandrite is visiting Georgia with the permission of Catholicos-Patriarch of All-Georgia Ilia II.

According to the patriarchate, Georgia residents requested that a Russian-speaking parishioner be sent from the Russian patriarchy to work at the Saint John the Divine Church.

Meanwhile, the Georgian patriarchy will send Archimandrite Liparteliani Vakhtang to Russia to hold service in Georgian at a local Georgian Orthodox church.

US Α ,prodding Yemen to confront al Qaeda[ 532 ]

Official: Behind scenes, U.S. prodding Yemen to confront al Qaeda

From Barbara Starr, CNN Pentagon Correspondent

Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh began accepting U.S. help against al Qaeda last summer, an official says.

Washington (CNN) December 29, 2009 -- Updated 0310 GMT (1110 HKT) --

"Solid intelligence" from U.S. and Yemen services finally persuaded Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh last summer to accept increased help in fighting al Qaeda in his country, a senior U.S. official told CNN.

After years of pressure from the U.S. to crack down on al Qaeda in Yemen, Saleh was persuaded to accept help after he was presented with intelligence that al Qaeda "was targeting inner circle Yemeni leaders" and that there were a growing number of terrorist training camps in Yemen, the official said.

The official, who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the situation in the wake of the attempted attack on Northwest Airlines Flight 253, detailed to CNN growing U.S. involvement in fighting al Qaeda in Yemen.

Both Gen. David Petraeus, head of the U.S. Central Command, and John Brennan, President Obama's counterterrorism adviser, visited Saleh in Yemen last summer to lay out the terrorist threat. The official said after those meetings, it was clear that Saleh was finally seeing the threat as "much more alarming" than he had previously.

Petraeus had already been laying the groundwork with the Obama administration that al Qaeda in Yemen was a growing threat, and Petraeus was setting up U.S. military assistance efforts including the use of special operations forces inside Yemen to help train Yemeni forces on counterterrorism operations, the official said.

Al Qaeda 'safe haven' in Yemen

In part, the U.S. believes Saleh turned around at that time also because of pressure from Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf nations, especially after the attempted assassination of Saudi Deputy Interior Minister Mohammed bin Naif by a suspected al Qaeda operative coming from Yemen. The U.S. also provided additional intelligence that al Qaeda was planning to strike targets in the capital city of Sanaa.

The Pentagon is spending about $66 million this year to provide Yemen with security and military assistance including training Yemeni counter-terrorist forces.

But the official and other administration sources confirmed that behind the scenes, much more is going on. U.S. military and intelligence agencies are providing not only training, but weapons and intelligence-targeting information.

This official, as well as other administration officials, have continually declined to say whether U.S. warplanes, drones or cruise missiles have been used in several recent strikes against al Qaeda targets in Yemen.

Concerns about the growing al Qaeda safe haven have been made more severe by the declining security situation in Yemen. The official noted there is a rebellion by Huti tribes in the north and secessionists in the southern tribal areas.

There also has been declining oil production, which has led to budget cuts in Yemen's security apparatus.

Other factors that have made Yemen a concern include a growing youth population, hundreds of thousands of Somali refugees and an increasing water shortage that is exacerbated by the growing production of the drug khat, which contains an amphetamine-like substance and requires more water than many other crops.

There is also a substantial arms and drug smuggling network, with intelligence indicating some arms shipments to Hamas via Sudan and then Egypt.

The official said not only are there senior al Qaeda leaders "putting down roots" in Yemen, but next door Somalia has now become home to al Qaeda in East Africa, which has ties to terrorists in Yemen, as well as to senior al Qaeda leaders across North Africa and in the Pakistani border region with Afghanistan.