Israël et les Etats-Unis toujours en désaccord sur la colonisation
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: PROCHE-ORIENT | L’émissaire de Washington, George Mitchell, a rencontré hier à Jérusalem le premier ministre Netanyahou.

«Nous avons eu une rencontre très positive», a assuré hier l’envoyé spécial américain pour le Proche-Orient, George Mitchell, après ses entretiens à Jérusalem avec le premier ministre israélien, Benjamin Netanyahou. Mais rien n’y fait: le désaccord persiste sur la poursuite de la colonisation juive en Cisjordanie, y compris à Jérusalem-Est.

Mitchell exige un gel total, préalable indispensable à «une paix globale au Proche-Orient», incluant Israéliens, Palestiniens, Syriens et Libanais. Netanyahou, lui, affirme œuvrer à cet objectif, et pourrait envisager «un gel temporaire», mais espère en contrepartie «des gestes» de normalisation de la part des pays arabes. >>> Ouri Daniel | Mercredi 29 Juillet 2009

US Asks Arab Nations to Reach Out to Israel
THE TELEGRAPH: President Barack Obama has asked Arab countries to make confidence-building gestures towards Israel in the hope that they could kick-start the peace process.

The White House has asked at least seven Arab countries to consider what they might do in return for an Israeli pledge to freeze construction of settlements in the West Bank.

The US administration is reaching out to moderate Arab countries in the region to inject some momentum into efforts to revive Israeli-Palestinian talks.

Jonathan Rynhold, a London-born expert in US-Israeli relations at Bar-Ilan University, said the White House was likely to have contacted Morocco, Bahrain, and other Gulf states.

The Americans are thought to be asking for the opening of trade offices, flight routes between the countries and cultural exchanges.

Mr Rynhold said: “It does serve as an umbrella strategically if the Palestinians want to move forward.” Washington hopes such moves will encourage Israel to reconsider their plans to continue construction for what officials term “the natural growth” of existing settlements.

But the efforts to reach out to the Arab countries are understood to have left administration officials frustrated so far. Most notably, Mr Obama left his recent visit to Saudi Arabia without any such promises in hand. George Mitchell, the US envoy to the Middle East, met Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, on Tuesday in another attempt to end the deadlock between the countries over the issue. >>> Dina Kraft in Tel Aviv | Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Woman in Sudan Faces Flogging for Wearing Trousers
THE TELEGRAPH: A Sudanese woman journalist is preparing to be flogged 40 times in Khartoum for wearing trousers, with 10 women already whipped for similar offences against Islamic law.

Lubna Ahmed al-Hussein. Photo: The Telegraph
Lubna Ahmed al-Hussein, who writes for the left-wing Al-Sahafa newspaper and works for the media department of the United Nations Mission in Sudan, was arrested in Khartoum earlier this month after being caught wearing "indecent" clothes.

"I received a telephone call from the authorities saying I must appear at 10 am (7am GMT) on Wednesday in front of the judge," Hussein said.

"It is important that people know what is happening," Hussein said in an invitation to journalists to attend her court appearance and flogging.

"They will lash me 40 times, and also fine me 250 Sudanese pounds (100 dollars)."

Hussein said she was at a restaurant on July 3 when police came in and ordered 13 women wearing trousers to follow them to the police station. >>> | Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Related:
Sudan Women ‘Lashed for Trousers’ >>> BBC | July 13, 2009

Sotomayor, «la voix de la diversité à la Cour suprême»
Sonia Sotomayor devient la première hispanique à siéger à la Cour suprême des Etats-Unis. Crédits photo : Le Figaro
LE FIGARO: INTERVIEW - Pour la première fois, une femme hispanique va devenir juge à la plus haute juridiction américaine. Le choix de Barack Obama ne remettra toutefois pas en cause l'équilibre de cette institution, comme l'explique Vincent Michelot, spécialiste de la Cour suprême.

Comme prévu, la commission judiciaire du Sénat américain a approuvé mardi la nomination de Sonia Sotomayor comme juge à la Cour suprême pour remplacer David Souter qui avait démissionné au printemps. Ce oui devrait être confirmé par le Sénat en séance plénière la semaine prochaine.

