BALTIMORE, Maryland March 3, 2014 - Even though an international crises boils just over the border, Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski said Monday that he has been given assurances by USA President Obama that one of the eastern-most members of NATO is "unequivocally" safe going forward. Polish Radio's on-line news source, "The News," said that Komorowski, speaking Monday in Warsaw, said that despite those assurances from the American leader, he has instructed Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski to formally request NATO consultations under Article 4 of the alliance's founding treaty. That portion of the treaty comes into play when a member country's "territorial integrity, political independence or security" is in anyway threatened.
America's Secretary of State, John Kerry, is due in Kiev tomorrow to convey his country's support for Ukraine. Monday, Kerry told reporters that "everything is on the table," for the USA as it considers its response to the Russian invasion. This is a vague reference to the possibility that the USA still may resort to military measures, something it has been extremely reluctant to even mention until Kerry's statement. On Friday, when Obama addressed the American people, he made no mention of even the possibility of American Military interdiction. Obama has come under criticism for a failure to recognize the pending Ukraine episode. During the last presidential campaign, Obama blasted Mitt Romney, the Republican nominee, for being concerned about Russian aggression. "The Cold War ended 20 years ago," Obama said dismissively during a debate with Romney. Romney had said, immediately prior to this, that he would place emphasis on relations with Russia, but would remain concerned about their international intentions. Among the specific sanctions Kerry said the USA is considering putting freezes on Russian assets.
Both Komorowski and Sikorski were among the Polish leaders meeting Monday after Komorowski called a meeting of the National Security Council. That body consists of the persons in their posts as well as the prime minister and leaders of the opposition parties. Obama continued to criticize Russian Strong Man Vladimir Putin during his conversation with Komorowski, telling the Polish leader that solving disputes with military force "raises huge doubts" for the future.
There was news Monday that the crises in the Crimea may be spreading to Eastern Ukraine. The News said that in Donetsk in Eastern Ukraine a crowd estimated to be about 100-strong, barged into an 11-story government building and occupied the first floor. Maybe even more ominous, according to The News, is the report that a Russian flag has been flying over the building for at least three days. Fox News reported Monday morning that troops continued to pour into the Crimea overnight, with up to one-half dozen helicopters full of troops landing there. There were other reports that these aircraft have violated Ukraine's airspace.
No shots have been fired by either side, according to various press reports. Nonetheless, Fox reported that Russian Navy vessals, whose home port is at Sevastopol in Crimea, have begun harassing boats and barges heading for Ukraine's port facilities in Sevastopol. The EU ministers are scheduled to meet Monday and a draft of a statement, seen by Reuters, is said to blast the Russian invasion of the Crimea. The document says the EU will convey to Russia the "strong condemnation" of the members for Russia's invasion. The EU is still considering whether to promise "targeted measures" if Russia does not pull back. Pipelines from Russia to Western Europe, filled with natural gas and oil, cross Ukraine at about a dozen different places. These pipelines are a double-edged sword, because if Ukraine shuts them off, it will lose income and it risks having its intended allies deeply injured by such a move. There is no question but that Russia's ramped up production of oil and natural gas has both emboldened Putin and given him the needed capital to modernize its military forces. Those forces came under scrutiny after the Russian army was bogged down in several locations when Putin ordered an invasion of Georgia in 2008.
Fox News reported Monday that the GOP is ramping up the tone of their criticism of Obama for his proposed slashing of spending on American armed forces. Hearings in Washington in front of Congressional Committees are set to begin this week.
In Baltimore, Maryland the rain that started falling near nightfall changed to snow at about 3 am Eastern Standard Time. Temperatures had briefly risen into the mid-forties on the Fahrenheit scale, but have plumeted in the interim. As this is posted the reading here is 16 degrees. It has continued to plummet since daybreak and is now down over ten degrees since 7 am. Baltimore is on an unusual dividing line in the snow storm. Usually, the city and its suburbs form a line of sorts between rain and snow. In this storm, from the city south over one foot of snow is expected, while north of the city accumulations are expected to be eight inches or less. All major school systems announced at nightfall Sunday that they were cancelling classes today. Most governments have followed suit.
Prosecuters in Krakow, Poland have sought and obtained a four month extension of time for concluding their investigation into the American CIA's alleged use of sites in Poland for secret prisons, The News in Poland has reported. Investigators believe the United States paid some $15 million to Poland for use of one more Polish locations. It is believed that the CIA used these sites for "enhanced interrogation" techniques applied against Al Qaeda prisoners subsequent to their capture and prior to their being sent to the United States' Military prison in Cuba. The investigation had been scheduled to expire on February 11, 2014, but will now end on June 11, 2014. The investigation is being conducted under the auspices of the Polish Attorney General Andrzej Seremet. It was Seremet who granted the extension, calling the request "reasonable." The Washington Post said recently that witnesses have said the CIA transferred the $15 million - placed in cardboard boxes - to Polish contacts for use of a site in northeast Poland, near the Szymany military airport. The international group, Human Rights Watch, has made those specific charges, the Post said.
Stare Kiejkuty, north east Poland, near Szymany military airport, - See more at: http://www.thenews.pl/1/10/Artykul/161791,Poland-extends-CIA-prison-probe#sthash.tusP36KK.dpuf
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