U.S. official: Iran more dangerous than Al Qaeda

Iran's nuclear activities has raised fears the West (ALJazeera )

U.S. military official said today that Iran is the biggest military threat to the United States in the Middle East, with French President Nicolas Sarkozy today Search the hypothesis pre-emptive strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities, in the meantime, expect a report of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) suggests that Iran is making a weaponnuclear.
The high-level U.S. official - who spoke on condition of anonymity - that "the biggest threat to the United States and our interests and our friends of Iran is beyond the al-Qaeda."
The official - who was speaking at a forum in Washington - that although it did not believe that Iran wants to ignite the conflict and he did not know whether Tehran has decided to build a nuclear weapon.
In Paris, French President Nicolas Sarkozy that there is a path is still available between the option of war and sanctions that have not yet resulted in a great result.
Sarkozy said - in response to a question at the end of the top of the Group of Twenty in Cannes - "pre-emptive strikes means going directly to the target. Things are not that way. There is dialogue, and when it does not give the dialogue a result, there are sanctions, and if it did not stop the sanctions are also penalties, and the international community can not settle all matters with arms. "
The French president added, "It's very dangerous ideas, it's not things that we talk in this way between the heads of states."
Sarkozy said that "the only thing we have said, is that if Israel's existence was threatened France will not remain idle," he said "between the pre-emptive strike and the effectiveness of sanctions, there is, however, by".
Sarkozy and concluded that "the obsessive will to acquire nuclear military equipment violates all international norms, and France strongly condemns Iran's lack of respect of international norms."
And ruled out the hypothesis of pre-emptive strike by Israel against Iran in recent days, as a result of leaks to the media about the discussions leading to a split among the members of the Israeli government.
China urged Iran today to be flexible about its nuclear program is controversial, and warned that the use of force to resolve the issues is the last thing they need the Middle East at this time.

IAEA reportMeanwhile, Western diplomats said today that the report of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Iran's nuclear program is expected to include evidence on research and other activities would be meaningless unless they are related to the manufacture of weapons.
The diplomats said that the document will increase the expected suspicion that Tehran is seeking to acquire the capability to make nuclear bombs, but he will not say so explicitly.
A Western official said "there are parts of it obviously it is good only to be dedicated for the purposes of a secret nuclear."
Any evidence of activities related to nuclear weapons to strengthen calls for the imposition of further sanctions on Iran.
Diplomats and experts, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will be provided through a technical supplement to its quarterly report on Iran next lot of new details and add to the concerns I mentioned briefly earlier.
Deputy Director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Olli Heinonen told Reuters, "Iran's activities with high explosives and neutron physics experiments, for example, of concern, it is a list, and the question now is what the purpose of these activities."
Said Mark Fitzpatrick of the International Institute for Strategic Studies The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is likely to have more information on the experiments that use Iranian Diotrad uranium.
Fitzpatrick said "It's a very strong indicator to work on nuclear weapons."
And many experts believe that Iran still needs several years to build a nuclear arsenal and that it was not clear if they will decide in the end, the pursuit of making this type of weapon.
Western powers believe that Iran is secretly trying to build nuclear weapons, but Tehran denies this and says it is enriching uranium only for reactors to generate electricity.
Source: Agencies

Euro: What is the secret of survival is high?

See Kenneth Rogoff, professor of economics at Harvard University to understand theexchange rate in general is not easy, but keep its value relatively high euro, remains vague and elusive.

Rogoff and wondering if it was due to the confidence of what he calls the "demons" in thecurrency markets that the plan to save the single currency reached by the leaders of the Governments of the euro will endure for more than a few months.

And adopt the new deal on the "mix" of financial scams suspicious and vague promisesfrom Asian countries to contribute to the financing of the plan and even the most important part of the deal (which proposes a waiver creditors 50% of the debts owed ​​to Athens) is not sufficient to restore stability to Greece engulfed in a sea of ​​debt will give life to its economy.

And the secret of the continued rise of the euro against the dollar at a time when doubtsare growing investors in the future debts of the South European continent Rogoff says that he has a good reason one should justify the fall of the euro and the six other reasons do not explain the relevance of which remains stable or upward.

The collapse of the euro
Rogov believes that the European Monetary System (ie the euro) incomplete growth seems increasingly unable to continue in its current form, in the absence of a clear path tothe establishment of the Federation of Mali, a strong political, which would not occur untilconstitutional changes.

It seems that the ECB will find itself forced to buy very large amounts of debt securities(WEEE) for the euro countries. Such a move may be useful in the short term, but if the specter of bankruptcy of some euro countries a reality (which nominated it occurred in theprevious paper), the European Central Bank itself will find itself in need of funding.

If the North has been the most powerful European countries is not ready to accept thistrend and increased the pace of the "resistance" in which the political, the European Central Bank finds itself forced to refinance itself by printing money, and in both cases, therisk remains high, the financial crisis deepens.

The secret of the height
Rogoff explains Alaratf current euros constantly in the Nordic countries to provide assistance to their counterparts in the south as well as the likelihood of continued foreign central banks and sovereign wealth funds to continue to buy the euro to hedge against any risks linked to the dollar and their economies.

The investors in the end, convinced that the risks the U.S. equivalent in size to the European risk. This is true, the U.S. political system seems unable to progress with a plan to achieve stability in the budget deficit over the medium term.

The other factor, according to Rogoff, behind the euro is to the fact that the current value of the euro does not look very abnormal as measured by purchasing power to him.

But Rogoff acknowledges that the comprehensive reform of the euro was inevitable for a country or countries and in what time, but not all the States and soon, he said, adding that it is not possible to bet on the stability of the euro against the dollar in the coming year.
 
 
Source: Project Syndicate

Resignation of the President or FM Global bankrupt

Jon Corzine announced that President and Chief Executive Officer of MF Global brokerage Friday that he resigned from the company that declared bankruptcy before the days affected by the debt crisis in the euro area, to be the first U.S. company to fall victim to the crisis in question.


The announcement of the company's bankruptcy as a result of loss as it carries sovereign bonds European $ 6.3 billion dollars, belonging to the Governments of Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain, and reduced the major credit rating agencies rating the company in the last period to the worst degree as a result of their exposure to the debt crisis of Europe.


He said Corzine (64 years) that he took the difficult decision to resign, but "his own free will which is in favor of the company and its shareholders," and added that it would continue its support for the company and its board of directors in their efforts to answer the questions investigators on file for bankruptcy, and with respect to development of the company's assets.


The outgoing president had managed Goldman Sachs between 1994 and 1999 and was elected to the U.S. Senate for New Jersey governor and her later, he joined MF Global listed on Wall Street Stock Exchange in March / March 2010.


Multiple investigations
The institutions of American control over the financial sector to achieve an expanded about the activities of MF Global, where the investigation seeks to determine the fate of missing funds from the accounts of customers of the company are estimated at more than $ 600 million.


The bankruptcy of the company's seventh largest bankruptcy in U.S. history, according to Reuters, and raised questions about whether or FM Global has violated one of the basic rules for the work of brokerage firms, a separation of money from funds of its clients, prompting the Bureau of Investigation, the U.S., as well as supervisory authorities to investigate the files of the company.


Will discuss the investigators that the company, which apply to the judiciary to protect their assets from creditors, may have violated criminal laws, as quoted by The Associated Press for exporters close the file, The New York Post that the Attorney General in New York City to achieve its role in the case.


 Source: Agencies