Sonia Sotomayor, dont les parents sont portoricains, sera la première juge d'origine hispanique à siéger à la Cour. Toutefois sa nomination, voulue par Barack Obama, ne bouleversera pas l'équilibre politique et idéologique de l'institution, comme l'explique Vincent Michelot, professeur à l'IEP de Lyon et auteur d'une thèse de doctorat intitulée «Les nominations à la Cour suprême des États-Unis (1937-1987) : aspects politiques»

LEFIGARO.FR - Est-ce que la nomination de Sonia Sotomayor va modifier l'équilibre politique au sein de la Cour suprême ?

VINCENT MICHELOT - Elle ne va en rien modifier l'équilibre idéologique de la Cour. Elle va remplacer David Souter, considéré comme le juge le plus progressiste et à gauche de l'institution. Il avait voté notamment en 1992 pour le maintien du droit des femmes à l'avortement. Le rapport de force au sein de la Cour va donc rester inchangé. A la veille de la démission de Souter, la composition de la Cour était la suivante (1) : quatre juges «libéraux», quatre magistrats conservateurs voire très conservateurs, ainsi qu'un conservateur modéré centriste «pivot» qui vote parfois avec les progressistes. La voix de ce dernier est décisive lorsque les décisions sont prises à cinq voix contre quatre. Des mauvaises langues disent même que Sonia Sotomayor serait moins progressiste que David Souter sur la question de l'équilibre des pouvoirs et devrait se montrer plus déférente vis-à-vis de l'exécutif. Or un des grands débats que va avoir à trancher la Cour suprême dans les années à venir va être la délimitation du pouvoir de l'exécutif, qui a beaucoup grandi sous George Bush après le 11 septembre. >>> Propos recueillis par Constance Jamet (lefigaro.fr) | Mercredi 29 Juillet 2009

Mike Castle on PeeBo's Birth Certificate

THE GUARDIAN:
Anti-Obama 'birther movement' gathers steam: Conspiracy theory returns with a vengeance as right wing questions Barack Obama's US citizenship >>> Chris McGreal in Washington | Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Taliban Running School for Suicide Bombers
THE INDEPENDENT: Army discovers boys as young as nine brainwashed in Swat valley training camp

Pakistan said yesterday it had rescued 20 young boys who were among hundreds recruited by the Taliban and brainwashed into becoming suicide bombers at a secret indoctrination camp.

The boys, some as young as nine, have revealed details of how they were induced to become part of the Taliban's army of jihad inside Pakistan and told their rescuers that more than 1,000 children may be undergoing training in the special camp in the Swat valley. Their discovery by the army as troops were sweeping through the valley conducting the final stages of a military offensive against the Taliban underscores the organisation's power over poor Pakistani communities and the extreme lengths Taliban commanders are willing to go to achieve their aims.

The rescued children were held at a training camp in the Charbagh area of the Swat valley, where their indoctrination programme reportedly lasted more than a month. Some were recovered as the army was carrying out "search and sweep" operations as part of the final stages of its military offensive in the valley, while others were handed over to the army by worried parents. >>> Omar Waraich in Islamabad | Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Clashes with Islamists Who Claim to Be Taleban Kill 150 in Nigeria
TIMES ONLINE: Radical Islamists, who claim to be linked to al-Qaeda, have killed more than 150 people in two days of violence in northern Nigeria, news agencies reported.

Residents in the state of Borno said that Islamic militants, loyal to an anti-Western preacher, burnt a police station, a church and a customs office early yesterday.

The attacks came after clashes in the neighbouring, mainly Muslim states of Bauchi and Yobe on Sunday.

The heavily armed sect, which calls itself Taleban, emerged in Nigeria in 2004. Although, it has never been clear if it has proper links to the Taleban in Afghanistan its leaders profess allegiance to and admiration of Osama bin Laden. >>> Jonathan Clayton | Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Prison Looms for Aung San Suu Kyi as Burma Show Trial Draws to a Close
TIMES ONLINE: The Burmese democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi is facing an almost certain criminal conviction and a sentence of up to five years in prison when a Rangoon court delivers its verdict at the end of this week, her defence team said yesterday.

