Sekatan Rusia, lawatan Merkel NSA mengintip atas Agenda di White House

bOLLy ENn - Jerman Canselor Merkel adalah di White House buat kali pertama sejak NSA pantau komunikasi peribadinya. Semasa perbincangan 2 hala dengan Barack Obama, Merkel dijangka memulakan pembicaraan sekatan ke atas Rusia dan mengintip Amerika Syarikat.

Hubungan antara Washington dan Berlin menunjukkan tanda-tanda ketegangan, kerana syarikat-syarikat Jerman memanggil menghentikan sekatan ke atas Rusia. Tambahan pula, Jerman masih terasa bahang dari ayat-ayat pengintip NSA yang menjejaskan berjuta-juta rakyat Jerman, serta ahli perniagaan dan ahli politik berpangkat tinggi.

Merkel mengulangi awal minggu ini bahawa Jerman tidak akan menyokong mana-mana sekatan kewangan lagi terhadap Rusia. Walau bagaimanapun, panggilan yang semakin meningkat daripada sektor perniagaan Jerman boleh memaksa beliau untuk mengubah dasar beliau dalam mesyuarat Jumaat.

"Orang-orang Jerman adalah sangat jelas mereka tidak akan meneruskan puak-puak yang menyakiti industri Jerman. Itu akan menjadi jerami yang mematahkan belakang unta, "kata Michael Hudson profesor Ekonomi di University of Missouri untuk RT.

Malah, beberapa tokoh korporat utama telah bercakap menentang peningkatan potensi sekatan, mengekalkan mereka akan mendatangkan lebih banyak mudarat daripada kebaikan kepada ekonomi Jerman.

"Jika ada satu mesej kami sebagai pemimpin perniagaan, maka ianya ini: duduk di meja rundingan dan menyelesaikan perkara-perkara ini secara aman," Eckhard Cordes pada sidang baru-baru ini di Berlin. Cordes adalah bekas eksekutif Daimler AG yang kini menge-tuai Ostauschuss, cawangan industri Jerman bagi Eropah Timur, dilaporkan Wall Street Journal.

Setakat ini Amerika Syarikat, Kesatuan Eropah, Kanada dan Jepun telah mengenakan sekatan ke atas Rusia untuk peranannya yang dikatakan dalam rusuhan di timur Ukraine. Moscow telah menafikan dakwaan-dakwaan terlibat dalam rusuhan dan telah menun-jukkan jari pada Washington untuk mendalangi keadaan di Ukraine sebagai sebahagian daripada strategi geopolitik di rantau ini.

NSA mengintip

Telatah pengintipan Agensi Keselamatan Negara Amerika Syarikat kekal sebagai tulang pertengkaran antara Berlin dan Washington. Ia muncul pada April yang Merkel telah dinafikan akses kepada fail NSA beliau, berikutan laporan agensi itu telah pantau komu-nikasi peribadinya. Ayat-ayat yang mempunyai kesan mendalam kepada masyarakat Jerman, mendorong panggilan untuk Washington ke akaun untuk tindakan.

"Pertama Amerika Syarikat menafikan mengintip pada telefon bimbit Merkel, kemudian mengakui ianya, kini ia hanya berterusan, kerana Obama berkata 'kami berhak untuk mengumpul maklumat.' Saya hanya melihat Angela Merkel yang akan ke Amerika Syarikat untuk mengambil arahan baru," Ken Jebson, hos radio Redaktion memberitahu RT Peter Oliver.

Walaupun jurucakap Wikileaks Kristinn Hrafsson, berkata kekurangan kerajaan Jerman itu keazaman sepanjang pengintip skandal NSA adalah menunjukkan sikap pengecut Eropah dalam menghadapi dominasi Amerika Syarikat.

"Saya rasa bukti sikap penakut kerajaan dan ahli-ahli politik dan keengganan mereka untuk menangani ini dengan cara yang bermakna, walaupun apa yang mereka katakan secara terbuka, adalah apabila negara-negara Eropah ditutup ruang udara mereka dan memaksa pesawat presiden Evo Morales mendarat di Austria, pada yang firasat bahawa Edward Snowden adalah di atas kapal, "katanya kepada RT.

Pada awal tahun ini Washington berjanji bahawa ia tidak lagi akan mengintip pemimpin DUNIA, tetapi menyatakan ia masih mengumpul maklumat mengenai niat kuasa-kuasa asing melalui program pengintipan itu.

READ MORE:  http://on.rt.com/a4q8zb

Russian sanctions, NSA Spying top the Agenda at Merkel’s White House VISIT

Germany’s Chancellor Merkel is in the White House for the first time since it was revealed the NSA monitored her personal communications. During bilateral talks with Barack Obama, Merkel is expected to broach sanctions on Russia and US spying.

Relations between Washington and Berlin are showing signs of tensions, as German companies call for a halt to sanctions on Russia. Furthermore, Germany is still reeling from the NSA spy revelations that affected millions of German citizens, as well as high-ranking businessmen and politicians.

Merkel reiterated earlier this week that Germany would support any further financial sanctions against Russia. However, growing calls from the German business sector may force her to change her policy in Friday’s meeting.

“The Germans are very clear they are not going to pursue factions that hurt German industry. That would be the straw that broke the camel’s back,” said Michael Hudson professor of Economics at the University of Missouri to RT.

Indeed, some major corporate figures have already spoken out against a potential escalation of the sanctions, maintaining they will do more harm than good to the German economy.

“If there's a single message we have as business leaders, then it's this: sit down at the negotiating table and resolve these matters peacefully,” Eckhard Cordes told a recent conference in Berlin. Cordes is a former Daimler AG executive who now heads the Ostauschuss, German industry's branch for Eastern Europe, reported the Wall Street Journal.

So far the US, EU, Canada and Japan have imposed sanction on Russia for its alleged role in the unrest in eastern Ukraine. Moscow has denied claims it is involved in the unrest and has pointed the finger at Washington for orchestrating the situation in Ukraine as part of its geopolitical strategy in the region.

NSA spying

The espionage antics of the US National Security Agency remain a bone of contention between Berlin and Washington. It emerged earlier in April that Merkel had been denied access to her NSA file, following reports the agency had monitored her personal communications. The revelations had a profound effect on German society, prompting calls for Washington to account for its actions.

“First the US denied spying on Merkel’s cell phone, then admitted it, now it just continues, because Obama says ‘we reserve the right to collect information.’ I just see Angela Merkel going to the US to pick up new instructions,” Ken Jebson, Redaktion radio host told RT’s Peter Oliver.

While WikiLeaks spokesperson Kristinn Hrafsson, said the German government’s lack of resolve over the NSA spy scandal is indicative of European cowardice in the face of US dominance.

“I think the proof of the cowardice of governments and politicians and their unwillingness to tackle this in a meaningful way, despite what they say publicly, was when European countries closed their airspace and forced the presidential plane of Evo Morales to land in Austria, on a hunch that Edward Snowden was on board,” he told RT.

Earlier this year Washington pledged that it would no longer spy on world leaders, but stated it would still gather information on the intentions of foreign powers through its espionage programs.