USA
14 Feb 14. Controversy swirled this morning and extended into the afternoon regarding the Obama administration’s decision to withhold from the public the text describing how the interim Joint Plan of Action (JPA) with Iran is to be implemented, with the Washington Free Beacon publishing multiple articles on the issue and a leading House lawmaker calling on the White House to release the full text. Top Iranian figures have repeatedly and explicitly accused the White House of mischaracterizing the degree to which Iran committed to making concessions on its nuclear program under the JPA. Analysts and journalists have been unable to evaluate the Iranians’ claims because the White House has refused to allow the text to be publicly scrutinized. This morning the Beacon detailed extensive measures that the Obama administration is forcing even lawmakers to undertake to view the reportedly “unclassified” document. A Congressional source explained to the outlet that among the many consequences of those measures, they enable “the administration at any time to review who is looking at the document.” Washington Institute Executive Director Robert Satloff insisted later in the morning that “if [the] Iran nuke deal details are truly ‘unclassified,’ secrecy is a national insult.” By the afternoon the Beacon revealed that Rep. Ileana Ros Lehtinen (R-FL) – a top Congressional voice on foreign policy and a leading member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee – had written the President calling Iran deal’s details to be made public, emphasizing that disclosure was necessary for the “American people… [to] judge for themselves the merits of this deal.” (Source: theisraelproject.org)
10 Feb 14. US and France call for allies to shoulder greater security burden. The US and France have issued a clear call to reluctant allies to follow their willingness to intervene in international hotspots as they hailed a “deepening partnership” between the two countries. As François Hollande flew to Washington for the first full state visit accorded a French president since 1996, he and President Barack Obama stressed the current close co-operation between France and the US on a range of sensitive security fronts, including Iran, Syria and Africa – where France has launched two military operations in the past year. Their message came within days of a flurry of calls from German leaders, led by President Joachim Gauck, that Germany should shed its reticence and no longer say “no” in principle to armed intervention. France, with troops active in operations to stabilise Mali and Central African Republic, has been pressing Germany and other European allies to back a more proactive EU defence policy. The US has for years urged (Source: FT.com)
REST OF THE WORLD
14 Feb 14. The Canadian subsidiary of US arms maker General Dynamics has won a $10bn order for light armored vehicles for Saudi Arabia, Canada’s Trade Minister Ed Fast announced Friday. The vehicles will be produced by General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada (GDLS) in London, Ontario, and the deal could be worth up to $13bn if all options are exercised, according to securities filings. The agreement also includes associated equipment, training and support services, said a statement. Fast said the 14-year “landmark contract” will create and sustain more than 3,000 jobs in Canada, and give a boost to more than 500 companies across Canada that supply parts and materials to General Dynamics. “This is an Olympic win for Canada and for Canadian manufacturers,” commented Danny Deep, vice president of GDLS. “It shows how great people in truly innovative companies like GDLS can compete internationally and bring home the gold.” Canada’s advanced manufacturing sector supports 1.7m Canadians and posted combined revenues in 2012 of $164.6bn, according to the most recent government figures. Canadian trade with Saudi Arabia is relatively modest at Can$900m last year, but Fast has sought to change that by embarking