French Cameroun dictator, Paul BIYA has granted a farewell audience to the outgoing U.S. Ambassador – Michael Stephen Hoza. Both personalities met at the Unity Palace on Wednesday 6 September 2017.

Speaking to reporters after the audience, Ambassador Stephen Hoza emphasised that the U.S. will prolong its partnership with Cameroon – “a country with a bright future”.

Stephen Hoza noted that he was “proud to say that the United States and Cameroon broadened cooperation in numerous areas, such as in security, politics, economics, health, education, and the environment- issues that were never felt by the local population.

The U.S. Diplomat’s three-year stay in Cameroon significantly strengthened bilateral relations with CPDM sources claiming U.S. commercial investment rose from approximately US$300 million to over US$2 billion.

In his normal pro government pattern, Ambassador Stephen Hoza commended President Paul BIYA’s consolidation of peace and stability, which are keys to the attainment of an emerging economy. He also underlined the Head of State’s leadership in the fight against the Boko Haram terrorist group, piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, and his handling of the refugee crisis in the Central African Republic.

Culled from the Presidency of the Republic

Russian President Vladimir Putin has refused to comment on domestic American politics and to criticize his US counterpart, taking a jab at Donald Trump by saying “He is not my bride, and I’m not his groom.”

Putin made the remarks at a news conference on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in China on Tuesday, answering a question whether the Russian leader was “disappointed” in Trump and in the improvement of Moscow-Washington relations amid a simmering diplomatic feud between the two countries.

Dismissing the question as “very naive,” Putin chastised the reporter and said, “He is not my bride, neither am I his bride or groom,” referring to the US president.

“Trump is guided by the national interests of his country, and I by mine. I very much hope that we will be able, as the current US president has said, to reach some compromise in resolving bilateral and international problems,” the Russian president added.

Putin also declined to comment on the prospect of the US president being impeached, saying it would be “absolutely wrong” to discuss US domestic politics.

During the conference, the Russian president censured as “uncivil,” the recent US decision to expel Russian diplomats from a consulate in San Francisco with just two days’ notice.

“The Americans had the right to reduce the number of our diplomatic offices. It is another matter altogether that they have done this in way that was absolutely uncivil. This does not do reflect well on our American partners,” he said.

“It is difficult to talk to people who confuse Austria and Australia. But there is nothing we can do about this; this is the level of political culture among part of the American establishment,” Putin noted.

The Russian president further called the shuttering of some Russian diplomatic facilities in the US “an obvious violation of property rights” and said that, “for starters,” he would instruct the Foreign Ministry to challenge the decision in court.

Ties between US and Russia have deteriorated especially since the US intelligence community concluded that Russia meddled in last year’s election to help Trump over his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton. The Kremlin has verily dismissed the allegations of interference in the US elections.

In December 2016, then US president Barack Obama ordered out 35 Russian diplomats and closed down two embassy summer houses over reports of Russia’s alleged meddling in the 2016 US presidential election.

Putin on Ukrainian conflict

At the Tuesday conference, Putin also warned the US against supplying weapons to Kiev, arguing that the decision would fuel the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

Putin said arming Ukraine will possibly prompt pro-Russia forces to expand their campaign, stressing that the move would not change the situation and would only add to the number of casualties.

“The delivery of weapons to a conflict zone doesn’t help peacekeeping efforts, but only worsens the situation,” he said. “Such a decision would not change the situation but the number of casualties could increase.”

The Russian president expressed alarm that the self-declared republics in eastern Ukraine have enough weapons to manage any possible war with Ukraine.

Putin also said he would submit a draft resolution to the United Nations Security Council and propose the deployment of an international peacekeeping force in eastern Ukraine.

Conflict erupted in eastern Ukraine after people in the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea voted for unification with Russia in March 2014. The West brands the unification as annexation of the territory by Russia. The US and its allies in Europe also accuse Russia of having a major hand in the crisis in eastern Ukraine, an allegation denied by Moscow.