Wrapping up her two-and-a-half-month trial, Ms Suu Kyi’s lawyers gave their reply to the prosecution’s final arguments in a court in Insein prison, Rangoon. She is accused of violating the terms of her lengthy house arrest by giving shelter to an eccentric American who entered the lakeside home where she has spent 14 of the past 20 years in detention.

Speaking softly, Ms Suu Kyi stood and turned to diplomats attending the hearing and said: “I’m afraid the verdict will be painfully obvious.”

“She thanked us for trying to promote a just outcome,” said an Asian diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity. Only diplomats from the US, Japan, Singapore and Thailand were allowed to attend the last day of the trial.

Her lawyers held out little hope of an acquittal when the verdict is delivered. “We have a good chance according to the law but we cannot know what the court will decide because this is a political case,” said Nyan Win, a lawyer for Ms Suu Kyi and the spokesman for her party, the National League for Democracy. “I have never seen any defendant in a political case being set free. We have done our best and she is prepared for the worst.” >>> Richard Lloyd Parry, Asia Editor | Wedmesday, July 29, 2009

Police Raid Home of Conrad Murray, Michael Jackson's Personal Doctor
The raid on Dr Murray's home follows a similar search of his office. Photo: TimesOnline
TIMES ONLINE: Police and federal agents tonight searched the home of Michael Jackson's personal physician following reports that the authorities believe Dr Conrad Murray killed the pop star by administering a powerful anaesthetic drug.

Dr Murray is said to have given Jackson propofol through an intravenous drip the night before he died. The drug, also known as Diprivan, is used to induce unconsciousness in hospital patients before major surgery. Reports have said that it was found in Jackson’s home.

A law enforcement official told the Associated Press that Jackson relied on propofol - marketed as Diprivan - like an alarm clock to help him sleep. A doctor would administer it when Jackson went to bed, then stop the IV drip when the singer wanted to wake up.

On June 25, the day Jackson died, Dr Murray gave him the drug through an IV sometime after midnight, the official said.

Dr Murray, 51, has been a central character in the investigation from the outset - Jackson's family have long accused him of having a hand in his death. The raid on his gated residence in Las Vegas, apparently in search of medical records, comes a week after a search of his offices in Houston, Texas, by police. >>> Michael Harvey, San Francisco | Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Fettleibigkeit kostet USA doppelt so viel wie vor zehn Jahren
TAGES ANZEIGER: Der Leibesumfang der Amerikaner wächst und wächst und wächst – und mit ihm die Belastung des Gesundheitswesens.

Nach einer jüngsten Studie der US-Regierung und der Forschungsgruppe RTI International liegen die medizinischen Ausgaben für fettleibige Menschen pro Kopf und Jahr bei rund 4800 Dollar.

Das sind 42 Prozent mehr als bei Normalgewichtigen. Hier liegen die Kosten bei rund 3400 Dollar. Insgesamt, so schätzen die Forscher, betragen die Therapiekosten von durch starkes Übergewicht geförderten Krankheiten wie Herzleiden und Diabetes jährlich nunmehr 147 Milliarden Dollar - doppelt so viel wie noch vor zehn Jahren. >>> se/sda | Dienstag, 28. Juli 2009

Thousands of Muslims Gather in London to Demand a Caliphate
Photo: BNP
BNP: Britain has revealed itself as the major Muslim invasion point for Europe with a rally of thousands of militant Muslims under the radical Hizb ut-Tahrir pan-Islamist party in London supporting Jihad and the creation of a caliphate in which non-Muslims will have no rights.

The rally — largely ignored by the controlled media out of a desire to hide the shocking truth from the British public — was organised by Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain, which is the UK variant of the globalist Islamist party. The conference was provocatively titled “The Struggle for ISLAM and the call for Khilafah.” (Khilafah is the word for caliphate.)

It was opened by Dr Abdul Wahid, Chairman of Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain’s Executive Committee, who said, “using the issue of terrorism and extremism, Western governments have embarked on a campaign to prevent the Muslim world establishing an Islamic government, the Caliphate that will free the Muslim world from the terror and hegemony that has been brought upon it by the West.”

Dr Wahid said, “In this critical time, Muslims needed to hold onto Islamic values living in the West, and resist the attempts to reform Islam, and to support the call for the Islamic Khilafah in the Muslim world — to end decades of oppression, colonisation and dependency.”

