Crossfire War – Russia Chief of Staff Arrives in US for Five Day Strategic Visit

Crossfire War – RAPID FIRE NEWS=MOSCOW – BERLIN – WASHINGTON WATCH – Caucasus – Persian Gulf Theatre: Moscow – Berlin – London – Washington – Tokyo – Canberra – Sukhumi – Tskhinvili/Tbilisi – Ankara – Tehran – Riyadh – Doha; Chief of Russia General Staff Begins Five Day Visit Dec. 3-7 to Pentagon-US – Joint Operations Planning Against Iran – Suicide Fatah al-Islam Announces Presence in Gaza – Israel Postpones Delivery of Armored Vehicles to Palestinian Authority West Bank

Night Watch: PENTAGON – RIA reports Chief of Russia General Staff, General Yury Baluyevsky, has just arrived in Washington to begin a five day visit Dec. 3-7. He is to meet the Pentagon Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen and visit the Kings Bay naval submarine base in southeast Georgia. Russia Defense Ministry released this official explanation for Baluyevsky’s visit, “The negotiations will focus on missile defense, the Treaty of Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) and bilateral military contact.” Only the last part of the statement should be taken seriously. The general’s working visit is an integral part of the Strategic Working Groups between Moscow-Berlin-Washington established in April with the arrival of former U. S. Secretary of State Dr. Henry Kisssinger in Moscow. Former Russia Premier Yevgeny Primakov leads the Russian team and their assignment is to prevent Iran-Turkey from controlling the resources of the Caucasus-Caspian Sea region. To disguise the strategic cooperation, joint planning, Moscow-Washington have orchestrated a controversy over missile defense in an attempt to fool Tehran into thinking there is no serious military cooperation between the West and Russia. [RIA]

This is a very real indication the West’s supports Russia’s planned offensive in the South Caucasus to end the support Ankara-Tehran have given to the Georgian government in Tbilisi for the past two years, but this should have been done nearly fifteen years ago when fighting began further north in Chechnya (1994)between Russia and Islamic militant groups supported by Ankara-Tehran. But NATO, instead of committing forces then to fight alongside Russia in an energy strategic region, put itself completely out of position by recognizing the division of Yugoslavia and committed forces there (1992) and is now faced with a new round of war along the Adriatic. That has given Tehran nearly fifteen more years of nuclear-ballistic missile production of which the world is about to experience; especially Iran’s main targets the West, Iran’s main international rival and India, in support of Pakistan and the Muslim community in Kashmir.

I would not be surprised if the results of General Baluyevsky’s visit are seen before the month is over. It is quite possible the strategy is for Moscow to use its contacts in the territories that seceded from Georgia in 1990, Abkhazia-South Ossetia, to create a military crisis, which would force Tbilisi into war. Russia would enter the conflict in the name of regional stability, with the West’s approval, and Moscow’s attack would also hit targets close to Turkey-Iran’s border. The Pentagon may wait and see what Tehran’s response is and it could be then Iran decides to attack the naval units the US/UK have on station in the Persian Gulf and Northern Arabian Sea, unless the Pentagon has already decided to begin its attack at the same time as Russia’s, which I think would be more effective. Since Tehran does not view Moscow as being as much of a problem as the West I do not see Tehran committing any forces in the Caucasus and is quite prepared to acknowledge Russia’s success and merge its regional policy with Moscow after the war.

Gaza – Debka reports the extreme militant unit Fatah al-Islam, which fought Lebanese army units in northern Lebanon for more than three months this year, has announced an operational presence in Gaza. Tehran formed the suicide unit late last year as part of Iran’s response to the Rome Conference that resulted in European countries deploying 12,000 troops in south Lebanon with UNIFIL and when there was still cooperation between them and some Lebanese units. Tehran had Fatah al-Islam begin fighting May 20 near Tripoli and Syria’s border. During the months of heavy fighting, there were reports Islamic militants from Syria entered the conflict and when it finally ended in August most of Lebanon’s military was now willing to work with Tehran-Damascus including the new unofficial President of Lebanon General Michel Suleiman, which is why Syria congratulated Lebanon on its victory. Beirut was no longer under the sphere of influence of Paris and the West. [DEBKA]

Gaza – Now Fatah al-Islam’s leader, Shaker al-Abessi, who was at first reported dead, has just announced they are in Gaza and have already fired mortars at Israel. INN reports another new militant group has emerged calling itself the Salah a-Din Brigades and their readiness to conduct rocket and mortar attacks. Tehran expects them, as trained, to be prepared for martyrdom and take a lot of the enemy with them. Iran has intended for massive fighting in this regional theatre, West Asia, to not only remove the West’s military bases, but also the last Islamic head of state working with the U. S.-Europe, Egypt President Hosni Mubarak. [INN]

Jerusalem – RIA reports Israel has postponed delivery of 25 armored vehicles it had said it would send to Mahmoud Abbas’ Palestinian Authority government in the West Bank. The reason of course it has long been suspected Abbas’ cooperation with Washington has been just to receive financial aid, but in reality he still cooperates with extremists directed by Tehran. Palestinian militants have admitted during the day the work with Abbas but at night operate with militant groups. Most of the militant cells in the West Bank seem to be concentrated in the city of Nablus. [RIA]

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