The crisis has left over 10,000 people dead and more than a million others displaced, according to the United Nations.

In September 2014, the government in Kiev and the pro-Russia forces signed a ceasefire agreement in the Belarusian capital city of Minsk in a bid to halt the fighting in Ukraine’s eastern regions, collectively known as the Donbass.

The warring sides also inked another truce deal, dubbed Minsk II, in February 2015 under the supervision of Russia, Germany, and France. Since then, however, sporadic fighting has occurred, with the parties blaming each other for initiating the violations.

Culled from Presstv

Moscow has blasted Washington’s recent crackdown on its diplomatic facilities on US soil as “state hooliganism.” Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a BRICS summit in China, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said, “I am inclined to call what is happening state hooliganism.”

Washington seized control over three Russian diplomatic posts in the US on Saturday amid strong protests by Moscow. The US move to shut down Russia’s consulate post in San Francisco along with two trade posts in Washington and New York came in retaliation for Moscow’s last month decision to significantly reduce American diplomatic staff in Russia.

Russia slammed Washington’s crackdown on its diplomatic missions as a violation of international law. The Russian Foreign Ministry also summoned a US diplomat in Moscow to protest Washington’s measures. On Friday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow would respond harshly to any US measure designed to hurt his country.

The diplomatic standoff between the two sides first broke out last December, when the outgoing Washington administration expelled 35 Russian diplomats in retaliation for yet unsubstantiated Russian interference in the US electoral process.

Moscow did not respond in kind back then, reportedly for having received signals that the incoming administration of President Donald Trump would be more favorable towards Russia.

While Trump himself has been perceived as open toward warmer relations with Russia, the US Congress slapped more bans on Russia over the alleged election interference, prompting Moscow to order a significant cut in the number of US diplomatic staff last month.

Source: Presstv

US Senator John McCain has denounced President Donald Trump’s lack of experience, saying members of Congress will cooperate with the president whenever possible but they are “not his subordinates.”

“We must respect his authority and constitutional responsibilities,” the Arizona Republican said during an international economic and policy conference in Lake Como, Italy.

“We must, where we can, cooperate with him. But we are not his subordinates. We don’t answer to him. We answer to the American people,” he stressed.

McCain, a fierce critic of President Trump, emphasized the importance of Congress as a check on presidential power, adding, “We should value our identity as members of Congress more than our partisan affiliation.”

McCain, who is the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, further said that Trump’s rhetoric and lack of experience have thrown the country’s relationships with foreign allies into doubt.

“I realize that I come to Italy at a time when many are questioning whether America is still committed to remaining engaged in the world, to upholding our traditional alliances, and standing up for the values we share,” McCain said.

“I also realize — and there is no point in avoiding a little straight talk here — that this doubt has much to do with some of the actions and statements of our president.”

McCain said there is a “real debate” in the United States about the role it must play internationally and that the future of the world “will turn, to a large extent, on how this debate in America is resolved.”

The remarks echoed a speech McCain made back in May in Australia, where he warned that Trump had “unsettled America’s friends.”

Trump has worried many traditional US allies by his controversial statements on foreign policy matters and US alliances with other countries. The president has also isolated the United States by pulling the country from the Paris Climate Accord.

Source: Presstv

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says cooperation between Iran and South Africa can play a leading role in promoting peace and stability across the world.

“Iran and South Africa can make valuable efforts for [improving] international peace and stability and [serving] the interests of developing countries through joint cooperation in international circles,” Rouhani said in a meeting with South Africa’s Speaker of the National Assembly Baleka Mbete in Tehran on Saturday.

He added that the two countries share a stance on many regional and international issues and have “good and effective” cooperation in international organizations.

The Iranian chief executive praised growing relations between Tehran and Pretoria, saying, “The Islamic Republic of Iran’s will is to strengthen all-out relations with African countries, particularly South Africa.”

Rouhani also threw his country’s weight behind bolstering cooperation with South Africa in various economic fields, including mine, energy, tourism and banking sectors, expressing Tehran’s readiness to export technical and engineering services to Pretoria.