“The growing call for Khilafah in the Muslim world is causing increasing anxiety in Western capitals. To thwart this call Western backed puppet rulers are doing everything to stop the political work of Hizb ut Tahrir. Despite all the torture and terror upon Hizb ut Tahrir members, the party’s work continues to grow and its call is now embraced by millions of Muslims all over the world,” the conference was told.

An official Hizb ut Tahrir press release stated: “The conference highlighted how the method to re-establish the Khilafah is based on the Life (Seerah) of the Prophet Muhammad (saw), which clearly laid out a non-violent intellectual and political struggle to bring about change. Hizb ut-Tahrir has continued with this method for over 50 years and calls Muslims all over the world to this path for change.

“The conference concluded by emphasizing the key role the Muslim community in the West plays in terms of supporting the call for Khilafah in the Muslim world and carrying the Message of Islam to the wider non-Muslim society, breaking the stereotypes and presenting Islam with sound argument and good example.” >>> BNP News | Monday, July 27, 2009

Russian Navy UFO Records Say Aliens Love Oceans
RUSSIA TODAY: The Russian navy has declassified its records of encounters with unidentified objects technologically surpassing anything humanity ever built, reports Svobodnaya Pressa news website.

The records dating back to soviet times were compiled by a special navy group collecting reports of unexplained incidents delivered by submarines and military ships. The group was headed by deputy Navy commander Admiral Nikolay Smirnov, and the documents reveal numerous cases of possible UFO encounters, the website says.

Vladimir Azhazha, former navy officer and a famous Russian UFO researcher, says the materials are of great value.

“Fifty percent of UFO encounters are connected with oceans. Fifteen more – with lakes. So UFOs tend to stick to the water,” he said. >>> | Tuesday, July 21, 2009

PRAVDA:
UFO Phenomenon Was Strictly Tabooed in USSR >>> | Thursday, July 02, 2009

Iran 'Releases 140 Demonstrators'
BBC: About 140 Iranians detained during protests against last month's disputed election result have been released from Evin prison, officials say.

About 200 others, accused of more serious crimes, remain in the prison.

The release comes after Iran's supreme leader ordered the closure of another detention centre because it failed to "preserve the rights of detainees".

The unusual moves show how much pressure Iran's leaders are under over detainees, correspondents say.

Officials also announced on Tuesday that 30 people were killed in clashes between opposition supporters and police - up from a previously stated figure of about 20. >>> | Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Jihad Academy in Fairfax County

YOU TUBE: Welcome to Faisal County


Welcome to Faisal County >>> Frank Gaffney, Jr. | July 13, 2009

La bombe grecque de l'immigration
En Grèce, les immigrés arrivent désormais du monde entier. Photo: L’Express.fr
L’EXPRESS.fr: Avec ses milliers d'îles et ses 16 000 kilomètres de frontières, la Grèce attire chaque année un flot croissant de clandestins. Débordée par l'ampleur du phénomène, Athènes appelle à l'aide l'Union européenne.

Le visage collé aux barreaux de leur dortoir, un groupe de migrants afghans tente de profiter des quelques rayons de soleil. Murs couverts de graffitis, poste de télévision cassé, lits de fortune: le camp de rétention de l'île grecque de Lesbos a tout d'un cachot. Sous le regard vide des détenus, les policiers vont et viennent, cachés derrière des masques de protection. Certains pensionnaires seraient porteurs de maladies comme la tuberculose ou l'hépatite C.

L'été dernier, ils étaient presque un millier à s'entasser dans ces hangars bétonnés, conçus pour abriter 400 personnes. Une surpopulation qui illustre l'incapacité de la Grèce à faire face à l'explosion récente du nombre de sans-papiers arrivant sur son territoire.

Le pays tente tant bien que mal de protéger ses frontières, qui sont aussi celles de l'Europe. Mais, avec ses milliers d'îlots et son littoral de 16 000 kilomètres, la côte grecque est très poreuse et la tâche semble vaine. >>> Par Anne-Laure Buffard, Chine Labbé, Solenn Poullennec | Samedi 11 Juillet, mis à jour Mardi 21 Juillet 2009

Malalai Joya Speaks Out Ahead of Afghan Elections
THE TELEGRAPH: Five assassination attempts have failed to silence "the bravest woman in Afghanistan" as she vows to continue to defend Afghans from oppression - whether from the Taliban or occupying forces.

