The US blinked in two symbolic stare-downs with Russia, but Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Moscow was not back in global good graces four months after it invaded a small, US-backed neighbor.
Rice and other NATO foreign ministers agreed on Tuesday to gradually resume talks with Russia that were frozen after the brief war in Georgia. As expected, the US also bowed to European and Russian opposition and agreed to shelve any quick plans to invite Georgia and Ukraine into the NATO alliance.
The chief US diplomat, summing up her last session with NATO colleagues, said the alliance was unified in rejecting the Russian invasion and insisted that Moscow had paid a price.
She and other US officials minimized differences with Europe over the best strategy to deal with Russian ambitions in Europe.
“I don’t think this is in any way business as usual,” Rice told reporters.
Rice then gave some bullet points. Russia, she said, had failed to topple the Georgian government or flatten its economy and failed to rally mainstream support for its position that two breakaway Georgian regions deserve recognition as independent states.
Although Russian forces remain in those regions, despite objections from the US and other countries, Russia should not assume the world is complacent, Rice said.
“What it’s gotten Russia is a lot of scrutiny,” she said.
The NATO-Russia talks will resume at a low level, the NATO ministers said.
Immediately after Russian forces moved on Georgia, Washington led the initiative to freeze the NATO-Russia Council.
The forum had provided a setting for regular meetings of Russian and alliance foreign ministers. Several European allies are pushing for a return to talks with Moscow.
As the US wanted, the ministers restated a decision taken in April that Georgia and Ukraine could one day join NATO despite Russia’s strong opposition.
They agreed to step up military and political assistance to help the two countries prepare, but stopped short of granting them a formal “membership action plan” considered a key step toward joining the Western alliance.
That kicks the largest questions about the US approach to Russia to the incoming administration of president-elect Barack Obama.
Taiwan last night blanked world No. 1 Japan 4-0 to win the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s (WBSC) Premier12 for the first time. Taiwanese ace Lin Yu-min (林昱珉) held defending champions Japan to just one hit and no runs in the first four innings, before catcher Lin Chia-cheng (林家正) opened the fifth inning with a solo home run. That was soon followed by a three-run homer from Taiwanese captain Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) to put Taiwan ahead in the prestigious tournament of the world’s top 12 baseball teams. In addition to a superb performance from 21-year-old Arizona Diamondbacks prospect Lin, three more Taiwanese pitchers
Taiwan yesterday advanced to the gold medal match of the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s (WBSC) Premier12 for the first time in history, despite last night losing 9-6 to Japan. Taiwan advanced after the US defeated Venezuela in the first game on the last day of the Super Round. However, the US had no chance of advancing to the championship game unless it defeated Venezuela by at least nine points. The US won 6-5. As a result, the two teams — who both had one win and two losses in the Super Round — are to face off again in the
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s biggest contract chipmaker, yesterday held an equipment installation ceremony for its first 2-nanometer fab in Kaohsiung, six months ahead of schedule, Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said. “To cope with the strong global demand for advanced chips, TSMC is to start moving in equipment for its first-ever 2-nanometer fab half a year earlier than scheduled,” Chen said at an question-and-answer session at the Kaohsiung City Council. TSMC’s 2-nanometer process technology would help accelerate the development of artificial intelligence (AI) applications as well as the transformation of local industries in Kaohsiung, Chen said in a
TEAM TAIWAN: While lawmakers proposed declaring Nov. 24 a national day, the CPBL commissioner urged the legislature to pass the budget for sports development Lawmakers yesterday proposed designating Nov. 24 as National Baseball Day and updating the design of the NT$500 bill to honor the national team’s victory in the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s Premier12 championship on Sunday, as thousands of fans came out to see the players parade down the streets of Taipei. Players, coaches and staff from the national team returned home on Monday night after achieving their best-ever performance in an international baseball tournament. After receiving a rapturous welcome at the airport, the players turned out yesterday for a street parade in front of thousands of adoring fans waving Taiwanese flags and
RSS