Need for enhanced international cooperation

For her part, the speaker of South Africa’s National Assembly said her country shares views with Iran on many international issues and stressed the importance of developing cooperation with the purpose of promoting global peace and friendship.

Mbete said Pretoria is determined to strengthen cooperation with Tehran in all areas.

Iran-South Africa cooperation on anti-terror fight

Meanwhile, Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani said the Islamic Republic and South Africa are cooperating with each other in the fight against terrorism.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting with Mbete, Larijani added that the two countries could boost cooperation in the fields of oil, gas, petrochemistry, transportation and investment.

The top Iranian parliamentarian expressed hope that Mbete’s visit to Tehran would pave the way for boosting mutual ties, particularly in trade.

Iran’s membership to BRICS

The speaker of the South African parliament said her country is willing to make all efforts to help Iran join BRICS, the association of five major emerging national economies, namely Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

Mbete praised Iran’s achievements in the field of education, adding that Tehran can play an influential role in a forum like BRICS.

Culled from Presstv

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian has urged China to be more active diplomatically to resolve the ongoing crisis on the Korean Peninsula. Le Drian said on Friday that he and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi had held a telephone conversation to review the Korean Peninsula situation a day earlier.

During their talk, Le Drian and Wang agreed that another round of United Nations sanctions needed to be implemented. Le Drian said he called on Wang to advise Beijing, which is Pyongyang’s main trade partner, to do its utmost to enforce the sanctions.

The French foreign minister said, “We must anticipate, there is a United Nations resolution that France voted for, to put in place sanctions on North Korea.” He warned that North Korea would, in a few months, have the capability to send long-range ballistic missiles anywhere across the globe. “In a few months that will be a reality,” he warned.

Le Drian said France supported intensifying efforts by the international community to push forward the denuclearization process on the Korean Peninsula. He said Pyongyang needed to resolve its issues through negotiations. “North Korea must find the path to negotiations.”

Wang, for his part, said his country “always strictly carries out related United Nations Security Council resolutions.” Beijing is “playing a positive role in seeking a peaceful solution to the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula,” he said. Wang added that other parties involved needed to jointly work to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

North Korea has repeatedly asked the United States and South Korea to stop military drills in the region. Pyongyang sees the annual drills as a prelude for future invasion. North Korea says it needs its missiles and nuclear weapons as a deterrent against the US and its regional allies’ hostility, aggression and expansionist policy in the region.

Culled from Presstv

A new poll shows that a majority of American voters disapprove of US President Donald Trump’s performance and believe he is “tearing the country apart.” The survey, released on Wednesday by Fox News, found that 55 percent of registered voters said they disapprove of Trump’s time in office and 56 percent said they feel he is “tearing the country apart.”

Just 33 percent of voters said Trump is “drawing the country together,” and 41 percent approved of his performance.
According to the survey, Trump has lost the most support from Republican men and whites without a college degree (a nine-point decline for each) and conservatives (a seven-point loss). All three groups are significant demographics in his voter base.

For most of the issues asked in the survey— including immigration, taxes, health care, Russia, North Korea and the environment — the majority of voters expressed disapproval of Trump. His worst ratings came in his handling with race relations. Only 33 percent approved of his performance there; 61 percent did not.

Fox News is reportedly Trump’s favorite news network and the only major news station he has publicly praised. Trump has described “Fox & Friends,” a morning show on Fox News, as the most “fair” news program.
Trump has scored all-time low approval ratings in most mainstream surveys, but in the past few months, even polls skewed in his favor have been reporting poor scores.

Trump’s approval this month hit an all-time low in a survey by Rasmussen Reports, a right-wing polling company that Trump dubiously called “one of the most accurate” in the 2016 presidential election.
Trump has already spent more time under 40 percent than any other first-year president, according to an analysis by The Associated Press.

Low approval ratings impede a president’s ability to push an agenda through Congress and make it more likely the president’s party will lose seats in Congress in the midterm elections.