Malalai Joya became Afghanistan's youngest Member of Parliament when she was elected aged just 27 to the 249-seat National Assembly in September 2005. She has been suspended since 2007 on charges of insulting the parliament.

Joya is in the UK to promote her new book, Raising My Voice, but also to deliver a message to Britain: "We do not accept foreign occupation - three times a British government have occupied my country faced with the opposition of my people."

"Foreign governments are wasting their money and their blood in Afghanistan by supporting Karzai. After this election, the result will be the same donkey, only with a new saddle." Read on and view video >>> | Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Pope Angered and Disgusted by Offensive Scottish ‘Art’ Exhibition
MAIL ONLINE: The Pope has condemned a ' disgusting' taxpayer-funded exhibition in which visitors are urged to deface the Bible.

Visitors were offered pens by gallery bosses so they could scrawl comments on the text - leading to a host of puerile and obscene remarks.

Pope Benedict XVI believes the stunt would not have been contemplated with a copy of the Koran.

His anger over the show, organised by council-funded arts body Culture and Sport Glasgow, was expressed by a senior Vatican priest.

The adviser to the Pope said: 'It is disgusting and offensive. They would not think of doing it to the Koran.' Pope attacks Glasgow art gallery's invitation to vandalise a Bible >>> Graham Grant | Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Islamisten: Sieben Terrorverdächtige in den USA angeklagt
WELT ONLINE: Einen Heiligen Krieg gegen Israel mit Mord, Entführung und Anschlägen hatten sich sieben Männer im US-Bundesstaat North Carolina vorgenommen. Dazu halfen sie, Geld für Terroroperationen zu sammeln und reisten sogar nach Tel Aviv. In der Nacht zum Dienstag wurden die Männer festgenommen.

Ein Bundesgericht im US-Staat North Carolina hat am Montag gegen sieben Männer Anklage wegen der Finanzierung und Beihilfe für Terroroperationen in Israel erhoben. Wie der US-Fernsehsender ABC in der Nacht zum Dienstag weiter berichtete, hatten sich die sechs US-Bürger und ein Immigrant im Alter zwischen 20 und 39 Jahren verschworen, einen gewaltsamen Heiligen Krieg mit Mord und Entführung zu führen.

Nach Angaben der Zeitung „Raleigh News & Observer“ soll die Gruppe, darunter ein Vater und seine zwei Söhne, geholfen haben, Geld zu sammeln und Trainingsmöglichkeiten für Freiwillige für Terroroperationen in Tel Aviv zur Verfügung gestellt haben.

Der Hauptverdächtige Daniel Boyd und einige seiner Komplizen sollen laut ABC im Juni 2007 nach Israel gefahren sein. Dort hätten sie vergeblich versucht, Terroraktivitäten zu unternehmen. Boyd habe im vergangenen Juli erfolgreich einen Rekruten ausgebildet und seine Reise in das Kosovo finanziert. >>> dpa/AP/ks | Dienstag, 28. Juli 2009

Video anschauen hier

NEWS & OBSERVER (RALEIGH): 7 Arrested in Terror Plot

Neighbors say the men they knew appeared friendly and unthreatening.

RALEIGH -- To those they lived among, seven men accused of an intricate terrorism plot lived simply, quietly and kindly.
To neighbors and friends, Daniel Boyd was a father who stopped his work at noon each day for prayer. Dylan Boyd, Daniel's son, was a college student at N.C. State University who until last year worked as a clinical services technician at WakeMed Raleigh Campus. Mohammad Omar Aly Hassan was a newlywed; his father owns a Raleigh car dealership.

To federal authorities, these men and four others plotted to kill themselves and others in the name of Islam. Their activities, tracked by FBI agents over three years and detailed in federal indictments released Monday, tell of an elaborate scheme hatched in a quiet Johnston County neighborhood and nondescript apartment complexes across Raleigh and Cary.

