US President Barack Obama to visit Sweden
On Wednesday 4 and Thursday 5 September, US President Barack Obama
will visit Sweden at the invitation of Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt. It will
be the first time an incumbent US president has paid a bilateral visit to
Sweden.
Barack Obama.
Foto: whitehouse.gov The Swedish Government has long worked to bring President Obama to Sweden.
"At an early stage after his re-election for a second term of office, we aimed to try to get President Obama to come to Sweden. And our aim was that it would be most suitable for him to come this very year, 2013," Minister for Foreign Affairs Carl Bildt explains in his blog.
In a press release, the White House describes Sweden as a "close friend and partner to the United States" that "plays a key leadership role on the international stage", and points in particular to our commitment to furthering a transatlantic trade and investment partnership, clean technologies and environmental sustainability.
"Our relations have deep historical roots, but of course they are primarily about dealing with the various challenges of today and tomorrow. And I believe that it is correct to say that relations that were already good have become deeper and better in recent years. The fact that every US Secretary of State in recent years has found a reason to include Stockholm in their (to put it mildly) packed travel schedules is just one indication of this," says Mr Bildt.
"One aspect is, of course, that Sweden is seen in Washington as an interesting and relevant actor, particularly within the EU, but also in various other contexts. And that we have a clear perception of the importance of transatlantic relations in a number of respects," Mr Bildt continues.
Another significant and positive indication of this is the fact that President Obama has invited the presidents of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to a meeting at the White House on 30 August. This shows the growing global importance of northern Europe.
"When I was in Washington immediately after the presidential elections last year, my message was that I hoped that priority would now be given to two crucial strategic efforts - the negotiations for a transatlatic trade partnership, and the peace process in the Middle East," Mr Bildt says in his blog.
He goes on:
"At that time neither was to be taken for granted and there were significant obstacles, but naturally it is with great satisfaction that we see the efforts now being made by President Obama and Secretary of State Kerry on both of these issues, which are of such importance. It shows that on important issues, we think along similar lines with regard to the major challenges we face."
http://www.government.se/sb/d/17191/a/221404
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A letter To President Obama for US intervention in Balochistan for the heinous crimes against humanity being committed by Pakistan
A letter To President Obama for US intervention in Balochistan for the heinous crimes against humanity being committed by Pakistan
His Excellency Barack H Obama
President United States of America
The White House
Washington
United States of America
Subject: Appeal for US Intervention in Balochistan to Stop Killing of Baloch People
Dear Mr. President,
We would like to draw your kind attention towards the gruesome violations of human rights by the Pakistani security agencies in Balochistan for the last many years.
This letter is to request you to take immediate and practical efforts to investigate and address widespread internationally documented human rights abuses that have occurred and are ongoing in Pakistani controlled Balochistan.
Over the past few years, the people of Balochistan have witnessed immense and brutal measures from the State of Pakistan in response to the legitimate demands of the Baloch people for fundamental human rights of civil liberty, justice and right to freedom. The Pakistani state has responded with the brutal attacks committed by its military, intelligence agencies and paramilitary forces.
Pakistani military is conducting a ruthless operation in Pakistani controlled Balochistan for the last 10 years in which thousands of innocent men, women and children have been mercilessly killed, hundreds of thousands have been displaced and thousands are missing. Whereabouts of thousands of the Baloch civilians are still unknown. Pakistani govt. officials have accepted of more than 1000 missing person themselves last year and we genuinely believe that their lives are in grave danger. In addition, the Pakistani military establishment has created numerous religious terrorist organizations as proxy “Death Squads” comprising of drug peddlers, dacoits and convicted criminals. These are working with different nomenclatures and are given the task of physically eliminating the secular Baloch intellectuals, political and human rights activists.
The graphic details of human rights violation in Balochistan have been published by international human rights organisations such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. The role of Pakistani army in the killings and abduction of the Baloch activists has been highlighted in the detailed reports from these organisations.
There has been a significant rise in the magnitude of the abduction of the Baloch by Pakistani secret agencies for the last many months. From July 2010 Pakistani intelligence agencies have killed more then 200 Baloch political, human rights and social activists and intellectuals, writers and academics and then dumped their bodies in open fields. The most recent report of Human Rights Watch report on 28 July 2011 says that more then 100 bodies have been found in Balochistan http://www.hrw.org/news/2011/07/28/pakistan-security-forces-disappear-opponents-balochistan The recovered bodies of all victims, without exception, bear signs of extreme torture and they all have been killed and dumped in open air in the same way in different parts of Balochistan. They all bear the hallmark of professional torturers. The policy of killing and dumping is premeditated, organized and systematic.
Excellency,
These acts implicate serious violations of Pakistan’s obligations under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and other applicable norms of international human rights law. These acts also violate peremptory norms of international laws, such as the prevention and prohibition of torture and crimes against humanity, from which no derogation is permitted. Moreover, decisions by the Pakistani State to prevent foreign journalists from entering or reporting in Balochistan has created the frightening scenario where the Pakistani state continue to violate human rights on a massive scale without transparency or accountability.
The Baloch are living a life at the gunpoint in the shadows of inhuman atrocities by the most atrocious state establishment in the contemporary world. Their very survival as a nation is threatened by the distortion of their history, occupation of their land and systematic efforts and designs aimed at submerging them in an artificial Pakistani-Islamic culture. To strangulate the Baloch national aspirations once and for all, the Pakistani army is waging a war with no regards for humanitarian laws. The war against the Baloch is being waged without witnesses. They are refusing access to foreign observers, journalists and humanitarian organizations.
Honourable President,
The victims of Pakistani atrocities in Balochistan have waited long enough for genuine justice and for those responsible to be held accountable. In the light of actions taken by the United States in collaboration with international community in various other regions of the world with respect of human right situations, we genuinely believe that your government has the power and authority to investigate claims of human rights abuses in Balochistan.
The situation for the Baloch is alarming. We believe that we are justified in asking for the immediate intervention of United States in order to bring about an immediate end to genocide acts being committed in Balochistan.
We strongly request you to press up on the Pakistani army establishment to stop all atrocities against the Baloch political, social and human rights activists and civilians.
We will be grateful if the Government of United States could initiate the process for the establishment of an international commission to investigate the heinous crimes against humanity committed by the Pakistani State establishment in Balochistan.
Yours Sincerely,
Samad Baloch
General Secretary
Baloch Human Rights Council (UK)
smdbaloch@yahoo.co.uk
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Baloch-Human-Rights-Council/153593348036053
Dr Lakhu Luhana
General Secretary
World Sindhi Congress
http://www.worldsindhicongress.org/
lakhuluhana@yahoo.co.uk
http://balochistanhcr.blogspot.com/2011/08/letter-to-president-obama-for-us.html
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To all balochs and all human rights activists: Please visit Mr Carl Bilds blog (the swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs) and write about Baloch peoples situation in Iran and Pakistan and about these states barbarism and atrocities against baloch people in Balochistan.
Mr Carl Bildts Blog:
email to Carl Bildt, via the senior registry clerk
You can also visit the Swedish Government's website on human rights:
The Swedish Government's website on human rights
Pls ask Mr Carl Bildt to mention Balochistans situation with US President Barack Obama.
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