Those arrested Monday include Daniel Patrick Boyd, 39, who was considered the ringleader of the group, and who fought with Afghan Muslims against the Soviets; Hysen Sherifi, 24; Anes Subasic, 33; Zakariya Boyd, 20, and Dylan Boyd, 22; Mohammad Omar Aly Hassan, 22; and Ziyad Yaghi, a 21-year-old Cary High School graduate.

All but one of the defendants are American citizens. Sherifi, a native of Kosovo, is living in the United States legally.

All seven men are charged with conspiring to provide support to terrorists and conspiring to murder, kidnap, maim and injure people abroad. Each is expected to have a detention hearing this week. Until then, they are being held without bond. They have not been appointed lawyers. Efforts to reach their families were unsuccessful Monday night.

Federal authorities stormed the men's homes Monday and arrested them. Hours later, they stood before a federal magistrate and learned they could spend the rest of their lives in prison if found guilty of the charges against them. At nightfall, federal agents continued to search their homes, taking several vans and dozens of agents to their quiet neighborhoods. >>> Mandy Locke, Yonat Shimron and Josh Shaffer - Staff Writers | Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Dhimmitude Alert! The Weak, Fawning British Do It Again!
MAIL ONLINE: Women police officers are being issued with headscarves to wear when they visit a mosque.

They are expected to put the scarfs [sic] on shortly before they enter the mosque, in keeping with Islamic custom.

There are two versions - one matches the black of a police officer's uniform, while another goes with the blue uniforms worn by community support officers.

The headscarves are being given out by Avon and Somerset Police, and have the force's emblem sewn on.

They have already been given to seven officers, including Assistant Chief Constable Jackie Roberts, and eight community support officers who work with Muslim groups in the area.

Mrs Roberts said: 'It recognises and respects the cultural and religious practices of our communities. This is a very positive addition to the uniform and one which I'm sure will be a welcome item for many of our officers.'

The force said the scarves, which cost £13, can be used in other religious settings as a mark of respect - for instance to cover the shoulders of a non-uniformed officer in a church.

Islamic custom expects women to cover their head inside a place of worship.

During an official visit last year, the Queen wore a headscarf to tour the crypt and caverns of an historic Islamic shrine in Turkey.

Rashad Azami, Imam and director of the Bath Islamic Society, said: 'It is highly pleasing to see that Avon and Somerset Constabulary is introducing specially designed head coverings for female officers. Very PC police force issues its WPCs with Muslim headscarves complete with badge for mosque visits >>> James Slack, Home Affairs Editor | Tuesday, July 28, 2009

My comment on this story which the Mail Online has refused to print:

Year, 2050: Ha! Ha! Ha! By the grace of Allah and the weakness and stupidity of the British, we have taken the country over! Important announcement: Burqas will now be mandatory for all women, hijabs will no longer be adequate. Our sisters in Islam are warned that showing any hair in public is a very serious offence, punishable by a beating.

Londonistan, The Islamic Republic of Britain

MA

Queen Bypasses Bermuda’s Celebration of Four Centuries of Colonial History
TIMES ONLINE: The Queen is skipping today’s celebrations of the 400th anniversary of the settlement of Britain’s oldest colony after a row with the island’s pro-independence leader.

Bermuda is commemorating the shipwreck on July 28, 1609, of the Sea Venture, the flagship of a fleet sent to resupply the Jamestown colony in America.

Sailors, including the crew of the visiting Royal Navy destroyer HMS Manchester, will re-enact the 150 settlers rowing ashore on what is now St Catherine’s Beach to start four centuries of continuous settlement of the mid-Atlantic island.

Neither Queen Elizabeth II, the island’s sovereign, nor Ewart Brown, the elected pro-independence Premier, however, will be present for the celebrations.

The Queen was invited and had been considering a visit but decided to skip the festivities after Britain clashed with the island’s elected Government in June over its decision to resettle four former Guantánamo Bay prisoners without asking Britain’s permission.

The four Muslim ethnic Uighurs from China have been transferred to guest-worker housing and are learning English with a tutor. They are trying to get jobs but are all currently recovering from a bout of flu.

A Palace source said that the Queen had no immediate plans to visit Bermuda. >>> James Bone in New York | Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Barack Obama: US and China Will Shape 21st Century
THE TELEGRAPH: US President Barack Obama said the US and China will "shape the course of the 21st century" as he opened high-level talks in Washington.

To the satisfaction of the Chinese at talks designed to usher in a new era of friendship, "not confrontation", Mr Obama said that the ties between the two powers were "as important as any bilateral relationship in the world".

"That reality must underpin our partnership. That is the responsibility we bear," he said at the first meeting of the Strategic and Economic Dialogue in Washington.

In recognition of the importance of the two-day summit it has been described by analysts in the US as the "G2", after the G8 and G20 gatherings.

Mr Obama said he was under "no illusions that the United States and China will agree on every issue", but insisted closer co-operation on a range of challenges from lifting the global economy to nuclear proliferation and climate change was vital for the whole world.

In what appeared to be a co-ordinated new slogan, both Mr Obama and Hu Jintao, the Chinese president, who sent a message to the meeting, said they sought a "positive, constructive, and comprehensive relationship".

The talks are a revamped version of a meeting launched by George W Bush that focused solely on economic issues.

The new dialogue, to be held every year in alternate capitals, involves the US state department and Chinese foreign ministry and firmly underlines China's growing global footprint.

Beijing sent 150 officials to Washington for dozens of meetings with their US counterparts, bringing much of the capital to a virtual standstill.

The Chinese are still sensitive about their inferior status and pushed hard for Mr Obama to open the meeting, according to sources close to the administration, because "they are still looking for validation".

But the hosts were happy to pay tribute to China's ascendance and were optimistic about its ability to act as a responsible member of the global community.

Mr Obama and Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, made only brief reference to China's poor human rights record, which used to loom much larger in discussions. >>> Alex Spillius in Washington | Monday, July 27, 2009

LE FIGARO: Obama propose un axe Pékin-Washington

Le président américain Barack Obama, lundi, lors de la première session de «dialogue stratégique et économique» entre les États-Unis et la Chine à Washington avec, de gauche à droite, le conseiller d'État chinois Dai Bingguo, le vice-premier ministre Wang Qishan et la secrétaire d'État américaine Hillary Clinton. Crédits photo : Le Figaro

Le président américain a plaidé lundi pour une coopération tous azimuts entre les deux pays.

Le président Obama a ouvert,lundi, deux jours de «dialogue stratégique et économique» entre les États-Unis et la Chine à Washington en rappelant que les relations entre les deux pays vont «façonner le vingt et unième siècle». Au menu de ces rencontres : ­­­l'économie, le réchauffement climatique, la prolifération et les menaces transnationales.

«Je crois que nous sommes sur le point de progresser sur quelques-unes des questions les plus importantes de notre temps», a dit le président américain, même s'il se dit «sans illusion» sur le fait que la Chine et les États-Unis pourraient être «d'accord sur tout».

Le ministre des Finances américain, Tim Geithner, s'était félicité de la réaction rapide des deux pays qui a permis d'«atténuer» les effets de la crise mais le dialogue à ce sujet reste crispé. Barack Obama souligne que «les choix effectués à l'intérieur de nos frontières ont un impact sur l'économie globale» et qu'en conséquence les États-Unis restent partisans d'une «forte coordination bilatérale et multilatérale».

Il évoque les points sur lesquels des avancées assureront un redressement solide : transparence et réforme réglementaire, libre-échange, un cycle de Doha «ambitieux et équilibré», réforme des institutions internationales pour donner à la Chine une place qui correspond à son rôle actuel. Barack Obama note que la Chine peut être «un immense marché» pour les États-Unis. Il ne parle pas directement du sujet qui fâchait déjà sous l'Administration Bush et qui continue à créer la tension ces jours-ci : la ­question des devises, sur laquelle on a connu Tim Geithner plus sanguin.

Le dialogue, limité aux questions économiques par l'Administration Bush, a été élargi pour forger une relation «complète» et refléter des priorités nouvelles pour les États-Unis, comme le réchauffement climatique. Les deux pays sont les plus grands consommateurs d'énergie et les plus grands pollueurs (ils produisent 42 % des gaz toxiques). Barack Obama espère qu'ils développeront ensemble les énergies propres pour un «redressement à faible taux de carbone». >>> Nathalie Mattheiem, à New York | Mardi 28 Juillet 2009